Chapter 10 — The Hunters' Refuge
Kevin barely registered the city lights streaking by as the three strangers — the same ones who had stormed his apartment — shoved him into the backseat of a black SUV.
The guy drove, his hands tight on the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road.
One of the girls sat in front, muttering into a phone, her voice sharp and urgent.
The other girl sat next to Kevin, her fingers gripping his jacket, making sure he didn't bolt.
Kevin couldn't speak. His lungs still burned from whatever Maya had done to him. His heart still hadn't slowed since the moment she whispered I wish it wasn't like this before trying to crush the air from his chest.
"She tried to kill me," he croaked finally, his voice hoarse.
The girl beside him glanced at him but said nothing.
"She tried to kill me," Kevin said louder now, his voice cracking.
This time the driver answered, his tone flat.
"She was always going to try. Sooner or later. You just forced her hand tonight."
Kevin shook his head, his thoughts spinning in a haze of anger and fear.
"She was my friend," he said bitterly. "She— she's just a bartender, she—"
"No," the girl next to him said. "She's not."
Kevin swallowed hard. "Then what is she?"
The driver's jaw tightened.
"A servant of the Order of the Veil," he said finally. "She was sent to watch you. And… to end you. If it came to this."
Kevin stared at them, completely lost. "What the hell does that even mean?"
Neither of them answered.
The SUV finally pulled up outside a weathered, ivy-covered mansion at the edge of the city. The driveway was cracked and overgrown, but faint lights still glowed in the windows.
The girl next to him opened his door and motioned for him to get out.
"Come on," she said.
Kevin followed numbly, his legs heavy and weak.
They led him through a side entrance and into a large, high-ceilinged room filled with maps, weapons, books, and strange symbols painted on the walls.
The man leaned against the table and crossed his arms.
Kevin stood in the middle of the room, feeling exposed, small, and utterly out of his depth.
He finally broke the silence.
"Why?" he demanded. His voice was louder than he expected, cracking slightly. "Why is everyone after me? Why is she— why is Lilith following me? Why did Maya— why does everyone keep saying these things about me?"
The girl with the phone finally put it down and turned toward him. Her expression was softer than the others', but still full of caution.
"Because you're the son of Cain," she said gently.
Kevin swallowed hard. "Yeah. Yeah, I got that part. What I don't get is why that suddenly means everyone wants me dead."
The man finally spoke, his tone hard and low.
"Because the Mark of Cain is waking up in you. And when it does… everything it touches dies."
Kevin froze.
"What… what does that even mean?" he whispered.
The man's gaze was grim.
"It means misfortune. Blood. Death. That mark… curses everyone around you. It's already happening. People like Maya — they're trained to put you down before it spreads. Before you hurt anyone else."
Kevin stumbled back a step, his chest tight.
"No. No, I'm not— I haven't hurt anyone—"
"Yet," the man cut him off coldly.
Kevin's breath came in sharp, uneven gasps. His hands were shaking now, and he pressed them to his sides.
He shook his head. "No. No, this— this can't be real. It can't—"
But then he felt it.
That faint pressure under his skin. That strange hum that hadn't been there before tonight.
Something was waking.
A faint knock at the door cut through the heavy silence.
Everyone in the room went tense instantly, their hands going to weapons.
The man motioned for one of the girls to check.
She cracked the door — and stiffened.
Kevin followed her gaze — and his heart dropped.
Lilith stood in the doorway.
Her long coat draped elegantly around her frame, her green eyes glittering with quiet triumph.
"I told you he'd come here," she said softly, stepping into the room.
The others immediately raised weapons, but she ignored them entirely, her gaze fixed on Kevin.
"You can fight it all you want," she said gently. "But you carry his blood. His curse. His name. You are your father's son. And nothing can change that now."
Kevin stumbled back, his back hitting the wall. "Stay away from me," he rasped.
Her faint smile widened just enough to show teeth.
"You're already changing, Kevin. You can feel it. Can't you?"
Kevin said nothing — but the chill that ran through his veins was answer enough.
At that moment, the air in the room suddenly tightened — and a rush of dark force slammed into him.
Maya stood in the shattered doorway, her hands glowing faintly, her face twisted with anguish.
"I'm sorry, Kevin," she said, her voice breaking. "I wish it wasn't like this."
And then she lunged, power crackling between her palms.
Kevin froze — but before the strike landed, the three fighters moved as one, slamming into her and knocking her back out into the hallway.
"Run!" the man barked, grabbing Kevin's arm.
Kevin stumbled after them as they dragged him through a side door, the chaos of shouts and crashing wood filling the air behind them.
As they ran into the night, Kevin glanced back just long enough to see Lilith still standing calmly in the middle of the room, watching him leave, her faint smile never wavering.