CHAPTER 12 — PULL OF THE DARK
(Lira's POV)
I should have been resting. Mentally preparing. Processing everything that just happened. You know… like a normal person. Instead—I was pacing. Again.
"Stop doing that."
"I can't."
"You can."
I physically cannot."
"You're choosing not to."
"Yes, because if I stop moving, I will start thinking, and if I start thinking, I will panic, and if I panic—"
"You'll lose control."
"Exactly."
Kael didn't look impressed. He never did. Honestly, I was starting to think it was physically impossible for him to look impressed, which felt like a personal attack at this point.
"That man knew my name," I said, stopping abruptly.
"Yes."
"He shouldn't."
"No."
"That's concerning."
"Yes."
"Stop agreeing like that doesn't make it worse."
Silence stretched for a moment before he added, "You're unsettled."
"Wow. Observant."
"It's affecting your control."
"Well, maybe if people stopped showing up out of nowhere acting like creepy villains, I'd be more stable."
"That's not going to happen."
"I figured."
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. "Okay. Let's think logically."
"That would be a first."
"Wow. Rude."
"Accurate."
"I'm ignoring you."
I turned back to him. "That guy—"
"Don't."
"I'm going to talk about him."
"Don't."
"I'm doing it anyway."
He sighed. I counted that as a win.
"He wasn't like the creature before," I said. "He was calm. Controlled. Like he knew exactly what he was doing."
"Yes."
"And he wasn't scared of you."
"No."
"…should I be worried about that?"
"Yes."
"Fantastic."
I resumed pacing. Because apparently I had learned nothing. "If he can reach me, see me, talk to me—what's stopping him from doing it again?"
"Nothing."
I froze. "…I really need you to start lying to me."
"No."
"Just once."
"No."
"Wow."
The air shifted again. Subtle—but there. Watching. Waiting. Closer than before. My chest tightened.
"…Kael."
"I feel it."
"Great."
But this time—it wasn't outside. It was inside.
The bond reacted. Sharp. Heavy. Pulling like something was pressing against it, testing it, trying to get through. I sucked in a breath.
"Okay—no—this is different—"
Kael stepped closer instantly. "What do you feel?"
"Pressure. Like something is pushing—"
"Don't let it in."
"Wow, great advice—"
"Lira."
That tone. Serious. Grounding.
I closed my eyes. "Okay… I've got this." But the pressure increased—stronger, sharper, too much.
Something slipped through. Not fully—but enough.
A voice. Low. Smooth. Familiar.
"You're learning."
My eyes snapped open. "Nope. Absolutely not."
Kael's expression darkened. "He's forcing a connection."
"Yeah, I got that part!"
The pressure twisted again—and suddenly I wasn't alone in my head.
"You resist well," the voice continued.
"Get out," I snapped.
"Or what?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out!"
A soft laugh echoed—too calm, too close.
Kael's grip tightened on my arm. "Block him."
"I'm trying!"
"Try harder."
"I hate when you say that!"
The shadows around us reacted—but not just his this time. Mine too. They flared—wild, unstable, powerful.
"You feel it," the voice said.
"I feel like punching you," I shot back.
"Violent."
"Deserved."
The pressure shifted—curious, interested. Too interested.
"You don't understand what you are."
"Yeah, I've been told!"
"And yet you stand there like you have a choice."
"I do have a choice."
"No," he said softly. "You don't."
Something inside me snapped—not violently, but clearly.
"No," I said, steadier now. "You don't get to decide that."
Silence. Then—approval.
"Interesting."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop saying that."
The pressure surged again, stronger.
"Let me show you."
"I don't want to see anything!"
"You will."
The bond pulled hard. My vision blurred. The world faded—and suddenly, I was somewhere else.
Darkness. But not empty.
Figures moved in the distance. Watching. Waiting.
And in the center—him.
Not fully visible, but there.
"You see now," he said.
"No, I really don't."
He stepped closer, and this time I felt it—his power. Cold. Controlled. Terrifying.
"You are not meant to exist."
"Again with that—get new lines!"
"You are a fracture."
"Wow. Poetic. Still not helpful."
His gaze locked onto mine.
"And fractures are meant to be erased."
The darkness surged, closing in. My breathing hitched. My control slipped—
"Lira."
Kael's voice. Distant—but there.
"Focus."
I grabbed onto it. That voice. That connection.
"I'm here."
"Stay with me."
"I am."
The darkness pushed harder—but this time, I pushed back.
The shadows responded. Not chaotic. Not unstable. Strong.
"No," I said. "You don't get in my head. You don't get to control this."
A pause. Then—interest again.
"We'll see."
The pressure snapped—gone.
I gasped as the world rushed back. Kael stood in front of me, closer than before, his grip tight, his expression not calm.
"You held him off," he said.
"Barely."
"That's enough."
I exhaled slowly. "That was him, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"The same one?"
"Yes."
I shook my head. "Okay. I officially don't like him."
"You shouldn't."
But this time—it wasn't just fear.
It was awareness.
Because now… it wasn't just that he could find me. Or reach me.
He was trying to pull me.
And the worst part?
For one second—just one—
It almost worked.