The scent of rust, raw sewage, and gunpowder stung the air as Alaric shoved Anna behind a concrete pillar inside Avernon's subterranean drainage system. Above them, the tremors from the collapse of Devano Tower still vibrated through the earth, but the threat standing before them was far more visceral.
Ben—the man Anna had spent her life viewing as her family's protective guardian—stood with a tactical laser pistol aimed squarely at them. The face she once found comforting was now a demonic mask under the flickering red of the emergency lights.
"Don't move, Alaric! I know you're a monster, but don't think for a second you can protect her womb from my objectives," Ben hissed.
Alaric stripped off his shredded tactical jacket, revealing the tensed cords of his muscles and the dragon tattoo that seemed to writhe in the crimson light. His eyes were no longer human; they were the eyes of a predator who had finally cornered its prey.
