Chapter 8 When Claws Meet Steel

The room trembled. Not from footsteps, but from energy raw and ancient. Jules stumbled back, her blade trembling in her hand as the wind inside the apartment swirled like a tornado. Selara's eyes glowed bright silver, her skin marked faintly by the symbols of her old rank marks that should've been sealed forever. "You think this is about me?" Selara's voice echoed, layered with something older than time. "You don't understand the war you're about to step into."

Jules grit her teeth, trying to steady her stance, but her instincts screamed run. Still, pride and obsession held her ground. "Then explain it, damn it! Explain why the man in my nightmares knows my name! Explain why the moon burns my skin at night!" Her voice cracked as something foreign flickered in her eyes fear. Selara's glow dimmed slightly as realization dawned. "He's marked you," she whispered. "Kael... he's feeding from you. He's inside your thoughts." Jules went pale. "What does that mean?" Selara stepped closer. "It means you were never the hunter. You've been the prey all along."

Before another word could be exchanged, the window behind them shattered with a piercing shriek a shadow burst through the glass, snarling, claws slashing. Selara grabbed Jules mid fall and rolled them out of the creature's path just as it struck the couch with bone breaking force. It wasn't Kael. It was something else a half-formed beast of the Luna realm, corrupted, stitched together by dark magic. One of Kael's spies. Its howl shook the walls as it lunged again, and this time, Jules swung her blade with practiced precision, slicing through its shoulder.

The creature wailed and thrashed, catching Jules with a backhanded swipe that sent her crashing into the coffee table. Blood bloomed on her arm. Selara moved in a blur, summoning what remained of her power to strike. Her palm slammed into the beast's chest, silver fire erupting from her skin and in seconds, the creature disintegrated into ash and smoke. Silence fell, save for Jules's ragged breathing. Selara knelt beside her, pressing a cloth to the bleeding wound. Jules didn't speak just stared at her. "You saved me," she finally murmured. Selara met her gaze. "I always protect what Kael tries to destroy."