Clara’s head swam in a nauseating sea of pain, the sharp, metallic taste of blood heavy on her tongue. She blinked, her vision slowly swimming into focus as the blinding glare of an overhead halogen lamp assaulted her eyes.

The air was freezing, thick with the smell of brine, rusted metal, and old

The scream ripped through the suffocating blackness of the warehouse, cutting off abruptly with a wet, sickening crunch.

Panic erupted instantly. The remaining mercenaries opened fire, their assault rifles transforming the pitch-black space into a chaotic, strobe-lit nightmare. Muzzle flashes pain

The armored SUV tore through the winding cliffside roads, the heavy tires eating up the asphalt as Marcus drove them back to the fortress. The silence in the back seat was thick, heavy with the adrenaline that still coursed through their veins.

Clara sat beside Julian, his arm wrapped around her w