*Chapter 12:
ALESSIA
The canister hit the step below me and rolled.
Time didn’t slow down,It snapped.
Azriel grabbed my waist and yanked me backward. His body slammed into mine, driving us both up the stairs as the steel cylinder bounced once, twice, and settled against the landing. For half a second, nothing happened. No hiss or smoke. Just Liam’s empty smile watching from below.
Then the canister clicked.
It wasn’t a release valve,It was a primer.
A thin seam split along the steel. Pale vapor poured out, but it wasn’t blue or a suppressant. It was clear, odorless, and it moved like it was alive. The air above the stairs shimmered, heat-wave distortion with no heat. The vapor didn’t rise. It sank, pooling around the steps like water, crawling upward toward us.
LOC-7X, My blood an
