Semua Bab By Shadowlight Lake: Bab 91 - Bab 100

After our nap, Odette, Hunter and Alexei came to check in on me. The silence in the room was a relief after hours of questions and planning. My body still hurt from the silver, but I could feel my strength returning faster than the doctors expected. Alpha healing had its advantages.Astraia moved around the room, adjusting things, her scent filling the space. Every breath I took with her nearby felt like coming back to life. Six days without her had been worse than the silver poisoning."Hey," I called, watching her fuss with the curtains. "Stop pretending to be busy and get over here."She turned, a small smile playing on her lips. "Bossy, even when you're injured.""Especially when I'm injured." I patted the space beside me. "I haven't held you properly in almost a week."She slid onto the bed beside me, careful of my wounded side. The moment she settled against me, I felt something in my chest unlock. Her warmth, her scent, the slight weight of

The lab coats were surprisingly comfortable — high-quality fabric with just enough structure to look professional without being stiff. Odette twirled in front of her mirror, the white coat flaring dramatically over her designer jeans."I think we should wear these all the time," she declared. "They make me look smart.""You are smart," I pointed out, adjusting my own coat."You just hide it under all that princess polish."She grinned, flipping her platinum blonde hair."A girl's gotta have some secrets. Speaking of which..." She pulled out a small case from her dresser and flipped it open to reveal two pairs of glasses. "Props!"I picked up one pair, inspecting the clear lenses. "These are fake, right?""Well duh. But they complete the look." She put on the other pair, batting her eyelashes dramatically. "Dr. Moonvale, at your service."I couldn't help laughing as I tried mine on. "How do I look?""Like you could tell me about molecular structures and I'd actually believe you," she s

The suite was transformed when we arrived. Candles flickered on every surface, casting a warm glow over the room. A small table had been set by the windows overlooking the palace gardens, complete with flowers and wine."Wow," I breathed. "You really went all out."Carson looked almost shy, a rare expression on his normally confident face. "I wanted tonight to be special. We haven't really got time just the two of us with all the things happening, and tomorrow just in case...""Don't," I interrupted, placing my fingers over his lips. "No 'just in case.' Tonight is special because we're together, not because anything bad might happen tomorrow."He kissed my fingertips, then pulled me toward the table. "You're right. No dark thoughts tonight."Dinner was delicious, all my favorites, which Carson must have requested specifically. We talked about everything except the mission, memories from before we met, stories from our childhoods, dreams for after all this was over.It felt normal, alm

The drive to Silvercrest Labs was tense, filled with strategically timed silences and sudden bursts of nervous chatter from Odette. Hunter drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, eyes constantly checking the rearview mirror.Two more vehicles followed at discreet distances, the extraction team, split into two units as planned."Remember," Hunter said as we approached the facility, "you're visiting scientists. Act bored. Like this is just another consultation.""We know," Odette replied, but the usual bite was missing from her tone. "We've gone over this a thousand times.""And we'll go over it a thousand more if it gets you both back safely," he countered, his eyes meeting hers briefly in the mirror.Something passed between them, a silent acknowledgment of the danger, perhaps, or something deeper. But before I could analyze it, we were pulling into the visitor parking lot of Silvercrest Labs.The building was sleek and modern, all glass and steel gleaming in the midday sun.

Alarms began blaring, whether from smoke detectors or security, I couldn't tell. We sprinted down the hallway, lab coats flying behind us like capes. Through my earpiece, I could hear the command center erupting in activity."Visual on targets?" Hunter's voice demanded."Negative," someone replied. "Building's going into lockdown.""North stairwell," Carson ordered. "It's your fastest exit. Blue team moving to intercept."We rounded a corner, nearly colliding with a security guard rushing toward the commotion. His eyes widened in recognition, someone must have distributed our descriptions already."Stop!" he shouted, reaching for what looked suspiciously like a tranquilizer gun.Odette didn't hesitate. She dropped low, sweeping his legs out from under him with a move that was definitely not in any princess's usual repertoire. The guard crashed to the floor, his gun skittering across the tiles."You weren't kidding about those fighting