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224. Through the fire...

Author: sammie
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-08 23:43:44

~Ruby's POV~

“Get the twins. I’ll handle this.”

Roman’s voice cut through the tension. “Go.”

I froze for just a heartbeat—long enough to hear the blood pounding in my ears, long enough to taste the panic rising in my throat.

“Go, Ruby,” he said again, more firmly this time.

I nodded, barely able to swallow the lump lodged in my throat. My hand found Kai’s arm instinctively, and the two of us bolted through the narrow side entrance, slipping past the perimeter before anyone could notice.

The compound's interior was worse than I imagined.

The air felt heavy and stale, filled with the smell of damp wood and something unpleasant. The flickering overhead lights suggested they hadn’t been fixed in a long time. Paint was peeling from the walls in long strips, looking like withering leaves.

With each step I took down the narrow hallway, the sound echoed around me.

“Which way now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Kai hesitated at the fork ahead, his eyes darting between two dim cor
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