POV: Violet
The emergency lights flickered red, stuttering like a heartbeat in panic. Somewhere down the corridor, a crash echoed — metal clattering against tile, glass shattering, voices shouting.
“Kendra!” I yelled, tightening my grip on Ryan’s hand.
“I’m here!” she shouted back, sprinting toward us from the far end of the hall. Her curls were wild, her breath coming fast. “Vi, there are people outside—men in black, armed. Security’s down. The generators just failed.”
Ryan’s jaw tensed, his golden eyes gleaming faintly even in the darkness. “They’re not just men. Shadow Claws.”
Kendra blinked, confused. “Shadow what now?”
I didn’t have time to explain. The air around us was thick — humming, vibrating with something not human. The same energy I’d felt when Ryan had nearly died last
