The blue light of the hub pulsed in sync with Seraphina’s quickening heartbeat. Liquid nitrogen hissed from the overhead vents, a freezing white mist that began to pool around their boots like a spectral tide. On the screen, Julian’s hand remained steady on Dante’s shoulder, a terrifyingly casual gesture of ownership.
"He's a ghost, Fiammetta," Julian’s voice echoed, cold and resonant. "The boy is the only thing left of the Romano's physical world. If you trip that regulator, the hangar becomes a vacuum. My team is already in the cockpit. I am the only one holding the pressure seal."
Seraphina’s hand remained pressed to the scanner. The skin of her palm felt like it was fusing with the glass. Beside her, Alessandro stared at the monitor, his knuckles white as he gripped the suppressed pi
