Calla's POV
Lucian bridged the gap between us in an instant with hands cupping my face. "You're Calla. You are tough, tenacious, and you do not accept garbage from anyone. That is the person you are. And none of the mark, curse, nor person can remove you.
His comments struck me like a thunderclap, and for a split second I stopped breathing.
The cabin door burst inward before I could reply, wood fragments shooting all about. The chamber was blown chilly, and Selene entered with her red hair shining like fire in the low light.
"Well, isn't this cozy," she remarked with a sarcastic tone. "I hope I'm not stopping anything crucial."
Lucian shoved me behind him, his body stiff and eager. Selene, you have crossed a line.
She answered, pretending innocence: "Have I? "I believe the line was crossed the minute you chose to keep her for personal use."
Lucian snarled, his voice lethal, "I won't let you touch her."
Selene grinned, then looked at me. Oh, I need not touch her. The mark will handle all my work for me.
Her comments made me shiver down my back. "What are you debating?"
Lucian tightened his hold on my arm, his stillness providing all I required.
"You haven't mentioned it to her?" Selene laughed, the sound sharp and frigid. Of course, you have not. The mark is not only a lighthouse, but a little girl. It is a tie. It also ties you to him in ways you cannot even fathom.
"Is that indeed true?" I insisted, then turned to Lucian. "What is she referencing?"
"It's complicated," he added in a quiet voice.
"It's not that complicated," Selene said. "The mark links body and soul to Lucian. You die too, should he pass away. Should you die, he dies as well. It's a nice little death trap, really."
My gut lurched, the weight of her words crushing down on me. "Is that correct??" Again, my voice faltering, I asked.
Lucian's quiet response was enough.
"Oh my God," I muttered, edging away from him. "You knew. You knew this whole time, and you didn't tell me."
"I was trying to protect you," he added, his voice strained.
"Protect me?" I laughed bitterly. "You've doomed me, Lucian. You've tethered me to a life I didn't pick, to a fate I don't want."
Selene clapped her hands, obviously savoring the anarchy. "This surprises me since it's more entertaining than imagined. I came here, though, not to talk.
A flip of her wrist sent a flood of vitality straight toward us. Lucian shoved me aside to bear most of the attack. His body quivering in agony, he dropped to the ground.
"Lucian!," Screaming, I hurried to his side.
Selene moved forward, her smile icy and nasty. Little girl, you have options to decide upon. Watch him die, or surrender to me.
Looking down at Lucian, his breaths short and raspy, my heart hammered. A voice rang in my mind: Choose, Calla; the mark on my chest burned hotter than it had ever done. Save either him or yourself.
I tightened my hands, my will sharpening. "Selene, you will regret this."
Her laughter rang out, harsh and contemptuous. "We'll see about that."
I felt the mark's power surge through me, more fierce and terrible than ever as she lifted her hand for another attack.
"Do you ever tell me the truth, or is lying your default setting?"
My speech slashed through the tension like a dagger. I stood in the dimly lit cabin, my hands twisted into fists at my sides, staring down at the guy who had thrown my life into disarray. Lucian rested against the far wall, his clothing shredded and blood-streaked, but his countenance was as unreadable as ever.
"You think I lied to you?" he said, his tone chilly.
"I don't think so, Lucian. I know," I shot back. My chest heaved, the anger bubbling to the surface. "First, you tell me the mark is a gift. Then, Darius shows up and claims it's a curse. Which is it? Or are you just making this up as you go along?"
His mouth closed and he pushed off the wall, gracefully gliding toward me like a predator. "Calla, it is not that easy. Not one thing about this is straightforward.
"NO!" I froze, back-off. "Don't offer that justification once more. You say you want to guard me, but all you have done is put me in danger!
"You consider me to want this?" He snarled as his voice started to rise. You believe I wanted you marked? That I wanted you hauled into this dream?
Then, Lucian, what do you want for? I demanded, my voice cracking. "Because right now it seems like I'm only a tool for you to use!"
Something raw flashed in his eyes: guilt, wrath, or perhaps suffering. You are not a tool here. Only you have kept me from giving up.
The words stopped me in my tracks; they felt to me like a physical force weighing down.
Then stop treating me like a problem to fix, I said softly.
Lucian ran his hand through his hair, clearly annoyed. "Calla, I'm trying here. But something else gets thrown in our path every time I believe I'm moving forward.
"Like Darius"? My voice was sharp as I asked. "Who is him, Lucian?" And why is he more informed about the mark than I am?
Lucian stopped, staring down to the floor. "Darius was my brother."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Your brother?"
"Yes," he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "And he's right about one thing. The mark… it's dangerous. But he's mistaken about you. You're stronger than he realizes."
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Strong? I don't feel strong, Lucian. I feel like I'm drowning."
"You're not drowning," he replied, getting closer. "You're fighting. And that's what makes you different."
He reached out, his hand brushing across mine. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down my spine, and for a moment, I forgot about the turmoil swirling around us.
"You're not alone in this, Calla," he whispered softly. I am right here with you. always.
His words set up a flickering hope in the darkness, something deep inside me. Still, the cabin door exploded open before I could reply.
A woman with fiery red hair and eyes as sharp as knives stepped inside as the wind howled through the aperture. Black, she was wearing, her presence like a storm across the room.
"Am I stopping something?" Her sarcastic voice permeated her questions.
Lucian, his body stiff, came in front of me right away. "Selene."
Selene grinned, then turned to look at me. "This is the girl everyone's talking about then. To be honest, I expected someone more robust.
"Leave her out of this," Lucian urged, his voice low and threatening.
Oh, Lucian, she replied, tilting her head. "You know I'm not able to do that." The secret to everything is her. And I will have to pick her myself should you refuse to turn her over.
My pulse accelerated as Selene lifted her hand, a brilliant ball of energy building in her palm.
"Run, Calla!", Shoving me toward the rear door, Lucian yelled.
But Selene's assault landed between us, shocking me off my feet before I could get going.
"Nowhere to run, little girl," Selene remarked, her voice resonant with force. The mark won't let you flee your fate.
I battled to get up; Selene closed in and my eyesight darkened. Lucian shot at her, his body turning into his wolf form mid-air. The cabin shook from the weight of their fight as they collided in a haze of fur and fire.
"Lucian!" I shrieked, panic engulfing me.
Then I felt it once more—the brand searing into my chest, stronger this time, dragging me toward something I couldn see.
And a voice murmured in my consciousness as the light around me darkened: Choose, Calla. Fight or fall.