Chapter 15 · Shadow of the Giant

"Get your head down! Now!" Roxie screamed, her voice barely cutting through the screech of metal on metal.

She didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed Kaelen by the collar of his jacket and yanked him behind a reinforced titanium pillar just as a bolt of psychic energy tore through the air. The blast hit the wall where he'd been standing, leaving a molten crater in the concrete.

"A bit late for the warning, don't you think?" Kaelen asked. He wasn't breathless. He looked at the smoking hole in the wall with the kind of boredom one reserves for a slow elevator.

"Shut up and move!" Roxie snapped. She shifted her grip, her hand brushing against his chest, feeling the steady, unnerving thrum of his heart. She didn't pull away immediately. The air between them was thick with the smell of ozone and burnt wiring. "The security grid is glitching. These things aren't just guards—they're psychic echoes. They don't feel pain, and they sure as hell don't miss."

Kaelen stepped out from behind the pillar, ignoring her attempt to pull him back. "I'm tired of hiding behind furniture, Roxie. Let me handle the noise.