THE NOTHERN PART
953 Words
The sounds of battle followed them.
Clashing steel.
Snarling wolves.
The sharp, deadly cries of vampires moving through the darkness.
Kaelen forced himself not to look back.
Every instinct inside him screamed to return to the valley—to fight beside his pack.
But the bond tugging at his chest pulled him forward instead.
Lucien walked beside him with smooth, effortless steps, his dark cloak shifting in the mountain wind.
Seris led the way.
“The northern cliffs aren’t used often,” she said over her shoulder. “Too dangerous.”
Aria snorted behind them.
“You say that like it’s comforting.”
The narrow trail twisted between jagged rocks and steep drops that vanished into darkness below.
The moon hung low in the sky, painting the mountains in silver.
Lucien glanced toward the valley.
Flashes of movement were still visible in the distance.
“They’re really doing it,” he murmured.
Kaelen didn’t need to ask what he meant.
“They’ve been waiting for an excuse.”
Lucien tilted his head.
“And we gave them one.”
Kaelen’s jaw tightened.
Seris slowed as the path narrowed.
“Careful here.”
The group stepped onto a thin stone ledge carved into the side of the cliff.
Wind howled past them.
Far below, the forest stretched endlessly across the land.
Aria looked down once.
Then immediately looked away.
“I regret every decision that brought me here.”
Lucien smiled faintly.
“You volunteered.”
“That was before the cliff.”
Kaelen’s wolf stirred uneasily.
Something felt wrong.
He stopped suddenly.
Seris turned.
“What?”
Kaelen lifted his head, sniffing the air.
The wind carried a faint scent.
Cold.
Metallic.
Lucien noticed his expression.
“What is it?”
Kaelen’s voice was quiet.
“We’re not alone.”
Aria froze.
“Please tell me that’s a joke.”
Seris’s eyes sharpened.
“It isn’t.”
The scent grew stronger.
Then a shadow moved among the rocks ahead.
Another figure stepped into the moonlight.
A vampire.
Silver armor.
Crimson eyes.
Cassian.
Aria groaned loudly.
“Oh come on.”
Cassian smiled thinly.
“Did you really believe we would let you leave?”
Several more vampires appeared along the cliffs above them, dropping silently onto the rocks.
Seris counted quickly.
“Seven.”
Lucien sighed softly.
“That seems excessive.”
Cassian’s gaze settled on him.
“You belong to the Crimson Court.”
Lucien’s expression hardened slightly.
“I believe we’ve had this conversation.”
Kaelen stepped forward.
“You’ll have to go through me.”
Cassian chuckled.
“That was always the plan.”
The vampires moved.
Fast.
One lunged toward Kaelen with a curved blade.
Kaelen shifted instantly.
Claws flashed in the moonlight as he knocked the vampire back into the cliff wall.
Another attacked from above.
Seris intercepted him midair, slamming him into the rocks with frightening strength.
Aria grabbed a fallen sword from the ground.
“Well,” she muttered.
“Guess we’re doing this.”
Lucien didn’t move at first.
His crimson eyes tracked the battlefield calmly.
Cassian stepped toward him slowly.
“You should surrender.”
Lucien raised a brow.
“That seems unlikely.”
Cassian’s voice dropped.
“You know what the Court will do if you refuse.”
Lucien’s gaze flicked briefly toward Kaelen fighting two vampires at once.
“I imagine they will be very disappointed.”
Cassian attacked.
Lucien moved like flowing shadow.
He twisted aside, letting the blade pass harmlessly before striking Cassian’s wrist with precise force.
The sword clattered against the stone.
Cassian hissed.
“You were always difficult.”
Lucien’s smile was sharp.
“You have no idea.”
Behind them, Kaelen threw a vampire off the cliff with a roar.
The bond surged violently through his chest.
Protect.
His wolf locked onto the one threat that mattered most.
Cassian.
Kaelen moved instantly.
He slammed into Cassian from the side, sending both of them crashing into the rocks.
Cassian recovered quickly, baring his fangs.
“You would abandon your kingdom for him?”
Kaelen’s golden eyes burned.
“Yes.”
The answer surprised even him.
For a moment, the battlefield went quiet.
Lucien stared at him.
Something softer flickered in his expression.
Cassian looked furious.
“Then you truly are a fool.”
Kaelen lunged.
The fight ended quickly.
Cassian realized the same thing at the same time.
They were outnumbered.
And Kaelen was stronger than expected.
Cassian stepped back slowly.
“This isn’t over.”
Lucien dusted off his sleeve.
“It rarely is.”
Cassian signaled the remaining vampires.
They vanished into the darkness as quickly as they had appeared.
Silence returned to the cliffs.
Aria dropped the sword with a sigh.
“I hate vampires.”
Seris glanced at the retreating shadows.
“They’ll be back.”
Kaelen knew she was right.
Lucien stepped closer to him.
“You said something interesting back there.”
Kaelen frowned.
“What?”
Lucien’s voice was softer now.
“You would abandon your kingdom for me.”
Kaelen hesitated.
The bond pulsed warmly between them.
“I said what I needed to.”
Lucien studied him for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
“That may be true.”
He turned and continued down the path.
“But I think we both know it wasn’t the whole truth.”
Kaelen watched him go.
His wolf was unusually quiet now.
Satisfied.
Aria clapped her hands suddenly.
“Okay!”
She pointed down the trail.
“Can we keep running before more dramatic enemies appear?”
Seris laughed.
“A wise suggestion.”
The group continued into the darkness.
Behind them—
Two kingdoms were already preparing to hunt them.
- Writer
