Before she could react, Lucy and the other three children, recognizing the danger with remarkable speed, slipped into the artificial fog and vanished like little shadows.
Austin's gaze flicked toward the swirling mist, but they were already gone. Just silhouettes slipping between props and flickering lights, vanishing into the chaos like trained ghosts.
Heavy footsteps approached from behind, steady and purposeful.
She felt it before she heard him—the shift in air pressure, the unmistakable alpha weight that made the hairs on her arms stand up.
Kaius's scent hit her before his voice did—pine and something deeper that cut through the synthetic fog and cloying fake blood.
Her heart stumbled in her chest. Her palms dampened, fingers curling slightly.
"Austin? " His deep vo
