Matthew's smirk deepened. "There we go. That's more like it."
Dan chuckled. "Knew you'd see reason, sweetheart."
But they had no idea what she was planning.
They had no idea that in the next few seconds, blood would spill.
He licked his lips.
"She's a feisty one," he mused, eyes dark with amusement. "But nothing two men can't handle."
That was his second mistake.
The first had been thinking she was prey.
Matthew smirked as he leaned in closer, his breath hot and rank against her skin. His grip loosened, just slightly, as if savoring the moment before he took what he wanted.
That was all Luna needed.
Her fingers twitched toward her pouch.
They thought she was weak. They thought she was alone.
They had no idea that she was more dangerous than she looked.
Slowly, deliberately, she let her shoulders sag, feigning defeat. She let her breath hitch, her lower lip trembling just enough.
"Please," she whispered. "Don't hurt me."
Dan's grin widened, his ego swelling. He eased his hold on her wrist completely, stepping forward eagerly, already imagining her submission.
That was his final mistake.
In a flash, Luna's hand shot into her pouch. Her fingers found the small pouch of powder, her insurance, her weapon of choice. Before Dan could react, she flung it straight into his face.
The reaction was instant.
He inhaled sharply out of reflex, the fine dust coating his nostrils and tongue. His body jerked violently as his airway constricted, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps. His eyes bulged, bloodshot and wild, as his hands clawed at his throat. He let out a strangled scream, staggering backward.
Dan reeled at the sudden shift, his smirk dropping as Matthew's body convulsed. "What the fuck?"
Luna didn't give him time to think.
She flicked her wrist again, releasing another cloud of the deadly mix of wolfsbane, nightshade, and opium poppy, a cocktail designed to paralyze and kill. Dan instinctively inhaled, his body locking up almost immediately as the toxins flooded his system.
His breath hitched. His pupils dilated. His knees buckled.
"You Witch" He tried to speak, but the words choked in his throat as his muscles seized, betraying him.
Dan had collapsed completely now, foam bubbling from his mouth, his body writhing in agony. His hands twitched violently before going still.
Matthew fought to move, his limbs trembling under the poison's effects. His vision blurred, his heartbeat hammering unevenly in his chest.
Luna stepped toward him slowly, the predator now, watching as realization dawned in his glassy eyes.
"You thought I was weak," she murmured, tilting her head. "That was your first mistake."
She reached into her pouch again, this time pulling free a small dagger, its silver edge gleaming even in the dim cave light. It was inlaid with gold and rubies; it was a totem of her heritage.
"Your second mistake," she continued, circling him like a wolf playing with its food, "was thinking I was defenseless."
Matthew's lips parted, as if to ask what she meant
Luna smiled.
"You won't live long enough to make a third."
And with that, she plunged the dagger into his neck, watching his blood coat the silver edge.
Luna watched coldly as he collapsed, his body writhing on the damp cave floor. His fingers twitched, his breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps as the poison tightened its grip.
She stepped closer, crouching beside him, tilting her head as she studied his suffering. There was something almost poetic about it, the way his arrogance had dissolved into terror, the way the predator had become the prey.
His glassy eyes locked onto hers, desperate, pleading.
"W-what... what did you...?" He rasped, his voice barely a whisper. His lips trembled, his body convulsing with the effort to hold on.
Luna's silver eyes gleamed in the dim light. A slow, almost lazy smile curved her lips.
"Something to quench my thirst," she murmured.
Matthew's body jerked violently as another wave of poison spread through his veins, his limbs flailing weakly. He tried to reach for her, his trembling fingers brushing the hem of her gown.
She scoffed. Pathetic.
Reaching into her herb pouch again, she pulled out another small packet, this one filled with a finer, more potent powder. Holding her breath, she flung it at him, the dust settling over his face like a death shroud.
His reaction was instant. His throat constricted, his breath cutting off in a strangled gurgle. His arms spasmed as he tried to claw at the air, his body twisting in agony. His eyes rolled back, only the whites visible now.
Luna stood swiftly, careful not to inhale the deadly mix. She had yet to create an antidote, and she wasn't foolish enough to test her own resistance.
Dan stumbled forward, his legs giving out entirely. With a heavy thud, he crumpled into a heap just a few steps ahead of her, his body still twitching as the last of his strength drained away.
She stepped over him without hesitation, her bare feet barely making a sound as she walked toward the cave's entrance.
The cool night air hit her as she emerged, the moonlight bathing her in silver. She didn't look back.
There was no need.
By the time the sun rose, their bodies would be nothing more than empty husks, claimed by the poison that had sealed their fate.
Luna grabbed her discarded black hood and pulled it over her head, adjusting the strap of her herb pouch. There were still miles to go before she reached her destination.
And she had no time to waste on the dead.
She didn't stop running.
Clutching the contents of her bag tightly, she moved through the dense forest, her breath ragged, her limbs shaking from exertion and lingering fear. The night air was cool against her flushed skin, but she barely felt it. She just needed to get away to put as much distance as possible between herself and the cave, between herself and the monsters she had just slain. What scared her the most was the monster she was becoming, one incapable of feeling remorse. They said the first kill is always the hardest, and she believed it.
The cave was suddenly too hot; she needed fresh air to clear her head. Panic shot through her at the fact that she killed two men without feeling anything, so she ran.