The back door of the cabin burst open.
Cold night air rushed against Ava's face as Lucien pulled her into the darkness.
Behind them, Aurora slammed the door shut and kicked over a chair to block it.
"Move!" she hissed.
They ran into the forest.
Branches scratched Ava's arms as they pushed through thick trees. The only light came from the pale glow of the moon overhead.
Lucien moved quickly but carefully, guiding Ava along a narrow path between rocks and bushes.
Behind them, voices shouted.
"They're heading east!"
"Spread out!"
Ava's chest tightened.
"They're everywhere," she whispered.
Lucien didn't slow down.
"That's how Dominion hunts."
Aurora ran beside them, slightly out of breath.
"Remind me again why we're fighting a global secret organization?"
Lucien answered simply.
"Because they started it."
Another gunshot cracked through the trees.
The bullet hit a nearby trunk, spraying bark into the air.
Ava gasped.
Lucien grabbed her hand tighter.
"Stay with me."
They ran deeper into the forest.
Minutes passed.
The shouting behind them slowly faded.
Finally Lucien stopped near a steep rocky ridge.
Ava leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.
Aurora bent forward, catching her breath.
"I officially hate running."
Lucien studied the darkness around them.
"We're not safe yet."
Ava looked at him.
"How do you stay so calm?"
Lucien met her gaze.
"Practice."
Aurora chuckled softly.
"That's one way to describe it."
Ava's curiosity grew stronger.
Lucien clearly had a past filled with violence and danger.
But somehow she didn't fear him.
Instead…
She trusted him.
And that realization surprised her more than anything.
Suddenly Aurora's tablet beeped softly.
She pulled it out and frowned.
"Oh that's not good."
Lucien looked at her.
"What?"
Aurora turned the screen toward them.
A map glowed faintly.
Several red dots blinked across it.
Ava felt her stomach twist.
"What are those?"
Aurora answered calmly.
"Hunters."
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"How close?"
Aurora zoomed in.
"Closer than we'd like."
Ava looked around the dark forest.
"They're still tracking us?"
Aurora nodded.
"Apparently the Dominion really wants you back."
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"Then we keep moving."
But as Ava turned to follow him—
Something strange happened.
A sudden sharp pain struck her head.
She staggered.
Lucien caught her immediately.
"Ava?"
Her vision blurred.
Images flashed inside her mind.
Bright lights.
A laboratory.
Cold metal walls.
And voices.
A man speaking firmly.
"She remembers too much. Erase everything."
Ava gasped.
Lucien held her steady.
"What did you see?"
Her heart pounded.
"I… I remembered something."
Aurora leaned closer.
"What kind of something?"
Ava looked at them both.
Fear filled her voice.
"They didn't just erase my life."
She swallowed hard.
"They experimented on me."