Chapter 29 · Running Into The Trap

"Stop right there, Kade! You’re walking into a slaughterhouse!"

Rook’s voice cracked through the smog, raw and desperate. I didn’t stop. I didn’t even slow down. I just kept sprinting toward the black-glass monolith of the Aegis spire, my boots slamming against the wet pavement. My lungs burned, but the Gene-Eater in my chest was screaming louder, a jagged vibration that rattled my ribs every time I breathed.

"Get lost, Rook!" I yelled back, not looking. "They have her!"

"That’s exactly why you can't go in!" She caught up to me, her hand slamming into my shoulder, trying to wrench me around.

I spun, shoving her back with a snarl. The power surged through my arm, a flash of chrome-black scales rippling under my skin. I didn't mean to hit her hard, but she flew back a few feet, sliding across the grit.

"Dammit!" she hissed, scrambling up. Her eyes were wide, tracking the mutation on my arm. She didn't look scared—she looked like she was analyzing a specimen. "You’re glitching, Kade. Your pulse is red-lining. If you walk through those doors in this state, the security sensors will trigger a full lockdown before you even hit the lobby.