The figure stepped closer, and her pulse jumped as silver eyes emerged from the haze—eyes that didn't belong to anyone she had ever known. Pale skin, dark hair, a presence so cold it made her shiver from her scalp to her toes.
"Who—what are you?" Marin asked, though her voice trembled. The words felt fragile against the night.
"I could ask you the same," he said, his lips curving into the faintest smile, "but I think I already know." His gaze was impossible to look away from, pulling her forward even as every instinct screamed at her to run.
Marin's fingers brushed her hoodie strings, twisting them nervously. "Why… why are you here?"
He didn't answer immediately. He just studied her, and in that silence, she felt a weight pressing into her chest—as if he could see through the walls she'd built around her heart. Then, almost as if testing her, he tilted his head. "Because you're not like the others," he murmured.
Before she could respond, a shadow lunged from the alley behind her. She screamed, spinning around—but the man was already there. With a fluid motion that seemed unreal, he intercepted the shadow, and in a heartbeat, it crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Marin's knees went weak. Her throat burned with questions she wasn't ready to ask.
"You should be careful," he said softly, lifting a hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. His touch was cold—too cold—but it sent a jolt through her that made her knees tremble even more.
"I… I don't understand," she whispered.
He leaned closer, so close that his silver eyes reflected in hers, pulling her into something she didn't even know she wanted. "You will. Soon enough," he promised, and in that instant, Marin knew her life had already changed.