The forest road stretched ahead, narrow and slick, twisting dangerously along the valley. Lena’s hands gripped the wheel so tightly that her knuckles ached, but she couldn’t loosen her hold. Every sense was on high alert, every muscle taut. Adrian whispered in her mind, calm but insistent, Hazard detection: high. Anticipate movement. Execute preemptively.
She hated that he was right. Every movement she made, every micro-adjustment of the vehicle, had been calculated by him, his influence threading through her body like a shadow she could neither see nor escape. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the growing knot of fear in her stomach. She could feel Hale’s presence somewhere in the fog ahead, patient and deliberate, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Alex sat beside her,
