A dark night
925 Words
The night was thick with tension as she stared at him, her fingers tightening around the knife hidden behind her back. He had followed her, had come knocking at her door despite every reason he had to kill her. And now, he wanted answers.
“I don’t owe you anything,” she said, voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
His sharp eyes scanned her face, searching for something. “No, you don’t,” he admitted. “But I saved your life tonight. The least you can do is tell me why they were after you.”
She hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her to keep running, to disappear before he pieced together the truth. But something about him—about the way he had held her in the shadows, shielding her from his own kind—made her pause.
She took a slow breath. “They think I’m a threat.”
“Are you?”
Her lips curled into a smirk, though it held no real amusement. “Depends on who’s asking.”
He stepped forward, and she had to resist the urge to back away. “I don’t kill without reason,” he said, his voice quieter now, but no less dangerous. “And I don’t trust easily. But something about you… It doesn’t add up.”
“Maybe you should stop trying to solve a puzzle that doesn’t want to be solved.”
His gaze darkened. “And maybe you should stop pretending you’re just another fighter in a ring.”
The words struck too close to home. Her breath hitched, but she masked it with a scoff. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Not yet,” he agreed. “But I will.”
Something in his tone sent a chill down her spine. A promise. A warning.
Before she could respond, the distant echo of voices outside made them both tense. Her pulse spiked. Had the hunters found her again?
She moved to the window, peeking through the grimy curtains. A group of figures moved through the alley, their shadows stretching against the moonlit walls.
He was beside her in an instant, his presence a solid, undeniable force. “You need to leave,” he murmured.
She turned to him, eyes narrowed. “Why do you care?”
His jaw clenched. “Because if they catch you, they’ll kill you. And I’m not done figuring out what the hell you are yet.”
She didn’t know if she should be grateful or terrified.
But she did know one thing—she couldn’t afford to be caught.
And somehow, she had the sinking feeling that no matter how far she ran, she wouldn’t be able to outrun him.
---
The chase through the alleyways was swift and silent, their footsteps barely making a sound on the damp pavement. She led the way, her senses heightened, feeling the hunter’s presence close behind her. He was fast—too fast for a normal human. That fact only made her more wary.
“Where are we going?” he demanded as they slipped through a gap between buildings.
“Somewhere safe,” she shot back, though the truth was, nowhere was truly safe for her.
They reached an abandoned warehouse, and she forced the rusted door open with a sharp push of her shoulder. Inside, the scent of dust and old machinery filled the air. She turned to face him, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
“This is your idea of safe?” he asked, arching a brow.
“For now.”
He studied her, then leaned against a crate, arms crossed. “So. Tell me why the witch hunters are after you.”
She hesitated, but something in his expression told her he wouldn’t let it go. “They think I’m dangerous.”
His lips twitched. “Are you?”
She met his gaze, unflinching. “Yes.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken truths. Finally, he exhaled. “Then I suppose I should be afraid.”
She smirked. “Maybe you should.”
But he didn’t look afraid. If anything, he looked intrigued.
And that was dangerous—for both of them.
---
Days passed in a blur of evasion and tension. The witch hunters were relentless, forcing them to move constantly. Yet, through it all, he never left her side. She didn’t understand why. He should have turned her in by now. Killed her, even.
But he didn’t.
One night, as they rested in a secluded cabin deep in the forest, she finally asked, “Why are you still here?”
He was sharpening a blade, his movements precise. “Maybe I like the challenge.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” He met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “You’re not what I expected.”
She frowned. “What did you expect?”
“A monster.”
The word sent a cold chill down her spine. “And what do you see now?”
He was quiet for a long moment before saying, “Something more.”
Her breath caught. He wasn’t supposed to see more. No one was.
She turned away, focusing on the flickering fire instead of the way her chest tightened at his words. She couldn’t afford to care. Not about him. Not about anyone.
Because in the end, she was still what they hunted.
And if he ever found out the full truth, not even he would be able to save her.
- Writer
