The idea both terrified and thrilled her.
“You know,” Lila said slowly, “in the city, survival means learning how to avoid rush hour.”
Tavion glanced at her.
“I don’t know what that is.”
She laughed softly.
For the first time since arriving, the tension between them eased.
But it didn’t last long.
Because Tavion suddenly stiffened.
His eyes sharpened.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Danger.”
The word came out like a growl.
Night had fallen by the time Lila slipped away from the camp.
She knew she shouldn’t.
But the questions gnawing at her wouldn’t leave her alone.
Her parents.
The relic.
The ruins.
If the answers existed anywhere, they would be inside that cave.
The red rock canyon loomed like a sleeping beast beneath the moonlight.
Lila carefully stepped inside the cave.
The familiar totem stone stood exactly where she remembered.
Cougar.
Eagle.
Guardians of something ancient.
She approached slowly.
Then froze.
Someone else was there.
Jesse.
Her assistant stood beside the stone tablet.
A flashlight in one hand.
A crowbar in the other.
“Jesse?”
He spun around in panic.
“Lila?!”
“What are you doing?”
His face drained of color.
“I—I can explain.”
Her heart dropped.
“Explain why you’re trying to pry apart a sacred artifact?”
Jesse’s shoulders sagged.
The fight drained out of him instantly.
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“Didn’t have a choice?” Lila repeated, disbelief rising.
He looked miserable.
“Marcus sent me.”
The name hit her like ice.
“My uncle?”
“Yes.”
Jesse rubbed his face in frustration.
“He’s been looking for the Heart of the Earth for years.”
The cave seemed to spin.
“No,” Lila whispered.
“That’s impossible.”
Jesse laughed bitterly.
“Is it?”
“He funded your entire archaeology career, Lila. All those expeditions?”
“He was looking for clues.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“He told me this research could rewrite history.”
“It will,” Jesse said quietly.
“Just not the way you thought.”
Lila stepped back.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
Tears filled Jesse’s eyes.
“He promised me money. Said no one would get hurt.”
“Except that’s not true.”
Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone.
“I’m calling him.”
Jesse didn’t try to stop her.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Then Marcus answered.
“Lila.”
His voice was smooth.
Calm.
Almost pleased.
“You found it, didn’t you?”
Her blood ran cold.
“You knew.”
“Of course I did.”
“Why?” she choked.
“Why would you use me?”
Marcus chuckled softly.
“My dear niece.”
“You were always the key.”
The cave walls seemed to close in around her.
“Your parents guarded the relic,” Marcus continued.
“They refused to give it to me.”
Lila’s breath caught.
“So I had to remove the obstacle.”
Her stomach dropped.
“You… killed them.”
“Yes.”
The word came out casually.
Like discussing the weather.
“They chose the tribe over family.”
Silence filled the cave.
Then Marcus spoke again.
“Now be a good girl and tell me where the relic is.”
Lila ended the call.
Her entire world had just shattered.
Gunshots echoed through the canyon.
“Down!” Tavion roared.
He tackled Lila behind a rock as bullets tore through the sand.
Marcus’s men had arrived.
Black trucks surrounded the canyon entrance.
Jesse looked terrified.
“Oh god…”
Tavion’s eyes blazed with fury.
“They followed you.”
Lila felt sick.
“This is my fault.”
“No.”
Tavion stood, muscles coiled like a predator.
“They came because they are greedy.”
Another shot rang out.
Pain exploded in Lila’s shoulder.
She collapsed with a cry.
“Lila!”
Tavion caught her before she hit the ground.
Blood soaked through her jacket.
Rage erupted in his chest.
His eyes flashed gold.
The wind howled violently around them.
Tavion pressed his glowing hand against her wound.
Warm light poured from his palm.
The bleeding stopped.
The pain faded.
Lila stared at him weakly.
“You… healed me.”
But Tavion’s expression turned grim.
The eagle tattoo on his neck flickered.
Then dimmed.
He staggered slightly.
Elder Elena appeared behind them.
Her face was filled with quiet sorrow.
“It has begun.”
Tavion looked at her.
“What?”
“The taboo.”
Her gaze shifted to Lila.
“The guardian spirit is not allowed to love a human.”
Lila’s heart skipped.
“And when he does,” Elena continued softly…
“His divine power fades.”
Tavion looked down at his arm.
The cougar mark along his skin had begun to fade.
For the first time since she met him—
Fear flashed across his face.
But when he looked back at Lila…
His expression hardened with quiet determination.
Even if it meant losing everything—
He would still protect her.