CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
The tires screamed as Dimitri slammed the brakes outside the safehold. Smoke hung low in the mountain air, mixing with the smell of gunpowder and pine. Lyra was out of the van before it stopped moving, legs burning as she sprinted toward the shattered front doors.
“June! Theo!” Her voice tore raw from her throat. “Where are you?”
No answer. Just the wind howling through broken glass.
Dimitri caught up, gun drawn, face like stone. “Viktor, sweep the perimeter. Lyra, stay behind me, damn it.”
“I’m not staying behind anything,” she snapped, shoving past him into the dark entryway. “My brother and sister are here somewhere. Elena!”
A groan came from the kitchen. Elena lay against the cabinets, blood streaking her face, one eye swelling shut. She clutched a pistol wi
