38. 

The night swallows me whole.

I dart between trees, camouflage amongst the shrub. The moon glares down, piercing the thick foliage above. Branches reach out, clawing my arms, but I blend with the shadows. Once so threatening, the forest is a haven of protection, sheltering me from the shifters in the courtyard surrounding Elias. His back is to me, body attached to the pole with the neck brace and shackles. I'm no more than five feet away, the small distance between us seems to burn. But I can't help him, not yet.

Malik's guards stand more than 20 feet away, poised, ready to react. Whatever they injected him with to keep his gifts are bay is long gone. The earth around him is charred black, along with his singed clothes. Blood stains his skin, dried around the neck brace. My nails dig into my palms as I repress the urge to run to him.

It's been less than five minutes since I scaled the castle, but each minute that passes is like a tipping scale. Because Malik could awake at any moment; he could already be awake. We don't have any time to waste.

Come on, I think.

I can't see them on the other side of the clearing, but I know they're there, Cassia with her deadly hands and Eric his terrifying skills. A distraction won't last long, but all we need are seconds. Elias' gifts are back. If I make quick work of the shackles, he can protect himself. I bounce on my legs, nerves racing through my body. What are they waiting for?

The castle doors burst open, disrupting the tense silence. Elias lifts his head, blocking my view. I shift slightly, heart sinking in my chest. Malik's gaze burns across the clearing, his walk purposeful until he stops mere feet away from Elias. I freeze, as if he can hear me breathing.

"She's gone," he says, so low I almost miss it. "Find her, now."

The guards behind him stumble into the trees. I should move, it won't be long before someone catches my scent and finds me here, perched in the bushes behind Elias. But I can't take my eyes off Malik. He takes slow steps toward Elias, his expression unreadable, those once warm eyes so distant. He stops a few feet away and stares down.

Elias says something low, but his voice gets lost in the wind. Before Malik has a chance to respond, there's a commotion in the bushes by the side of the castle. Malik spins around, crouching low, just in time for two wolves to burst from the trees and head straight for Malik—Cassia and Eric.

In the space it takes me to blink Malik is a wolf, coat as black as night as he leaps into the air, clashing with Cassia and rolling a few feet away, around the side of the castle, leaving the clearing free.

I don't think twice before crawling from my hiding spot, my heart hammering against my chest as the wind picks up. Elias tugs against the restraints, causing his skin to sizzle. I put a hand on his shoulder first, snaking it down the length of his arm. His entire body tenses.

"Don't struggle," I whisper, "it's me."

"What're you doing here?" he hisses, low.

His neck brace keeps him from turning to look at me, and I keep my eyes focused on undoing the shackles around his wrist, revealing raw skin beneath.

"What do you think? Freeing you."

The shackles drops from around his wrists and I'm quick to shift around his frame, reaching reach for the brace around his neck. The scent of smoke hangs off him, mixed with dried blood. I bite my tongue as I unscrew the brace. Bile rises in the back of my throat as the nails twist out from the holes they made in his skin, but Elias doesn't even flinch as I pull it away from him.

I can feel his eyes on my face, but I don't look at him, I can't look at him, not with the knowledge of Malik and the elder's plan pressing at the back of my mind. They want me to kill him.

There's a whine around the corner that makes my heart skip a beat. We have to hurry. I rise to my feet, giving him a few inches of room. "Can you—"

Elias shoves to his feet, gripping the sides of my arms so tight it stings. "You need to get away from here."

"So do you."

"Listen to me, Milena." He tugs me forcefully into the shelter of the trees, pushes me against the tree and peers around, as if someone will jump out at any second. "Malik's men are coming, more of them. You need to run, get as far away as possible. Head west, I can meet you by there but don't stop—"

I pull away. "No, you need to run."

He catches my wrist. I swallow the lump in my throat and meet his gaze. His eyes are a furnace. Everywhere his skin touches mine burns. It sends the usual thrill through my body—desire, fear, power. But this time, it's different. It's fear that I will hurt him.

"You have to go, Milena, Malik wants something from you. You're the—"

"I know." In the distance, the earth seems to thud. "He wants you to try and kill me."

He creates distance between us faster than I could blink, disgust filling his expression. "I'd rather die."

"And you would, that's the problem."

"What?"

"Elias, I'm the shadow. That means..." I don't need to finish my sentence; his face settles with realisation as he stares at me, then the horror sets in. "Malik won't kill me, Elias, he can't. But he wants you—"

Elias throws me away from him, through the trees. I fly through the air before hitting a tree and sinking to the ground, the breath knocked from my chest. My head spins as I gather my bearings, shoving to my elbow just in time to witness the blaze unleashed from Elias' palms. The forest alights; Elias is the sun, glowing amongst the violent flames stretching around him.

Howls of agony echo from the flames as the devour the surrounding foliage. I scramble backwards and shove to my feet, pulling the dagger from my boot. I'm frozen for a few moments, staring at Elias. He looks more beautiful than I've ever seen, his entire body glowing golden as the fire worships him, dancing up and down at his command.

"Go!" He shouts. "Run!"

I feel the heat licking at my ankles and start to sprint. The flames are eating the forest alive, spreading faster than I can run, my only option is back to the clearing in the castle. Thick, black smoke swirls in the air, getting caught in my throat as I heave for oxygen. I pull my shirt to cover my mouth as I stumble into the clearing.

The wolves await me, but there are more of them now, a cluster of different coloured coats scuffling around. They move so quickly I can't see who is who, my desperate searches for Cassia and Eric coming up empty. One of the wolves notices me on the outskirts and parts from the pack, stalking over. I brandish my dagger towards it, crouching low. But before it can pounce, a black wolf lands in front of me, crouching low and growling. Malik. The other wolf back off.

Malik turns to me, piercing blue eyes narrowed. I hold my knife towards him, fingers shaking. He can't kill me, I know that, but he can hurt me, and after what I did to him in the castle, I'm not so sure he'd be opposed.

"This is wrong, Malik." He prowls around me, eyes narrowed. I shudder beneath his gaze, a lamb in the eye of a lion. "Let them go. I'll do whatever you want."

When he places a paw forward, I don't hesitate to lash out, swinging my arm to slash the dagger across his neck. He snarls in response, leaping towards me before I can blink. He knocks me backwards, my dagger flying feet away, and presses his body low over mine. I squeeze my eyes shut, body filling with terror, as his voice fills my head.

I don't want to hurt you.

"Then let me go!" I shout, shoving against him.

You know why I can't.

The heats grows behind us, making the earth beneath me warm. Against the backs of my eyelids I see orange fire, Elias lit up like the sun, the flames licking my ankles.

I open my eyes when another wolf tackles Malik from the side and the roll across the ground. I shove to my feet, scrambling for my dagger and following Malik's wolf. Cassia's silver coat blends with his as they roll across the ground, Malik ending up on top. He sinks his teeth into Cassia's shoulder and she lets out an agonising howl.

"Cassia!" I scream, sprinting towards them. Another wolf comes out from nowhere and knocks me out of the way, restraining me the same way Malik did only moments earlier.

Elias emerges from the blazing trees, wearing nothing but charred shorts, his chest littered with scratches and shimmering in the light of the fire behind him. He doesn't hesitate to move towards Malik and Cassia, throwing Malik off her and stretching his hand towards Malik, flames licking his fingers.

Malik rolls to the side, missing the blast of flames emanating from Elias. He manoeuvres around them towards where I'm pressed against the ground by the wolf two times my size, and crouches in front of us. Elias stalks toward us, hands still out, flames licking up his arms.

"Elias, no!" I scream, my voice hoarse. If he gets me, even on accident, he could die. "Don't!"

He pauses, eyes blazing. "Shift," he orders. Nobody moves. "Shift or I'll light the whole clearing up and none of us will survive."

He and Malik stare at one another, an internal conversation passing between them. A few seconds later, Malik shifts, his guards following suit, all except for the one crouched over me. He keeps his body low, fur stinking of dirt and smoke. I can barely see past him, but across the clearing Cassia lies on the floor, clutching her bleeding shoulder. I search desperately for Eric but can't see past Malik standing between me and Elias.

"You want me dead," Elias says.

"It's what must be done."

"Then kill me yourself," Elias hisses, low. "Go ahead. Do it." Malik doesn't move, his back tensing. Elias scoffs. "You're a coward, wanting innocents like Milena to do your dirty work so you won't feel guilty."

"It's the only way."

"What happened to you?" Elias asks, disgusted. "This isn't the Malik I knew."

"I've always done the best for our people," he says. "No matter the cost. No matter who hates me. Don't you get it? This is bigger than us, Elias. It always has been."

Elias stares at him, chest heaving, expression pained. I shove against the body on top of me, but it presses lower, suffocating me in scruff.

"We don't need to fight," Malik says. "Cassia, Eric, Milena, your village—they'll all be okay. Nobody wants to harm them. I want to protect them."

"Bullshit," Cassia spits.

If you're alive, it means more of them," Malik continues, ignoring her. "It means more of us die. It means Milena will forever be our only weapon. And she'll be subjected to what happened with Cynthia over and over and over."

"Don't listen to him!" I grunt. "Elias."

He looks at me, then, his shoulders slumped, the fire in his eyes dying down. He looks defeated, helpless. I shake my head, eyes blurring, but he just looks away.

"Is that the kind of life you want for her?" Malik asks.

"You know it isn't," he says quietly.

Malik takes a few steps closer to Elias, his gaze unwavering. "I'm telling you this is the only way. I wouldn't do this if it wasn't. You know that."

Elias looks away from me and meets Malik's gaze. They stare at one another in silence, a conversation passed between them that only they can hear. I don't know what they're saying, but I see Elias' face, so open, every emotion displayed clear for me to see—pain, horror, defeat. My stomach churns as he lowers his head. Malik steps forward and puts a hand on his shoulder, a gesture so casual it almost seems friendly. Whatever is going on, I don't like it.

"What're you doing?" Cassia says. "Elias, what're you doing?"

He doesn't answer, just nods at Malik.

Malik waves a hand and the wolf pressing me into the earth clambers off. I clutch my chest, taking a deep breath, and scramble to my feet, slightly dizzy. Malik steps backwards to meet me, grabbing hold of my arm.

"What're you doing?" I tug against him, looking towards Elias. His gaze is cast on the ground. "Elias?"

He meets my gaze. And with one look, everything seems to fall silent around us—the blazing flames in the forest, Cassia's desperate murmurs, the wolf prowling behind me. It's only Elias and me in the clearing.

And he's never looked at me like this before.

~ 

DISCUSSION:

1. What do you think Elias and Malik talked about?

2. What do you think Elias has decided?

3. What do you think might happen next?