Chapter twelve
417 Words
hat Kael Is Hiding
Lydia hit the floor hard when Kael shoved her back, but she barely felt the pain.
Everything in the room was chaos.
The hunters moved at the same time, too fast for normal humans. One of them swung toward Kael, and the air cracked again like something invisible had been torn open.
Kael didn’t even flinch.
He caught the strike with his bare hand.
Lydia’s eyes widened. “That’s not—”
Normal. That wasn’t normal.
Kael twisted sharply, throwing the man across the room like he weighed nothing. The wall cracked when he hit it.
The second hunter went straight for him next.
Kael turned just in time, blocking him with his arm. Golden markings flared brighter across his skin, like something under control was starting to slip.
Lydia pushed herself up slowly, her breathing uneven. “Kael, stop—”
“Stay down,” he snapped without looking at her.
But she didn’t.
Because the third hunter was moving toward her.
Her stomach dropped.
She backed away quickly, but the man was already in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
“You don’t belong in this world,” he said quietly.
Before she could react, Kael appeared between them again, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him into the ground.
The impact shook the room.
Lydia froze.
Kael was breathing harder now.
Not tired.
Controlled anger.
The hunter on the floor coughed, then laughed faintly. “You’re still holding back.”
Kael’s grip tightened slightly.
“Because if I don’t,” he said coldly, “there won’t be anything left of you.”
That made the room go quiet for a second.
Even the other hunters stopped moving.
Lydia stared at Kael, her mind racing.
“You’re not human,” she said softly.
Kael didn’t answer right away.
The markings on his arm flickered again.
Then he finally spoke.
“No,” he said.
A pause.
“And neither are they afraid of me for no reason.”
The hunters exchanged a look.
And for the first time, Lydia saw it clearly.
They weren’t just hunting her.
They were avoiding him.
Like he was the real threat.
Kael’s voice dropped slightly.
“If they found you this fast,” he said, “it means the seal is already cracking.”
Lydia swallowed hard. “What happens when it breaks?”
Kael looked at her then.
And his answer wasn’t comforting at all.
“Then you stop being human.”
- Writer
