When fate and worlds collide

15 | Close Call

Jax ordered the group to grab only what they could carry, and we moved in tight formation as we slipped into the lobby. A few people stifled screams at the sight of Ferals—razor teeth slick with saliva, claws scraping the floor like they were measuring us. I flicked my hand and threw up a visual screen, obscuring the creatures from sight, pain spiking behind my eyes immediately.

Glen took charge of herding, quietly instructing everyone to keep their eyes on him as we threaded through the building. At the back door, Jax and I eased it open, peering through the crack for immediate threats. Two Ferals tore across the rooftop overhead, leaping the gap between buildings. Chunks of concrete rained down, shattering like grenades in front of the door. I twisted the silencer off my gun and shoved it into my pocket. Range mattered more than stealth now. The downside? One shot could light up the entire pack and bury us under numbers. I scanned the group and pressed a finger to my lips over the mask. Bad odds. Worse timing. But if luck decided to pity us, we could reach the next building unseen.

My gut twisted as power tingled along my spine. Something told me this group might just be out of luck.

I shoved the door open and stepped into the street, taking point. My eyes tracked the rooftops while Jax and two others swept the ground level. Glen sealed the rear, easing the door shut as quietly as possible. A howl ripped through the air, and we all froze. My senses flared, catching movement—too much movement from the Ferals. Had they realized we weren’t inside anymore? The thought tightened my chest.

We moved again. Behind us, the building shuddered violently, the Ferals finally tearing through my wards and flooded inside.

“s**t,” I muttered. That was sooner than planned. I picked up the pace, trusting the others to understand without explanation. Another howl—closer—followed by a furious roar. The first pack had reached the basement.

Too late, wolfies.

A heartbeat later, a deep boom thundered through the street as the trap sigils I’d etched into the hallway ignited. The ground bucked, debris raining down around us. Instinct took over a fraction of a second later. I pivoted left, gun already up, firing before my brain caught up. The shot cracked through the street, deafening. The Feral toppled from the wall and hit the ground dead at my feet. My heart slammed against my ribs, adrenaline flooding my veins as my senses sharpened even further, making my head swoon.

I’d just rung the dinner bell. I felt the air ripple, my gut twisted as I sensed the beasts go still, processing the sound, the death. Then everything snapped. I locked eyes with Jax—panic flaring wide and contagious as dread spread across his face.

“RUN!” I barked, already moving.

The group broke into chaos behind me as shrieks and roars tore through the building and street behind us. Ferals surged toward us, fast and furious. Someone screamed. I glanced back just in time to see a Feral drop onto an older man, teeth sinking in with a wet crunch that sprayed blood across the pavement and people around him. My gun came up on instinct. Two shots—two Ferals down before my brain caught up. Gunfire erupted behind me as the others joined in. More screams followed. Two more people were dragged away screaming.

Power prickled along my spine. I spun, firing twice more. Two Ferals collapsed at Jax’s feet, a heartbeat away from tearing him apart. He nodded at me, breath ragged.

I ran.

I shot as I moved, bodies hitting the pavement while survivors scattered in blind panic. The ground began to tremble as more screeches joined the chorus. They were converging fast. I skidded around the corner at the end of the street, did a quick scan, then bolted for the building ahead. I wrenched the door open, my body humming, power surging hot and wild with adrenaline, my senses overloaded. Pain stabbed behind my eyes again, warning me I wasn’t out of danger from flaming out. The group rushed towards the door I held open as a woman was ripped screaming from above. Her cry cut off abruptly as a Feral tore her head free, blood raining down over everyone in the street.

“INSIDE! NOW!” I shouted, firing into the mass of Ferals spilling into the street like ants, crawling over rooftops, swarming from every angle. I reloaded without slowing. “Jax! MOVE IT!” He hauled a woman forward by the arm—then went down hard, tripping over debris. She kept running, hands clamped over her ears.

I hesitated for a fraction of a second, debating whether to leave or save this man. I swore and rolled my eyes in irritation, darting back, holstering my gun mid-stride and drawing my short sword. The air rippled around me, magic following as I went against the rules set by the Tower: no being a Hero. But there was something about this man I couldn’t leave to die.

Two Ferals lunged. Two heads hit the ground. I slid to a stop in front of Jax, chest heaving, brain racing through options at impossible speed. None of them were good. And I was about to do something spectacularly stupid.

I glanced down at him. The sheer terror stamped across his face twisted my gut—an unwelcome jolt that lit my protective instincts before I could shut them down. I grabbed his arm and hauled him upright like he weighed nothing, fear flickering into shock.

“f*****g run!” I screamed, shoving him toward the door where Glen and a few others were firing, laying down cover. I turned back, squeezing off a few more shots at the advancing Ferals to keep them at bay. When the pressure eased for half a second, I ripped a dagger free from my boot and fed a few tendrils of power into the blade, imagining what I wanted to give the magic form. It flared, humming with light. I pivoted to sprint for the group and a Feral dropped from above, slamming into the space between me and the building. It shook itself upright, teeth snapping in my direction. The frozen horror on everyone’s faces nearly earned an eye roll.

I tightened my grip and charged. I ducked its swipe, tucked my leg under, and slid straight beneath it. As I cleared the beast, I twisted mid-slide and drove the dagger into the concrete. The impact jarred my arm and shoulder, but my power in the blade detonated. A violent ripple blasted outward, hurling the Feral several meters away. I stayed down for a beat, chest heaving, ears ringing. That was more power than I should’ve used. If I kept this up, this rescue mission would kill me before the Ferals did.

Jax’s face swam into view, concern etched deep as the others stared past him at the Ferals howling at the edge of the barrier.

“If you could do that all along,” he began, irritation creeping into his voice, “why not make a barrier so we could move safely?” The question felt like an accusation. I huffed and pushed myself upright, shoulder screaming. Typical.

“My power isn’t limitless, Jax,” I snapped. “There are consequences for overuse. And if I burn through too much too fast, while already depleted…” I let the sentence hang as I holstered my gun. “I’ll pay for this barrier later. Be grateful I used it at all.” I shoved past them and headed for the kitchen, where the trapdoor waited.

My shoulder protested as I heaved the rusted metal hatch open, and carefully peered inside. Damp air and mold hit me square in the face. I shot Jax one last look before dropping down, landing in a silent crouch. I paused, listening for any reason we might not be alone—nothing. I motioned them to follow and moved ahead, my enhanced vision slicing cleanly through the darkness. Torchlight flickered behind me as the group followed, their steps loud and clumsy. After all were in the tunnel, the trapdoor slammed shut, the echo rolling down the tunnel.

I kept a thin thread of power feeding the dagger, holding the barrier behind us—but it was draining me fast. I just needed to last until the river. From there, it was a straight shot to the Tower.

If I didn’t collapse first.

A wave of exhaustion slammed into me. My foot caught, my ears rang, and warm blood slid from my nose again. Jax was suddenly at my side—which annoyed me almost as much as it surprised me. I’d adjusted to his presence far too quickly.

“Are you alright?” He asked. I sucked in ragged breaths and leaned into the tunnel wall. Cold water and moss soaked my fingers, grounding me as the world dulled to a narrow focus—breath in, breath out, nothing else but the rasp in my skull. The group watched in tense silence while I wrestled my powers back into line. After a moment, I managed to glance at him, still deciding whether his concern was real or just repayment for saving his ass.

“I’m fine,” I grunted, pushing off the wall and staggering forward. Pain exploded up my arm. I slammed sideways into the tunnel wall with a scream I couldn’t stop. My eyes snapped to a young woman standing close—blue eyes bright, her hand glowing where she’d touched me. I bared my teeth and growled, the sound rumbling deep in my chest.

“You stupid i***t!” I spat through gritted teeth. The pain tore through my arm and into my chest. My thin grip of power on the dagger vanished and I fell heavily to the ground as foreign power burned through my already-drained system.

I should’ve let the two men die yesterday.

She stepped toward me, hand still outstretched, eyes glowing brighter. Instinct took over. I yanked my gun free and aimed it square between her eyes. She froze. The group recoiled, gasps rippling through them.

“I thought I could help,” she explained softly. It almost made me shoot her. Jax moved fast, stepping between my gun and the girl, palms raised.

“I have an Alpha, you f*****g moron!” I snapped. Her blank look made it worse. “Oh my god.” The pain surged again, vicious and unforgiving. The urge to kill everyone in the tunnel crossed my mind with alarming sincerity.

How had I been stupid enough to let this happen?