Chapter 28 · Hunters and Prey

“Move, or we both die in three seconds!”

Silas didn’t wait for an answer. He snatched Viviane by the waist and hauled her sideways. A split second later, a golden spear shattered the glass platform where they’d been standing.

Crystal shards rained down like diamonds from hell. One sliced deep into Silas’s shoulder. A hot line of red bloomed across his tunic, but he didn't let go. He slammed her back into the shadow of a crumbling pillar, the impact rattling her teeth.

“Get your hands off me!” Viviane gasped. She was clinging to his chest for dear life, her breath ragged, smelling of ozone and old incense.

“Shut up and stay down,” Silas hissed.

He pinned her against the cold stone, his body a shield between her and the open air. He could feel her heart hammering against his ribs—or maybe it was his own. The soul-meld from the void hummed in his veins, making her panic feel like his own skin on fire.

Above them, Julian’s voice drifted down. Smooth. Bored. Terrifying.

“Running is so tedious, don’t you think? The chase is the only part that actually matters.