What the hell was going on in that room that someone didn’t want us to see?
I called down to security. Ryan picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, it’s Rasmus. What’s happening in the Starlight Room on three?”
There was a beat of silence before he said, “Miss Glovefox went up there to talk to Miss Natalie. Is something wrong?”
Right as he spoke, the camera outside the door flickered to life.
Aniyah came barreling out, covered in blood, wings out, flying for the stairwell like death itself was nipping at her heels.
I hung up on Ryan mid-sentence and switched the view to the stairwell feed. My fingers were ice. My breath caught.
She was on the move. Fast. Something clenched in her grip.
I turned up the mic feed just in time to hear her panting, “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.”
Calix’s voice crackled on the other end. “What’s goin?—”
“Quickly. How do I work the ejector seat in my office, and how far does it fling?”
“What?” Calix stumbled. “Wait—what? Why?”
“I need you to go faster, Cal. I’ve gotthirty secondsleft.”
“Forwhat?” both of us shouted.
“The bomb in my hands. The one thatdestroys magic.”
I shot to my feet, tablet in hand as I clicked on the apps that pulled up the camera, not wanting to take my eyes off her for a second, and bolted for the stairs.
“Shit, okay—okay!” Calix fumbled. “There’s a red button under your chair, right side, opposite the seat adjuster. Covered by a clear plastic cap. Open it, press it, then jump out of the way or it’ll take you with it.”
Van was gonna kill him.He actually gave her a fucking ejector seat!
I tore around the corner, sprinting down the block and up the stairs, blowing past Randy as I ran through the employee entrance.
On the mic, Aniyah’s voice was steady but laced with sarcasm. “Thanks. If I die, just know it’s ‘cause you didn’t make the building immune to this kind of bomb. Love ya.”
I called Van, needing someone else to be on their way to her, too.
“Looking wasn’t enough, so now you’re calling to rub it in?” he snapped.
“Go to her office!” I barked, weaving through the hallway. “She has abomb, and she’s trying to launch it out the window.”
There was silence, then he roared, “What the fuck?!” I could hear the thud of his running—hell of a phone mic.Where did he get it?I was too terrified to laugh at my off-topic thought.
“Just GO!” I yelled and hung up.
I saw Lucus ahead with a fucking bouquet of roses in his hand. Really?
“What's going on?” he asked, eyebrows raised as I ran past him, gritting my teeth. The flowers were the same color as her eyes. Classy fucking move.
“Aniyah. Bomb. Office.” That was all I had breath for.
“Fuck.” He dropped the roses and vanished in a blur of vampire speed.
Lucus shoved the doors open, calling out for her, right as Aniyah rounded the corner.
