The mechanical screech echoed again, closer this time, bouncing off the damp concrete walls of the subterranean maze.

Before Aris could even process the sound, the flashing red emergency lights above them sparked violently and died. The hum of the backup generators ground to a halt.

Absolute, su

The stench of burning ozone and synthetic blood flooded the pitch-black corridor.

With a roar that shook the very foundation of the Tartarus Blacksite, Ronan wrapped his massive, shadowy hands around the Null-Hound's metallic throat. The beast thrashed wildly, its mechanical jaws snapping at the a

The golden light faded slowly from Aris’s fingertips, leaving the subterranean tunnel bathed in the dim, red emergency glow of the lockdown sirens.

Aris sat back on her heels, her chest heaving, her hands trembling. She looked down at Ronan’s chest. The catastrophic wound was entirely gone. Not ev