Ruby's POV
It happened fast.
The kind of fast that splits time in two,before and after.
One second, I was between them, staring at Jake, heartbeat thudding like thunder in my chest.
The next, the trees exploded behind us.
Not literal fire,but sound. Movement. Steel against bark. Dozens of feet pounding toward us from every direction. Voices shouting commands, the ring of weapons being drawn, boots stomping through the underbrush.
And in the middle of it all,Carter’s voice.
“Down!”
He grabbed my arm and shoved me behind the closest rock outcrop just as a knife sank into the trunk where my head had been a second before.
My lungs seized. My muscles locked.
Then they moved.
Instinct kicked in hard, pulsing through my spine. I ducked and spun, grabbing my blade from the sheath at my
