RAVENNA

Part 33

At Kim's house, Esme sat curled up on the sofa, scrolling on her phone. She'd been waiting too long for Nieve and Marcus to return, and boredom had long since set in. Gabriel leaned beside her, peeking over her shoulder at her screen.

A notification popped up—Find Mates: weekly reminder. Esme tapped it open casually.

"You're eighteen and already hunting for a mate?" Gabriel teased, eyebrows raised.

Esme rolled her eyes. "It's more of a family app for me. It has GPS—you can add your mate, or friends, and track them."

Gabriel whistled softly, impressed. "That's neat. Send me the link, I'll download it."

She nodded, but as she went to share the link, her finger slipped. Instead of the app store, she opened the map. Pins of friends and family lit up across the screen. Gabriel leaned closer.

"Marcus is on your list too? And the others? Why am I not there?" he sulked.

Esme laughed. "Oh hush. Let's just test if this app's accurate. We'll check Marcus's location, see if he's on the road or not."

She tapped his name, zooming in. A blue line traced Marcus's route. "See these dotted lines? That's where he was over the last hour. He was at Darcy's, then Church Hill, then..." She tilted her head. "Huh?"

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"I don't know. Weren't they supposed to take Cuaber Lane?"

He hummed, taking her phone and zooming in further. His expression shifted, lips pressing tight. "Why is he going toward Frostmire?" he muttered.

"Who's going to Frostmire?" Tae Ho's voice cut through the room, low and sharp. He strode in, drying his hands.

"Marcus," Esme said, suddenly uncertain.

Tae Ho crossed the living room in two strides, snatched the phone, and studied the map. His brows furrowed. His jaw clenched. "Wasn't Nieve with him?" Both Esme and Gabriel nodded.

"What happened, Mr. Kim?" Nikolai asked carefully.

"Micheal—with me," Tae Ho barked, already turning. He vanished into his room and reappeared moments later with a shotgun in hand.

"Dad!" Gabriel shouted. The raised voices pulled the others in. Liliya and Yuxi appeared from the hall.

"Dad, I'm coming," Gabriel insisted.

"No," Tae Ho snapped. "Only Micheal and I will go."

"Somebody please, tell me what's happening," Yuxi demanded.

Tae Ho's voice was heavy with dread. "Marcus is on White Forest Road. And... Nieve is with him." The room fell into stunned silence. Debolina's eyes widened; a whisper broke from her lips. "No..."

"Did he—" Rob began, voice low.

"No!" Yuxi cut him off, sharp. "He wouldn't. I know that boy." She stepped forward, laying a gentle hand over Debolina's trembling fingers. "Whatever's happening, there's a reason. Don't sit here doubting him. Go, find out the truth."

The road split ahead, one path swallowed by dense forest, the other running alongside a river that roared below the embankment.

Marcus—jaw set, eyes sharp—snapped the reins hard. But before he could commit, the air thickened. A storm of wind ripped across the road, howling. The horses screamed, rearing, hooves striking sparks as the carriage tilted dangerously back before slamming down with a bone-shaking thud.