Ruby's POV
The figure moved like a ghost:fast, low, silent.
For one terrifying second, I thought it was another hunter.
Another threat.
Another nightmare.
Then she stepped into the moonlight.
“Holy hell, you look like shit.”
The voice hit me before her face did: dry, sharp, and somehow still familiar. A little older than I remembered. A little fiercer.
But definitely her.
“Chloe?” I blinked.
She raised an eyebrow. “Ruby herself, in the flesh. Guess you do bite back after all.”
I exhaled hard, a messy breath of shock and relief. She didn’t give me a chance to cry or collapse. She just moved past me and dropped to her knees beside Carter.
“Goddammit, Carter,” she muttered, pressing two fingers to his throat. “You said you’d be careful. This is not careful.”
Her hands were alrea
