The blast hit like a thunderclap from hell, shaking the ground under Damien's boots as he burst through the side door with me limp in his arms.
I came to in fragments, my head pounding against his chest, the smell of smoke and blood thick in my throat. "Damien?" My voice cracked, barely a whisper at first.
"Hold on, Avery. Just hold the f**k on." His words came out sharp, breathless, his grip tightening around my back and knees like he thought I'd slip away if he loosened up even an inch. We were moving fast through the night, trees whipping past in blurry streaks. Behind us, another boom ripped through the air, and I felt the heat lick at our heels.
I tried lifting my head, but everything spun. "What... what happened? The lab. It was exploding. I remember lights. Alarms."
"Yeah, t
