Chapter 129 The Marked

Chapter 129 The Marked
Elena POV

Cold morning air bit my face as my shoes hit the floor.

"Elena, wait," Liam said, cutting his stride short to step into my path. He reached out to catch my jacket sleeve. "Can we talk about last night?"

I jerked my shoulder back before his fingers touched me, staring straight ahead. "I don't have anything to say to you, Liam."

"I'm sorry for making—" Liam started, stepping closer, but before he could finish his sentence, Daniel walked right past the middle of us. He didn't slow down or turn his head, keeping his eyes glued to the gravel as he cut right between us, treating both of us like air.

Without waiting another second, I turned on my heel and walked away in the opposite direction.

I didn't stop until I reached the river park three blocks away. Fog hung over the water, making the surface look like gray glass. I leaned against the rusted iron fence and looked down at my reflection in the water.

A few yards down the path, a couple stood under a tree. The guy pulled the girl closer by her waist, saying something that made her laugh before he kissed her cheek.

I turned my head away, a sharp knot tightening in my chest.

Must be nice, I thought, gripping the cold metal rail until my knuckles turned white. To just belong here. To live without secrets.

"Elena!"

I whipped around. Liam and Daniel were walking down the path toward me, having followed me all the way from the school gate.

"What are you doing out here?" Liam asked, stepping beside me. "We saw you turn around back there."

I looked between the two of them, keeping my distance. "I just needed some fresh air before class."

"You shouldn't be wandering off alone," Daniel said quietly, his eyes fixed on me.

I offered a small, tense smile and raised my hand in a quick wave. "I was actually just heading back to school anyway. See you guys inside."

I turned to walk alongside them toward the main road, but before we could take more than three steps, a sudden vibration rattled in my coat pocket.

BZZZ.

The sharp buzz made me stop dead in my tracks.

Liam and Daniel stopped too, both of them turning back to look at me as I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen.

UNKNOWN: Emergency gathering at the underground hall. All Reapers must attend. Do not be late.

I pressed the power button instantly, blacking out the screen and shoving the phone deep into my pocket.

Liam stepped closer, his eyes narrowing on my coat. "Who was that?"

I took a step back, turning my shoulders away from him. "Nobody. Just a wrong message."

"A wrong message that made you completely freeze up?" Daniel asked softly. His voice was quiet and flat, completely stripped of its usual warmth.

"I have to go," I said, stepping past them toward the street. "Don't follow me."

"Where?" Liam reached out and grabbed my wrist. "Elena, stop running off!"

"I forgot I have an errand to run across town," I lied, yanking my wrist out of his grip. "It's important. Just leave me alone."

Without waiting for a response, I ducked down an alley and hurried away.

Twenty minutes later, I pushed open the heavy wooden door at the back of an old building on the edge of town.

Loud music and the low hum of voices hit me right away. Inside, dozens of people moved under dim red lights, drinking and talking. To anyone else, it looked like a normal bar. But everyone in this room was a Reaper.

"Elena."

I turned. Keal stepped out from the shadows near the back wall, holding a dark glass. He jerked his head toward a private room in the back, telling me to follow.

I pushed the room's door shut behind us, blocking out the noise. "What is this about?"

Keal leaned against a wooden table and took a sip. "First, a warning. No matter how close you get to those human boys, they can never find out what you are."

"I haven't told them anything," I said.

"They are getting suspicious," Keal said, his voice dropping into a cold warning. "If they ever back you into a corner... you deny it. No matter what happens, you deny everything."

My throat went dry. "I understand." I paused, looking him dead in the eye. "I need to ask you something. The day I fell from the roof... was it you? Did you save me?"

Keal set his glass down on the table. "Yes. I caught you."

I let out a breath I had been holding. "Why?"

"Because your human body isn't finished yet," Keal said flatly. He reached into a small box on the table and pulled out a thick book and a thin silver rod. "Every Reaper here carries a mark.
Today, you get yours."

"Hold out your arm," he said.

I swallowed hard and held out my right forearm. Keal pressed the cold tip of the silver rod against my skin. A sharp heat burned straight through my arm, like a hot needle dragging across my flesh. I bit my lip hard, refusing to make a sound.

When he pulled the rod back, a dark mark shaped like a feather sat under my skin.

"Your trial starts today," Keal said, handing me the heavy book. "Your mark is different because you have broken the rules too many times. You need to memorize everything in this book. I will test you soon, so prepare yourself."

I pulled the book against my chest. "How does it work?"

"You keep it hidden," Keal said, pointing at my wrist. "No human can see it or suspect anything for one full year. If you are in real danger, the mark will pulse black to call nearby Reapers. Pass this trial for three hundred and sixty-five days, and you become fully human."

I nodded slowly, pulling my jacket sleeve down over my wrist until the mark was completely hidden.

I tucked the book into my bag and turned toward the door. Keal stepped up beside me, pushing open the heavy back exit door so we could walk out into the cold alley behind the building together.

"We caught you today," a sharp voice called out from the dark behind me.

I froze, my heart dropping as the cold wind cut through the alley.