A chill crept up his back, sending a tingle straight to the crown of his skull Calen froze, his breath suddenly crystallizing into a cloud of fog as it met the air. His magic reacting to an imminent danger, warning him.
"You."
A grip so cold it burned wrapped around his bicep, then dragged him back off his feet and slammed him into the shadowed alcove of an alley. A roiling shadow rose up in front of him, one tendril of darkness reaching up to circle his throat while the one on his arm moved to clamp over his mouth and nose. The cold invaded his senses, all he could feel, breathe, taste, it was like a weight in his lungs.
He knew cold, he worked in cold, ice. He'd never felt anything like this. It was like his very essence was being dragged from his body.
"You were marked, little human," the shadow demon hissed. The quavery hands he'd wrapped around his mouth and throat suddenly grew claws that dug into Calen's skin. He choked, eyes wide as he struggled feebly against the creature's grip.