The creature’s hollow gaze froze me in place. My breath caught, the shard’s glow reflected in its sickly yellow eyes. Then, just as it lunged toward me, something collided with it, sending it crashing into the underbrush.
“Audrey, move!” a voice barked-familiar and steadying.
My heart jumped as Logan stepped into view, his broad shoulders heaving from the effort of his attack. His sharp blue eyes darted to me briefly before returning to the writhing creature. His blade gleamed, already poised for the next strike.
“Great,” Mal said through gritted teeth, spinning toward the creature, “now the cavalry shows up.”
The creature clawed at the ground, its elongated limbs contorting unnaturally as it staggered upright. Its focus flicked between Logan and me.
“Stay back,” Logan commanded, positioning himself between me and the monster. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or the creature.
But before I could process his presence, a second figure emerged from the shadows-a lean man whose striking resemblance to Logan made my chest tighten. It wasn’t him, though. His expression was sharper, his movements more calculated.
“Liam,” Mal muttered with a mix of recognition and irritation, lowering her sword slightly. “Of course you’re here.”
“Couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Liam replied with an easy grin that felt out of place in the chaos. Unlike Logan, his blade was sheathed, but the casual confidence in his stance suggested he didn’t need it-yet.
The creature hissed, its claws digging into the earth as if it were deciding which of us to attack first. Liam stepped closer, his presence radiating an unnerving calm.
“It’s after the shard,” he said without looking at me, his gaze locked on the creature. “You might want to keep that out of its reach.”
I tightened my grip on the glowing shard, its cool surface suddenly feeling heavier.
“Any idea what it is?” Logan asked, his tone sharp as he shifted to cover me.
“Not yet.” Liam’s gaze flicked briefly to Logan. “But we’ll find out.”
The creature made its move. This time, it moved faster than before, leaping straight for Liam. In one fluid motion, he ducked and sidestepped, grabbing the creature’s arm with startling precision and twisting it with a sickening crack.
“You’re up,” Liam said to Logan, releasing the creature and stepping aside.
Logan didn’t hesitate. His blade cut through the air in a flash of silver, striking true. The creature howled again, this time stumbling and retreating. Its glowing eyes landed on me one last time before it disappeared into the forest, melting into the shadows as if it had never been there.
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sound of my own ragged breathing.
“Is this going to be a thing now?” Mal asked, breaking the tension with a scowl. “Getting ambushed by every creepy shadow we cross?”
Logan sheathed his sword and turned to me, his jaw tight. “You okay?”
I nodded, though my hands were still shaking. “I-I think so.”
“Good,” Liam said, brushing a fleck of dirt from his sleeve. “Because I doubt that’s the last one we’ll see.”
Logan’s gaze darkened, and I could see the unspoken worry in his eyes.