Chapter 3 – Taboo Broken, Blood Feud Avenged
Smoke clawed its way into the desert sky.
By the time Lila saw the Navajo camp again, flames were already devouring the outer tents.
Her heart stopped.
“No…”
The word slipped from her lips like a broken prayer.
The once peaceful camp had turned into chaos. Warriors shouted. Children cried. Women rushed to carry water while men armed themselves with spears and rifles.
Gunshots shattered the air.
Marcus had arrived.
Lila’s stomach twisted violently.
Black trucks surrounded the edge of the camp like predators circling wounded prey. Armed men poured out, their faces hidden beneath dust masks.
And standing in the center of it all—
Marcus Moore.
Calm.
Immaculate.
Untouched by the destruction he’d brought with him.
“Give me the Heart of the Earth,” he called out smoothly.
His voice carried across the camp like poison.
Elder Elena stood before the totem altar, her fragile figure the only thing between Marcus and the sacred relic.
“You will never touch it,” she said.
Marcus sighed.
“So stubborn.”
He raised his hand.
“Burn the rest.”
Torches flew through the air.
Another tent erupted in flames.
Lila’s chest constricted.
“No!”
She broke into a run.
Tavion was beside her instantly.
“Stay back.”
But she couldn’t.
Her people—her tribe—were under attack because of her.
Cullen spotted them first.
“Lila!”
Relief flickered across his hardened face.
“You made it back.”
A loud roar split the air.
Tavion stepped forward.
And transformed.
It happened in seconds.
Bones shifted.
Muscles twisted.
Golden light exploded outward.
Where the man had stood moments ago—
A massive cougar now crouched in the sand.
His amber eyes burned like molten gold.
The warriors gasped.
Even after seeing it before, the sight stole the breath from Lila’s lungs.
Tavion launched forward.
The cougar slammed into Marcus’s nearest thug with terrifying force.
The man screamed as claws ripped through his weapon and sent him flying.
Chaos erupted.
Bullets cracked through the desert air.
Warriors charged.
Sand exploded beneath running feet.
Lila ducked behind a rock, heart hammering wildly as the battle swallowed the camp.
She saw Tavion everywhere.
A golden blur.
Claws.
Teeth.
Fury.
Even weakened, he was still something ancient and unstoppable.
But Marcus didn’t look afraid.
He looked… amused.
“You never learn, Tavion,” he called out casually.
Lila’s blood ran cold.
Marcus knew him.
Before she could process that thought—
A small scream pierced the battlefield.
Lila’s head snapped toward the altar.
Marcus had a knife pressed against the throat of a little Navajo boy.
No older than six.
“Stop!”
The entire battlefield froze.
The child sobbed helplessly.
Marcus smiled slowly.
“Well now,” he said.
“That got your attention.”
Cullen growled like an enraged wolf.
“Let him go.”
Marcus chuckled.
“I’m not unreasonable.”
He looked directly at Lila.
“Bring me the relic.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“No.”
The word barely left her lips.
Marcus pressed the knife closer to the boy’s skin.
A thin line of blood appeared.
“I’m running out of patience.”
Lila’s mind raced.
The relic sat on the altar behind Elena.
A crimson crystal glowing faintly beneath the moonlight.
The Heart of the Earth.
The source of everything.
If Marcus took it…
The tribe would lose its protection.
The desert itself might turn against them.
But if she refused—
The boy would die.
Tears burned behind Lila’s eyes.
“I…”
Her voice trembled.
“I’ll bring it.”
“Lila, no!” Cullen barked.
But she was already walking toward the altar.
Step by step.
The entire camp watched.
Elena met her gaze calmly.
“You know what must be done,” the elder whispered.
Lila nodded slowly.
Her hands trembled as she reached for the relic.
The moment her fingers touched the crystal—
The world exploded with light.
Golden energy surged through her body.
The mark hidden beneath her hairline burned like fire.
Wind roared across the desert.
Sand lifted from the ground, swirling violently around her.
Gasps filled the air.
The relic pulsed brighter.
Stronger.
Lila’s eyes widened in shock.
“I… can feel it.”