CHAPTER 5

The Ticking Days

When Liora finally woke up, the heavy, suffocating warmth of the fever was completely gone. Her mind felt startlingly clear, washed clean by the deep, dreamless sleep her grandmother’s potion had granted her. For a long, blissful second, she simply lay beneath her quilts, listening to the familiar, gentle chirp of morning birds outside her window.

Then, reality rushed back, hitting her like a physical blow.

She bolted upright, her eyes instantly flying to her right palm. The faint, silvery, hairline scar was still there a permanent reminder that her humanity was a fragile lie. She reached up, her fingers brushing against the cold silver of the moonstone locket. It was still securely tied around her neck, pulsing with its faint, anchoring rhythm.

The house around her was profoundly quiet. It wasn't the warm, comfortable silence of a lazy Sunday morning; it was the hollow, echoing stillness of a place completely abandoned.

Liora threw off her blankets, her feet hitting the cold wooden floorboards as she rushed downstairs. "Grandma?" she called out, her voice echoing off the exposed beams of the living room.

No response.

She walked into the kitchen. The ceramic water basin was clean, the hearth was reduced to cold, grey ashes, and the mug of herbal tea from the day before had been washed and put away. Standing on the kitchen table was a small, tightly sealed leather pouch filled with a strange, shimmering green powder, and next to it sat a final, folded piece of parchment.

Liora picked up the note, her heart tightening as she read her grandmother's sharp, elegant handwriting:

> Liora,

 By the time you read this, I will already be miles beyond the Blackwood valley. The veil I wove over you is holding, but its threads are thin. Do not, under any circumstances, take off the locket. If the absolute worst happens and the wards of this house are breached, throw the green powder into the hearth—it will blind the senses of whatever enters.

       Keep your head down. I will return before the five days are up, hopefully with the spellbinder who can secure your life. Remember my words: trust no one.

_ Grandma

A cold wave of isolation washed over Liora. She was entirely alone, trapped in a house protected by invisible, decaying magic, harboring a secret that could get her killed.

*Buzz. Buzz.*

The sudden, violent vibration of her phone on the kitchen counter made Liora jump, a small gasp escaping her lips. Her hyper-sensitive ears, though somewhat dampened by the locket, picked up the electronic hum with irritating clarity.

She stepped over and picked up the device. The screen was flooded with notifications.

> **Emi :** *LIORA! You’ve been radio silent for an entire day! Did you die of old age the second you turned 18??*

> **Emi :** *Clock is ticking, girl! Day 2 of the ultimate romance dare is officially underway. Have you picked a target yet? Handsome lumberjack? Moody coffee barista? Give me details!*

> **Hael :** *Hey, Liora. Emi’s blowing up my phone because you aren't answering. Just checking in. Did that headache go away? Let me know if you need me to bring over some groceries or anything.*

Liora stared at the glowing screen, a bittersweet ache blooming in her chest. Just two days ago, Emi's five-day dare had felt like a playful, mildly annoying joke between best friends. Now, it felt like a transmission from a completely different universe. How was she supposed to find love or go on a heart-racing date when her actual heart was racing because she was a forbidden hybrid?

She couldn't stay locked in this house forever without drawing suspicion from the people who knew her routine perfectly. If she completely vanished, Emi and Hael would eventually march right up to the front door, breaking the boundary and potentially exposing themselves to whatever was lurking in the woods.

To protect them, she had to play along. She had to act normal.

With trembling fingers, she typed out a quick response to their group chat.

> **Liora:** *Hey! Sorry, my fever got really bad yesterday and I completely passed out. Grandma gave me some crazy herbal knockout tea. I’m feeling much better today, just a little weak. Don't worry, Emi, I haven't forgotten the dare. I'm just pacing myself.*

Almost instantly, the three dots appeared, and Emi’s reply popped up.

> **Emi:** *Oh thank god, you're alive! 😮 Take it easy today, but tomorrow you are officially mine. Hael and I are coming to check on you later if you're up for it!*

Liora’s breath caught. *No, they can't come here.* The scent of pure, vulnerable humans right on the edge of the Blackwood Forest felt too dangerous now. What if her suppression veil fluctuated? What if the stranger she saw in the woods was still watching the cottage?

> **Liora:** *Actually, let's meet up in town tomorrow instead! The house is a mess and Grandma went out of town to visit an old friend for a few days. I need to get out into the fresh air anyway.*

> **Hael:** *Are you sure you're up for it, Li? I can drive by and drop off some soup if you're still weak.*

> **Liora:** *I'm sure, Hael. Promise. I'll see you guys tomorrow at the usual diner at noon.*

Putting the phone down, Liora leaned against the kitchen counter, rubbing her temples. She had bought herself twenty-four hours of isolation. One day to figure out how to act like a normal human girl while carrying a ticking time bomb in her veins.

Determined to distract herself, Liora walked over to the living room window, carefully peering through the glass toward the dense line of ancient pines. The silver mist from yesterday had cleared, replaced by the crisp, golden light of the late morning sun. The forest looked completely peaceful, its shadows still and silent.

But as her eyes scanned the deep tree line, her gaze locked onto a specific spot—the exact area where the tall, broad-shouldered stranger had stood before vanishing into thin air.

Liora’s hand instinctively flew to her neck, gripping the silver locket. Who was he? The dark hair, the terrifyingly heavy aura, the way he had looked at her with such blinding intensity. Was he the same person from her fractured nightmare, the one with the crimson eye who had pulled her from the burning wreckage ten years ago? Or was he a hunter, a predator who had smelled her awakened blood before Nymeria could throw the magic dust over her?

The questions spun in her head like a puzzle with half the pieces missing. She had exactly four days left before her grandmother's temporary veil would begin to fail. Four days to pretend everything was fine, to survive the dark forces closing in, and somehow, to navigate a ridiculous teenage dare while her entire world crumbled around her.

Deep within the silent woods, entirely hidden from Liora’s sight, a pair of stormy grey eyes watched the cottage window drop its curtain, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***