Juliette’s POV
My lungs burned as I stumbled through the last stretch of the underground lab. The air was heavy, damp, and thick with a metallic tang that made my throat itch. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out every other sound. Every step felt precarious, as if the ground beneath me might give way and swallow me whole. I had escaped the fire, slipped through hidden tunnels, and now I was somewhere I had never imagined existed. The lab here was a maze of steel and glass, glowing instruments, and tables covered with vials and equipment that hummed softly.
I pressed myself against a wall, trying to steady my shaking hands. My mind raced, images of Dorian and Bryan flashing across my vision. They had been so close, yet still, I had ended up alone in this section. How had the black-e
