Evelyn
Thaddeus stalks toward the car and panic surges through me. I slam the gas—tires scream against the pavement, smoke curling up in thick plumes—but the car doesn’t move. I look back.
Orion.
His hands are locked on the boot, unmoving, like a stone wall. Smoke chokes the air. I release the gas and don’t even bother turning the car off. Instead, I scramble over the seat and bolt out the passenger side just as Thaddeus rips the driver’s door open behind me.
I run—no plan, just instinct. Fast and wild.
But it doesn’t matter.
My feet are yanked off the ground. Arms clamp around my waist, crushing me back into solid muscle. I scream, kick, thrash like a feral thing, clawing at anything I can reach. Thaddeus says my name, but I’m beyond hearing him.
He throws me over his shoulder, wal
