Chapter 7

• “Ava, what’s wrong?”
• Lowan’s voice broke through the haze that clouded my mind, but it didn’t make the confusion any easier to bear. I could hardly breathe, the air thick and heavy as if it were pressing down on me from all sides. My eyes flicked to him, searching for some kind of explanation, but I found none.
• “I… I don’t know,” I stammered, trying to steady myself. “It’s like—like I’m drowning in it.”
• In a sudden, disorienting wave, the scent hit me. It was intoxicating—rich, thick, a combination of deep amber and something sharp, like a wild, earthy undertone I couldn’t place. The scent surrounded me, wrapping itself around my senses until I felt completely overwhelmed, dizzy, my stomach flipping. It wasn’t perfume. It wasn’t something I could have just smelled somewhere. It was… other.
• “Are you okay?” Lowan’s hand touched my arm, pulling me back to him as if afraid I might collapse.
• I tried to take in a deep breath, but the scent invaded my lungs, and all I could do was shudder. “I—lowan, I don’t—this is—something’s wrong,” I gasped, shaking my head, as if trying to dislodge the overwhelming sensation.
• He stepped back, his eyes narrowing, studying me intently. “What do you mean ‘wrong’? Is it your heart again?”
• I was well aware that my heart had been racing lately, my body perpetually tense with some nameless fear, but this was something entirely different. Something... much more potent. Something that felt like it was drawing me into the very core of it, a gravitational pull I couldn’t explain.
• “No,” I murmured, my hands trembling as I grabbed the edge of the table for support. “It’s not like that. This—this is something else.”
• I glanced around the room, half-expecting to see something—a shadow, a figure—looming in the corners, but it was just the same familiar walls. Nothing had changed, but everything felt… off. Like I was no longer alone in the space, even though Lowan was the only one in the room with me.
• The air had thickened, the scent now almost cloying. I could feel it pressing in on me from all directions, making it harder to focus. It was as if it was seeping into my skin, getting under my nails, deep into the pores.
• “Stay here,” Lowan said suddenly, his voice low and tight. He reached for my arm, but I jerked away, my senses now on edge.
• “Don’t,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out without thought. “Don’t leave. Please.”
• He hesitated for a moment, searching my face. His jaw clenched before he nodded. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly. “But tell me what’s going on. You’re not making sense, Ava.”
• I turned away from him, stumbling slightly as I moved to the window. I needed air. I needed something to calm this overwhelming feeling, this pull that was dragging me deeper into something I couldn’t understand. The scent was suffocating, and with every passing second, I felt myself slipping further into it.
• I heard Lowan’s footsteps behind me, but I couldn’t look at him. Not right now. I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t put words to what was happening to me.
• “I can’t breathe,” I whispered, the words barely a breath against the air.
• “Ava,” Lowan’s voice was closer now. “Look at me.”
• I didn’t want to. But his tone was firm, insistent. Slowly, reluctantly, I turned back to face him.
• Lowan’s eyes were dark, intense, and there was a flicker of concern deep in them. Something was happening to him too. I could see it in the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, the way his gaze darted nervously around the room, as if something were closing in.
• “The scent,” I whispered again, trying to focus. “It’s like it’s pulling me in. I can’t…”
• But then, a wave of dizziness washed over me. It hit like a physical blow, sharp and sudden. My vision blurred, and the room seemed to spin. The floor seemed to tilt beneath me, and I reached out instinctively, grabbing hold of Lowan to steady myself.
• “You need to sit down,” he said urgently, catching me before I could fall. He guided me to the couch, his hands gentle but insistent, his fingers pressing lightly into my shoulders as he sat beside me.
• I could feel his breath against my skin as he leaned in, his voice steady. “Ava, listen to me. What are you feeling right now?”
• I couldn’t find the words. It was hard to think with the scent pressing into my every thought, each inhale deeper than the last. But it wasn’t just the scent anymore. There was something else… something shifting just out of reach. Something powerful, and it felt like it was tied to me.
• My hands curled into fists, trembling as I gripped the fabric of my jeans. The mark on my wrist—it had started to burn. At first, it had been a light, almost imperceptible heat. But now, it was searing, an unmistakable sting that rippled out, spreading into my veins.
• “Ava,” Lowan’s voice was urgent, like a lifeline in the chaos. “What’s happening?”
• “I… I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice shaky. “It’s… it’s the mark. It’s burning. It’s getting worse.”
• Lowan’s gaze shifted to my wrist. The look in his eyes darkened, a flash of something—fear, perhaps?—crossing his face before it was gone, replaced by the usual calm demeanor he wore like armor.
• “You need to stay calm,” he said, but there was a quiet intensity in his tone now. He grabbed my wrist, his fingers cool against my heated skin. His touch made the burn feel sharper, more real.
• “It’s happening,” I whispered, my breath quickening. “Lowan… it’s happening.”
• He didn’t answer right away. His gaze flicked from my wrist to my face, his brow furrowing as though he was struggling with something—something I couldn’t quite place. “Ava, this…” He trailed off,his voice suddenly strained. “This isn’t just a mark.”
• “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice rising slightly in panic. The burn was worse now, almost unbearable. I couldn’t focus. My mind was swirling.
• Lowan’s lips parted as though he was about to speak, but then the room seemed to shift, a sudden pressure bearing down on us from all sides. It was like the very air was thickening, choking off the oxygen. My heart skipped, panic setting in as the mysterious scent swirled around me once more. And then, in the midst of it all, I heard something.
• A soft whisper.
• “She’s almost ready.”
• I froze. The voice wasn’t Lowan’s. It wasn’t anyone’s I recognized.
• “Ava,” Lowan’s voice cut through the stillness, but his eyes were wide now, filled with uncertainty. “Who’s—who’s there?”
• I looked around wildly, my pulse pounding in my ears, but the room was empty. No one was there. Yet the whisper lingered, echoing in the back of my mind.
• And then, just as quickly as it came, everything fell silent.
• But I knew.
• Something was coming.
• And I had no idea how to stop it.