Chapter 6 · Hunter's Gamble

"You're getting sloppy, Kael. Or maybe you're just getting tired of dying."

Vera’s voice was a cold blade against my ear. Before I could even blink, her hand clamped onto my wrist, twisting it behind my back with a sickening pop. She slammed me face-first against the rusted metal of the ventilation shaft, the impact knocking the wind out of my lungs in one jagged gasp.

"Get off me!" I snarled, trying to kick back, but she shifted her weight, pinning my thigh with her boot. She was too fast, too precise. Every move she made felt like it had been practiced a thousand times in a hundred different loops.

"Quiet," she whispered, her breath warm against my neck, contrasting with the freezing steel pressing into my cheek. "You thought the alleyway trap would work? The tripwire? The distraction? It was cute. Almost pathetic."

I managed to turn my head slightly, catching a glimpse of her eyes. They weren't just cold; they were curious. Like she was dissecting a bug she wasn't sure she wanted to crush yet.

"I had you for a second," I wheezed, my voice strained. "You hesitated.