Chapter Twenty-Three
Skyler’s POV
The desert morning didn’t bring light; it just brought heat and a suffocating sense of dread.
Blade and I hadn't spoken a single word since he told me my father was proud of us. We packed our gear in total silence, the unspoken tension from the night before sitting between us like a loaded gun on the motel mattress. I kept my distance, my heart locked tight behind a wall of anger, while Blade reverted completely back to his machine-like self.
We were just stepping out onto the concrete walkway of the motel when the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
The morning air wasn't empty. Far out on the highway, vibrating through the asphalt, was a low, rhythmic rumble. It didn't sound like ordinary traffic. It sounded like thunder rolling across a clear blu
