Elena’s POVRichard’s smile stretches, thin and serpentine, the detonator glinting in his hand like a promise of hell.Behind me, the faint hum of Adrian’s life-support chamber fills the air, each mechanical breath a countdown.In front of me, Alexander stands like a wall of steel, his body slightly angled shielding me.“Move, Alex,” Richard murmurs, lifting the device. “Or this whole wing dies.”My pulse spikes. The chamber behind me Adrian, helpless, suspended in frost-blue light. And Alexander tense, jaw hard enough to crack. And Richard always choosing the darkest path.“I swear, Hale,” Alexander says, his voice ice and fire combined, “if you detonate that, you won’t live long enough to enjoy your victory.”Richard laughs softly.“Oh, I don’t need to live long. I only need to make sure you lose.”My throat tightens.Richard doesn’t care about surviving.That makes him unstoppable.Alexander doesn’t blink. His expression doesn’t change. But I feel the tension radiating from him, a
Last Updated : 2025-12-10 Read more