“Syndicate?” I’m standing too. Coffee forgotten.
“Has to be.” She’s already moving toward the door. Lila right behind her.
I follow. Because what else am I going to do? Hide in the cafeteria?
The hallways are a zoo. Dragons in various states of shifting—some fully transformed, some caught between. Weapons being distributed. Defensive positions forming.
Viktor’s voice cuts through via overhead speakers. “All non-combat personnel to safe rooms. Combat teams to defensive positions. This is not a drill.”
“Mara.” Elena grabs my arm. “You need to get to safety.”
“Where’s K?”
“Probably at the command center with Viktor and Caleb. He’s—”
“I need to see him.”
“Mara, there’s no time—”
“I NEED to see him.” The words come out desperate. Raw. Because something has taken hold, and now that I feel it, I can’t let go. “Please, Lennie. If the Syndicate is attacking, if something happens… I need to tell him.”
“Tell him what?”
This is it. This is your heart speaking.
“That I want the bond. That I’m not running. That I—” My voice breaks. “That I choose him. And if we’re about to get attacked by supernatural terrorists, I need him to know that.”
Elena stares at me silently, assessing.
Then she nods. “Come on. But stay close.”
We run.
Through corridors. Up stairs. Past guards taking defensive positions. The facility is a hive of activity, everyone moving with purpose, following protocols that have probably been drilled a thousand times.
The command center is on the third floor. Reinforced doors. Security checkpoint.
The guard sees Elena and waves us through.
Inside is organized pandemonium. Screens showing perimeter feeds. Maps with tactical overlays. Viktor at the center, barking orders. Caleb beside him. Dorian coordinating with someone via headset.
And K.
Standing near the main display. Arms crossed. Face set in those ancient lines that mean he’s gone full Dragon King mode.
He sees me.
Everything stops.
Just for a moment. Just long enough for something to pass between us. Recognition. Relief. Fear.
Then he’s moving. Crossing the room in three strides.
“You should be in a safe room.”
“Yeah, well. I needed to tell you something.”
“Now is not—”
