CRIMSON VOW

TOO CLOSE TO RUN

Everything was too loud.

Screams. Footsteps. The sharp crack of something breaking.

But Liora heard only one thing—

Her heartbeat.

Fast. Uneven.

Too aware.

“Stay behind me.”

Adrian’s voice cut through the chaos, steady and commanding. He didn’t look back, but his presence in front of her felt like a barrier between her and everything else.

Liora didn’t argue.

She stepped closer instead.

The creatures circled now, slower, cautious. Their glowing eyes fixed on her like she was the only thing that mattered.

Her stomach twisted.

“They’re not after everyone,” she said, her voice tight. “They’re after me.”

Adrian didn’t deny it.

“They can sense you.”

The words landed heavily.

Liora’s chest tightened. “Sense what?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Another creature lunged from the side—fast.

Adrian moved even faster.

He caught it mid-attack, slamming it into the ground with brutal force before it could get close. The impact echoed, sending a ripple through the already panicked street.

People were running now. Screaming. Disappearing into buildings, alleyways—anywhere that felt safer than here.

But Liora stayed.

Because wherever she went…

This would follow.

“They shouldn’t have found you this early,” Adrian muttered, more to himself than to her.

“Found me?” Liora repeated, her voice shaking. “Can you stop saying things like that and actually explain what’s going on?!”

Another one moved in the distance.

Closer.

Faster.

Adrian’s posture shifted, tension tightening in his shoulders.

“There isn’t time.”

“There’s *never* time with you!” she snapped.

For a brief second, he turned to look at her.

Really look.

And whatever he saw made his expression harden.

“Then listen carefully,” he said. “You’re not safe here anymore.”

Her breath caught. “Because of them?”

“Because of you.”

The words hit harder than anything else.

Before she could respond, a low growl echoed nearby.

Too close.

Liora turned just as one of the creatures broke through the chaos, sprinting straight toward her.

Fast.

Too fast.

Her body froze again—

But not completely this time.

That same heat surged through her veins, sharper now. Stronger.

Her vision flickered.

The world slowed—

Just slightly.

Enough for her to see it coming.

Enough to react.

She stumbled back on instinct—

And the creature missed her by inches.

It crashed into the ground where she had been standing.

Liora gasped, her chest heaving.

“I—” she looked at her hands, shaken. “I moved before it—”

“You’re adapting,” Adrian said.

There was something unreadable in his voice.

Not surprise.

Something closer to… confirmation.

“What does that mean?” she asked, fear creeping in.

But he didn’t answer.

Because the remaining creatures weren’t hesitating anymore.

They moved together.

Closing in.

Adrian stepped forward, placing himself in front of her again.

But this time—

He didn’t look calm.

He looked ready to destroy anything that came closer.

“Stay behind me,” he said again, his voice darker now.

Liora swallowed, her pulse racing.

“This isn’t going to stop, is it?” she whispered.

“No.”

The honesty in his answer sent a chill through her.

“Then what do we do?”

For the first time—

Adrian hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then he said—

“We run.”

And before she could question it—

He reached for her hand.

Cold.

Firm.

Real.

And in the next moment—

They were moving.

Fast.

Faster than anything she had ever experienced.

The city blurred around her, the noise fading into nothing as they disappeared into the shadows.

But even as they ran—

Liora knew.

This wasn’t escape.

It was only the beginning.