River wanted to go back to work, to help people and heal them. A lightness filled her soul as she washed the dirt away. A few weeks ago, she thought she would never be able to return to the hospital, but now, things were different.Shewas different. All because of Nikhail.
She would go back to Lakewater General Hospital, she decided as she turned off the tap. Hopefully, Nikhail would return to Lakewater with her. She felt as though she could tackle anything, with him by her side.
Drying her hands on a towel, River nudged the door open.
That’s when she noticed it. The shift in the air. The hum died in her throat, and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. Her body tensed.
Something had changed.
River glanced down the hallway, searching for the source of the shift. What was happening?
The bunker’s main door wasn’t visible from here, but the conversation that drifted towards her from the tunnel sounded normal. Calm, even. No trace of alarm.
Still, River was certain something was wrong. Her magic thrashed in her veins—a warning.
Though she wasn’t—and would never be—a soldier, River had been in enough dangerous situations to trust her instincts. Calling power to her hand was as easy as drawing her next breath. She formed an ice dagger, curling her fingers around it as the bathroom door slipped shut behind her.
River turned the corner from the bathroom to the main bunker, and her foot landed in something wet. Which was strange, since there hadn’t been a puddle here before.
At the same time, River’s gaze swept over the room. Her breath stuttered.
One moment, she was fine.
The next, a strangled scream was rising in her throat.
CHAPTER 33
Death Lurked Nearby
River’s scream came out as a strangled gasp as the reality of her situation slammed into her.
The puddle she’d stepped in wasn’t made of water at all. Crimson, bright and fresh and utterlywrong, painted the floors.
And the walls.
And the ceiling.
Sitting in the middle of the floor, discarded like a piece of trash, was Taliyah’s head. Her black eyes were wide with fear. Her mouth was frozen in a soundless, eternal scream.
The vampire’s head had been torn from her neck, as if she were made from paper. Her limbs had been ripped from her body, and they were scattered throughout the room.
The overkill had River’s stomach churning. Before she could be sick—before she could do anything at all—she noticed the chair in the middle of the room.
Sands save her, it was empty.
The rope that had been tied around the shifter was on the ground, shredded.
She opened her mouth and shouted for help. Or at least, she tried to.
Before a sound could escape, a hand clamped down on her mouth. Long claws protruded where fingernails should’ve been, and they dug into River’s cheek and throat.
Bear shifter, her mind reminded her.
At least now she knew how Taliyah had died.
Another arm banded around her middle. The shifter held her tight against him.
Oh, gods.