Chapter 25 –
The second the voice hit my ears, Jace grabbed my hand. No hesitation. No warning. Just go.
We tore through the trees, branches clawing at our faces, leaves whipping past in a blur. My lungs burned, but the pounding of my heart was louder than my footsteps. Behind us — that voice again. Closer.
"Jace—who—?" I couldn't finish.
He yanked me forward, his grip so tight my fingers throbbed. "Don't look back."
I looked back.
A shape moved between the trees, fast — too fast to be human. My stomach knotted. Not the figure. Something bigger. Heavier. But then—there. Just for a second—the figure's coat, fluttering between the shadows, ahead of us.
They weren't chasing. They were leading.
"Are they—helping us?" I gasped.
Jace didn't answer. He was pulling me so hard I stumbled, and his arm shot around my waist again, hauling me upright without breaking stride. His breath was in my ear now, ragged and hot. "Eyes on me. Run."
We broke out of the trees into a slope of wet grass, feet slipping, and that's when the ground in front of us exploded. Dirt and smoke showered my face.
"Down!" Jace threw me to the ground and covered me with his body, his chest crushing against mine, his heartbeat thundering through my ribs. His face was inches from mine, hair falling into his eyes, and for one insane heartbeat I forgot we were about to die.
I wanted him to kiss me. God help me, I wanted it so bad my hands gripped his shirt without thinking.
"Val—" His voice broke against my ear, and he leaned closer—too close—before something slammed into the earth beside us.
We scrambled up.
The figure was there. Right there. Hand outstretched. "If you want to live, move."
Jace stepped in front of me instantly, blocking them, his voice low and dangerous. "You've been following us since the warehouse. Tell me why before I break your—"
Another explosion, this one even closer. The figure didn't flinch. "Friend. For now. Decide later. Run now."
I didn't know if I believed them. But then something screamed in the distance — not human — and the ground trembled beneath my feet.
Jace's eyes met mine. "Your call."
The thing behind us roared again, closer this time, and my decision ripped out of my throat before my brain caught up.
"Run."
The three of us took off, the figure slicing a path through the forest like they knew every root and shadow. I was pressed against Jace's side, his arm still gripping me like letting go wasn't an option. My legs screamed, my breath came in bursts, and yet I could feel it—every brush of his hand, every shove to keep me moving—burning into my skin.
We burst into a clearing, moonlight spilling silver over the grass, and stopped only when the figure raised a hand.
They turned, pulling back their hood. My stomach dropped.
I knew that face.
Before I could speak, before I could ask what the hell they were doing here—something crashed through the trees behind us, and the night exploded into chaos all over again.