Armand awakened with a start, disoriented in the darkness. Theodora was gone from his side when he reached for her. He heard her hissed command from somewhere in the storeroom and stayed low, instinctively following her instruction. A chill pricked at his skin despite his pseudoskin, a strange chill that sent shivers over his body yet fed his desire once more.
But chaos erupted in a hurry.
There was a shot, then an alarm began to ring with shrill insistence. Someone kicked in the door to the netherzones, rapid fire was exchanged. Armand saw Theodora silhouetted at the top of the stairs, then she fled. He saw the assailant race after her and recognized his uniform as that worn by Blackstone’s bodyguards. Shots were fired again, then there was only silence and the dampness of the air seepi
