“I’m asking you to buy me time,” Divan corrected. “We found some items, simple tools, that can hurt and frighten the beast. I can give you each one to use in case he gets close.”

  Gregor rubbed a hand over his face, groaning. “Hell, I must be mad to agree to this.”

  Divan smirked faintly. “You agreed already when you came here to see what you could do to help.”

  Gregor shot him a look. “What choice do I have? The damn thing came for me once. I’d rather it not come again when I’m asleep.”

  “Then we have a plan.”

  “Madness,” Gregor muttered. “Absolute madness.”

  Chapter 24

  I don’t know how many more nights I can bear. The ache in my bones has become a rhythm. The thing inside me stirs before the moon rises, aware, as always. Somehow, it has always known. I have not slept in days. I see their faces, every one of them. The girl in the orchard. The hunter. The boy with the crooked teeth who tried to fight me with a rake. Their blood sings to me in my dreams, and I wake choking on it. I used to pray for mercy. Now I only pray for an end. -From the Journal of Caliban Drakovar

  Inside the small cottage, Maria and Lila sat in silence. The single candle they had left burning had been snuffed out; the room was dark. Maria’s hands were folded in her lap, her lips moving in whispered prayer. Lila, though silent, was far from still. Her hands clenched and unclenched, her body taut with restless energy.

  “I should be out there,” Lila muttered.

  “No,” Maria said firmly, not even opening her eyes. “You will stay here.”

  Lila’s jaw clenched. “He could need my help.”

  “He will do it.” Maria’s voice was calm, certain. She opened her eyes and looked at her granddaughter. “There is more to the Divan you have fallen in love with than what you know.”

  Lila stilled. “How did you know I fell in love with him?”

  Maria gave her a small, knowing smile. “Anyone watching you would’ve seen it.”

  Lila swallowed, emotions tightening in her chest.

  Maria reached out, taking Lila’s hand. “I’m very happy for you, but I want you to promise me something.”

  Lila hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment. “What is it?”

  “When this is over, you will leave Bran. You will go back to Brașov with Divan and start a new life there.”

  Lila’s heart lurched. “But what about you?”

  Maria squeezed her hand. “I will be fine. You can visit me, now and then. The village isn’t that far away.

  Lila shook her head. “But—“

  Maria’s voice softened. “I want you out of this village. Leaving is the best thing for you, and for him. . .” She sighed, her expression filled with something bittersweet. “He has no purpose here. Only pain and bad memories are here for him. He would have left sooner, but you were why he stayed.”

  Lila’s throat tightened. She wanted to protest, wanted to argue that she belonged here, that Divan belonged here too. But before she could speak, a heat surged against her chest.

  Lila gasped, her fingers clutching the medallion hanging around her neck as it began to glow dark red, pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Then they heard a yell, and a terrible, earth-shaking growl. The two women turned sharply toward the window, moving in near silence as they peered out into the dark.

  The werewolf was there.

  A massive shadow in the moonlight, its hulking form was just beyond the edge of the village. The monster’s eyes burned like embers, its breath thick and heavy, steaming in the frigid air. Someone was yelling at it.

  Maria squinted. “Is that Gregor?”

  Lila felt a jolt of panic as she saw him, standing just beyond the safety of the walls, musket in hand, shouting at the beast. The werewolf had been coming straight toward them, toward their cottage. But now, its massive head turned toward Gregor, its lips peeling back to reveal rows of sharp, glistening teeth.

  “Oh my god,” Lila whispered.

  “The werewolf is coming here,” Maria murmured.

  The beast let out a deep, rattling snarl, and then it lunged.

  ***

  Divan crouched beneath the trees, the dagger cold in his hand, breath shallow as he listened to the stillness around him. The forest was thick with silence, no birdsong, no wind. Every sound, every creak of the woods, set his nerves on edge.

  He shifted his weight slightly, muscles coiled, eyes scanning the darkness. The beast should’ve come by now. He felt it circling, he’d felt it for days. This was the place, the moment. He was sure of it.

  A sudden thundering of footsteps snapped him out of his stillness.

  Divan rose, tense, expecting the worst, but then he saw the shape break through the underbrush, moving fast, too human.

  “Costea?” he called, voice sharp.

  Costea stumbled into view, bent double, gasping for breath. He braced his hands on his knees, struggling to speak between heaving breaths.

  Divan saw his face, white as a sheet, eyes wide with fear. A terrible weight settled in his gut before Costea even managed to get the words out. “The monster, it’s at the Unger cottage.”

  Divan felt his heart lurch, a cold wave of dread slamming into his chest like a blow. “But—“ His voice barely came out, his mind refusing to accept what he was hearing.

  “I don’t know!” Costea shook his head, still gasping. “Gregor…Gregor distracted it, but I don’t know for how long. I came straight to you.”

  Divan didn’t wait for another word. He bolted. The forest blurred past him as he ran, his boots pounding against the earth. Costea was close behind, but Divan barely noticed. His mind was fixed on one thing – Lila. The werewolf was already there, just beyond her door. If Gregor failed to keep it distracted… Lila wouldn’t stand a chance. He ran faster.

  When they reached the edge of the village, Divan’s blood ran cold. The werewolf loomed in the moonlight, its hulking form framed by the mist curling around the rooftops. The fur was thick and dark, matted with dirt and old blood, its golden eyes burning like fire.

  Gregor was backing away, musket raised, his body rigid with fear, but still standing his ground.

  Divan barely had time to react before the beast lunged. The shot rang out. A flash of gunpowder. The musket ball struck the creature square in the chest, and did nothing.

  The Umbrawolf barely flinched.

  Gregor cursed, tossing the now-useless weapon aside, his face twisting with realization. He took the shovel Divan had given him and started hitting the werewolf with it.

  The beast screamed and backed away, but Divan could tell he was becoming increasingly angry. “Costea, run behind Gregor and tell him to stop.”

  Costea did as Divan said, and he saw Gregor turn and run, slipping the crossbow off his shoulder and trying to run and load it with a silver arrow.

  The monster snarled, its muscles bunching as it prepared to chase him down.

  “Hey!” Divan’s voice cut through the night like a blade. “Hey! Come and get me!”

  The beast froze.

  Gregor kept running, diving behind an old wagon, panting as he pointed his bow toward the beast.

  The werewolf swung its massive head toward Divan, its nostrils flaring, its breath coming out in thick, heavy bursts of steam. Divan saw it hesitate, turning its head slightly toward the cottage.

  His heart slammed against his ribs. No! “Come on, you bastard!” he shouted, his voice raw. He took a step back, then another, darting away from the cottage, luring it toward him. “I’m right here!”

  The creature tilted its head, sniffing the air. For a terrifying moment, it didn’t move. Then, it turned back to the cottage.

  Divan’s stomach dropped. The beast was choosing Lila, going straight for her.

  Rage surged through him, hotter than anything he had ever felt. His blood roared in his ears. “NO!” With a desperate burst of energy, he grabbed a fallen piece of wood, a thick branch from a broken fence post, and hurled it with all his strength. The branch struck the creature square in the face.

  The beast’s head snapped toward him, its lips peeling back in a deep, guttural snarl. Then, with terrifying slowness, it turned fully to face him. Divan swallowed hard, gripping the dagger at his side. His heart still pounded, but this time, relief, not fear, was driving it. The beast shifted, head lifting, ears twitching. Its gaze swung toward him, hungry and focused. Relief surged through Divan’s chest.It saw him now. Only him.. He backed away, leading it farther from the village, from the cottage, from her.

  The creature bared its fangs and lunged.

  Divan was fast, faster than he’d ever been before, but even as he moved, the beast was faster. The beast lunged for him, claws outstretched, its massive form a blur in the moonlight. Divan twisted, dodging at the last moment, the wind of the monsters passing like a storm past his skin. The stench of the beast was horrid. He stumbled back several steps, breathing hard, his grip on the dagger tightening.

  How am I going to get close enough to stab it? The beast was too large, too powerful. If he rushed it head-on, he wouldn’t even make it to the strike before it tore him apart.

  The werewolf skidded to a stop a few feet away, panting, its golden eyes locking onto him. To Divan’s surprise, it turned away. Divan’s stomach clenched as he realized it was heading to the cottage. The werewolf took off back toward Lila and Maria’s cottage, its hulking form thundering across the dirt road.

  Divan’s heart slammed against his ribs. “No, no, no—“

  Then it hit him, the medallion, it was a threat. Lila was a threat because she had the medallion. The monster wasn’t just going after her, it was going after the thing that could harm it.

  Divan didn’t hesitate. His lungs burned as he pushed himself forward, sprinting toward the monster. Just a few more feet, and he could jump. But before he could make his move, the door to the cottage slammed open.

  A blur of fur and claws exploded into the night.

  A massive lynx, sleek and wild, darted into the creature’s path, its fur bristling, magic radiating from the medallion around its neck. The talisman crackled with energy, sending out pulses of light that seared the Umbrawolf as soon as it got too close.

  Before the monster could react, a second figure – a huge mountain lion – leaped onto its back. The lion struck like a bolt of lightning, claws raking deep into the werewolf’s flesh, teeth sinking into the back of its neck.

  The beast wailed and thrashed violently, trying to shake off the mountain lion, but Maria held on tight, her claws digging deeper, her powerful muscles straining as she kept the beast locked in place.

  The lynx stood its ground in front of the monster, the medallion on its chest pulsing with power. The energy crackling from it sent waves of magic searing into the monster’s flesh, burning it like fire over and over again.

  The creature shrieked as the magic tried to burn its eyes out, fighting wildly, claws slashing, fangs snapping, its entire body writhing in agony. Finally, it managed to buck off the mountain lion.

  Maria hit the ground with force but landed on her feet, her tail flicking once before she lunged again. It was all happening too fast for Divan to think. For a split second, he stood frozen, watching the fight unfold. Then his grip tightened on the dagger.

  The fight was slipping out of control, and he had to act now.

  Maria and the werewolf rolled violently across the dirt, a blur of claws and fur, snarls tearing through the night air. Blood splattered the ground as the beast’s massive jaws clamped down on her shoulder, ripping into her flesh. But Maria fought just as fiercely, her teeth finding its throat, her claws slashing at its neck, tearing deep into the thick hide.

  Divan’s gut twisted at the sight. She was strong, but she was losing too much blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lila. The lynx had leapt onto the werewolf’s back, scratching and clawing, biting wherever she could reach. Her medallion burned bright, surging with magical energy that seared into the beast’s flesh. Every pulse of light sent the monster into a deeper frenzy, its wails of pain shaking the very air around them.

  The snarling and shrieking were deafening. Maria, now a mountain lion, collided with the beast in a blur of fur and fang while Lila, her lynx form sleek and fast, darted in and out, slashing at its legs with terrifying precision. The sounds echoed down the narrow village lanes: claws raking wood, roars splitting the night air, the unmistakable scream of something not-quite-human.

  Lanterns flared to life in windows. Doors creaked open.

  “Sweet Mother,” someone whispered. “What is that?”

  A handful of men spilled out onto the streets, rifles and pitchforks clutched in trembling hands. One of them raised his weapon, sighting on the chaos.

  The movement registered at the edge of his vision, too many bodies, too much risk. He turned his head sharply and signaled once.

  Costea, already moving, crossed the road with his hands raised. “Get back inside,” he barked. “Now! Lock your doors and stay down, this isn’t your fight.”

  “But—“

  “Now!”

  Something in his voice cut through the fear. The men hesitated, then slowly backed toward their homes, casting wide-eyed glances at the nightmare unfolding in front of the cottage. Doors slammed shut. Bolts slid into place.

  Divan’s gaze snapped to Maria. She was crawling away now, too wounded to continue the fight, her body trembling, her golden fur stained red. Lila was still attacking, but she couldn’t keep this up alone.

  The werewolf threw her off. She landed hard on the ground, dazed, and before she could move, the creature lunged and was on top of her.

  Divan didn’t think. He leapt, higher and farther than he ever thought possible, his body fueled by pure instinct. The dagger was clutched in his grip, ready to strike, he lifted it. . . But the beast saw him. With terrifying speed, it swung its massive arm with claws outstretched.

  Pain exploded through Divan’s body as he was thrown through the air. The world spun, and he hit the ground hard, rolling over the dirt, the dagger flying from his hand and skidding somewhere into the darkness.

  When he looked up, the creature was looming over Lila. The werewolf raised a clawed hand, ready to strike, ready to kill. A snarl ripped from Divan’s throat. He didn’t hesitate, he let go. His body shifted, his senses sharpening, his muscles expanding. In an instant, he was no longer a man. He was a wolf, and he attacked.

  ***

  The creature reared above her, its gaping maw distended far too wide, rows of jagged fangs glistening with saliva. Lila tried to scream, but her breath caught in her throat. She raised her arm instinctively, as if to shield herself, but it was the medallion around her neck that responded.

  A sudden pulse of light burst from the charm, quick and sharp like a flash of lightning. The pulse of light hit the creature’s eyes dead-on, searing into them like hot iron. It recoiled with a shriek, stumbling backward. For a moment, it howled, not from rage but pain.

  Lila didn’t waste the opening.

  She rolled sideways through the grass and gravel, her hip slamming into a rock, hands clawing at the earth. Behind her, she heard a guttural snarl—then another, deeper one answering it.

  Divan.

  He struck the beast mid-lunge, a blur of black fury.

  Lila gasped for air, her body aching as she scrambled away from the chaos. Pain shot down her arm as she dragged herself across the ground, her shoulder ripped open by the beast’s claws. Blood warmed her skin in a slow trickle, but she barely felt it, her vision was fixed on the monstrous blur in front of the cottage.

  Divan, no longer a man, but the great black wolf, lunged at the creature with a snarl that rattled the windows. His jaws clamped around its shoulder, driving it back a step. For a moment, it looked as if he might win.

  Then the beast roared and twisted with unnatural strength.

  Lila watched in horror as Divan’s body was flung through the air like a rag doll. He struck the side of the well with a sickening crack and fell limp.

  “Divan!” she screamed, trying to push herself up, but her arm buckled beneath her.

  She backed up, shifting her weight, trying to stay low, her feline instincts still pulsing in her veins even though she had returned to her human form.

  Her eyes locked onto Divan. He had been thrown, the impact leaving him dazed, struggling to rise. He can’t win like this. The medallion pulsed around her neck, its magic warm and powerful against her chest. He wasn’t far from her, but the beast turned toward her, slow and deliberate, its yellow eyes blazing.

  Staggering forward, reaching Divan, she dropped to her knees beside him and placed the medallion around his neck. As soon as it settled against his chest, the power surged through him like a bolt of lightning. His eyes flashed, his senses sharpening. His body hummed with energy, his wounds lessening, his strength returning. Then he jumped back into the fight.

  Maria had fallen back, slumped against a broken fence post, blood seeping through her torn clothing. Lila could see that her grip was still strong. She wasn’t finished yet. With shaking fingers, Maria reached down and grasped the dagger from where it had landed in the dirt.

  Divan moved like lightning, fighting with precision, dodging, circling the beast as the medallion’s energy surged through him like fire. He lunged, snapping at the werewolf, trying to drive it away from Lila. In a single brutal motion, the creature threw him again.

  Maria staggered forward, gripping the dagger tight. “Divan!” she called, her voice hoarse but fierce. Divan rolled onto his knees, having returned to human form. His eyes flicked up to see the dagger flying through the air toward him. His fingers closed around the handle.

  Divan was still on the ground, ready to attack again, but he barely had time to react before the Werewolf lunged, a blur of claws and rage.

  Divan didn’t move fast enough. The impact slammed into him like a battering ram, knocking him flat onto his back. The beast loomed over him, hot breath reeking of blood and death, its claws poised for the killing blow.