Chapter 4 – Marked
1293 Words
Elara’s POV
“ELARA!”
I didn’t know what happened, but I was back on the ground. In the woods. Breathing.
I felt something warm stir beneath me and that’s when I noticed two big arms wrapped around my body. Confused, I looked down and was met with dark hazel eyes staring right back at me.
Kael.
He was shirtless, with claw marks slashed across his skin.
I jolted upright. “Wh-what are you doing here?” I screamed, scrambling off him.
He groaned, as he sat up, brushing leaves from his hair. “Ugh…are you okay?”
I stared, with absolute confusion on my face.
What just happened?
“How did you get here?” I asked.
He looked at me, his chest moved as he lifted his hand to his hair, showing his muscles as they tightened.
My eyes trailed down to the gashes on his chest, then lower.
That was when I realized he wasn’t just shirtless.
“Oh my God,” I squeaked, turning around quickly as my cheeks burned up.
He chuckled.
I heard the rustle of leaves as he moved behind me. Nervous, I got up also without turning my head to him, dusting the leaves from my dress.
“Are you hurt?” He spoke again, as he walked towards me, his voice low and careful.
I turned slowly, only to find him all dressed up now. A black shirt clung to his frame as his eyes never left mine. Surprised by this, I asked the one question repeating in my head. “What are you?”
And without a moment of thought, he whispered “Yours.”
Something shifted in me that night, something I didn’t know I needed.
“Elara!”
“Elara!”
I heard my friends call out to me from a distance.
“I have to go,” I said softly, my gaze never leaving him.
He nodded, then reached into his pocket as he brought out something.
A pendant
I gasped. “Oh my God.”
It was a teardrop-shaped moonstone wrapped in delicate silver vines with a faint pale blue hue glow.
“I guess I should give you this,” he said, stretching out his hands with the necklace in his palm.
“This is beautiful,” I said, mesmerized.
“Still doesn’t come close to you,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity.
I licked my lips nervously as his eyes trailed every movement; for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of red in them. The gap between us closed, and his lips brushed mine, barely a kiss.
“Elara!”
The voices were closer now.
“I…should go,” I whispered, taking a step back.
A low growl escaped from his lips but was replaced immediately with a sigh.
“Alright.”
I left and as I turned back to take another glance at him, he was gone.
A strange ache bloomed in my chest as I walked back towards my friends.
Things have been different ever since then.
—
School was finally over and summer break had officially begun. Students poured out the door, laughing, cheering, some already making plans for the summer.
“Freedom at last!” Grace squealed, as we walked out the door.
“I have a lot of things planned out already.”
I chuckled. “Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said, with a sly grin on her face.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Knowing Grace fully well, it’s definitely going to be something crazy.
We chatted for a bit then said our goodbyes. I headed towards my dad’s diner, still smiling.
On my way there, I felt someone following me. I turned and saw a lady standing just across the street. Staring at me.
She stood there for a while, then left.
Weird.
I turned back, hurrying on to my dad’s place.
“Hey kiddo. You okay?” He asked, his eyes scanning my face as I walked in through the door.
“Yeah,” I said quickly, forcing a smile as I brushed the thought from my mind.
“So…what can I help you with?” I asked, setting my bag down in the back.
“Nothing,” he said, dropping a plate of burger and fries in front of me. “Just eat.”
“Dad, I thought we agreed I was going to help you out this summer?”
He raised a brow. “Well you can’t do that on an empty stomach, right?”
“Hmm… Touché,” I chuckled, taking my seat as I prepared to eat my food.
“That’s my girl,” he said, giving me a kiss on my forehead.
“Oh my God, Dad, not here,” I said, glancing at the full diner. A few people definitely saw that.
He just chuckled and went back to work.
Later that evening, I stepped out to take out the trash, texting Grace back about her wild summer plans. That’s when I saw her again.
“What the f**k….” I whispered.
She stood near the woods, staring directly at me.
I glared back at her, deciding to stand my ground. Without a word, she turned and walked back into the woods again. This time, I followed her.
I stepped past the last streetlights as I entered the woods. My shoes crunched against the dry leaves as I wandered slowly, not wanting to go too far so I don't get lost.
I heard footsteps just ahead of me, so I went on, following the sound until it was silent. I stood there for a while but nothing.
“What are you doing Elara,” I thought to myself, suddenly realizing how stupid this was. Back to my senses, I decided to head back.
“Giving up so soon?” a female voice said.
I turned around and there she was. Dressed in all black.
She was tall, beautiful and intimidating. Her long jet-black hair tumbled past her shoulders, with lips that were full and naturally plush and her brown almond-shaped eyes were as fierce as she was.
She moved with poise as she walked towards me. Every step, slow and deliberate, like she owned the ground between us. Her leather pants hugged her skin with intimidating confidence, and before I knew it, she was right in front of me.
“Why were you following me?” I asked, my voice a bit shaky, but I tried to keep it steady.
She let out a soft, mocking laugh, glaring at me as her eyes scanned my whole body until her gaze landed on my pendant.
Her once mocking smile disappeared instantly.
My hands reached up to my necklace, clutching onto it. I didn’t wear my mom’s own today.
I stepped back, breath hitching. “Who are you?”
Her eyes locked onto mine, with disgust and confusion, like a puzzle that didn’t quite fit.
“It’s you….” she muttered, bitterly.
My brows furrowed. “What?”
“But how? You’re just a…human, why would he give this to you?” she said, hinting at the pendant on my neck, with a puzzled look on her face.
“I don’t get it,” I muttered. “What do you want from me?”
She scoffed. “Of course you don’t.” With spite in her voice.
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into…and I don’t know what the f**k he was thinking giving that to you.”
She turned away but just before she disappeared, she looked over her shoulders.
“You don’t belong in his world.”
And with that, she disappeared into the woods.
My chest tightened.
His world?
- Writer
