The hum of the machinery gnawed at the silence like an unseen metronome, each vibration feeding the unease twisting through my chest. The chamber smelled of old oil and copper, and the air was warm in a way that made me feel trapped, as if we had descended into the belly of some slumbering beast.
Adrian paced, his boots echoing on the metal floor. Kael leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, gaze glued to Nora with the intensity of a wolf deciding whether to bare his teeth.
And Nora… she sat as if none of this concerned her.
Her long fingers tapped idly against the metal casing of the machine behind her, her eyes half-lidded yet sharp, calculating. Always calculating.
Adrian finally stopped pacing, his jaw tight. “We’re not moving until we know what we’re walking into. Someone flush
