Page 216 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

I share a look with Jax before heading towards the emergency exit. Just as we reach it, another blast of dark smoke explodes towards us.

We duck but can’t stop the dark smoke from reaching us. We dig our feet into the ground and brace for impact.

The smoke feels cool as it brushes through us again, but just like last time, it doesn’t harm us.

Jax and I share a frown before shaking it off and push forward. Ripping the door off its hinges, we head inside, only to be met by complete darkness. The same dark smoke that’s outside covers every inch inside, making it hard to see anything.

I feel Jax beside me as we move forward, using our other senses to listen for anything, but it’s quiet. Too quiet.

I rub my chest. The bond feels stronger, but I can’t pinpoint it to one spot. It’s like it’s all over the building, making my dread grow.

The more we move in, the more the dark smoke begins to clear. Light slowly filters in, revealing long halls with rows of doors.

“Search every room. She has to be here somewhere,” I tell Jax, trying to make myself believe it.

Moving through the long halls reminds me of a hospital, but one from a horror movie, as the bloodied bodies come into view. There’s a shitload of them, with most ripped apart and in pieces.

If Kiarra is…

The sound of my heartbeat thrashing in my ears drowns out everything around me as terror takes over at the thought of something happening to Kiarra. I can’t give a fuck who these people are once I know she isn’t among them.

Jax’s face is white as he looks over them, searching for her.

“She’ll be fine,” he tells me, but nothing about the tone in his voice or the look of horror on his face eases the dread choking me.

“Where are the others? They should be here by now,” I ask Jax as we make our way through the bodies.

“We’re here.” Kai, Rion, and Axel come up behind us.

“We had a minor issue with the portal,” Axel grits out, looking pissed as hell until he sees the dead bodies. “What the fuck happened here?”

I swallow hard, the thought of Kiarra’s body lying among them flashing through my mind. “We don’t know.”

Axel rubs his chest. “Why can’t I feel where she is now that the spell is down? It’s almost like…”

“Like she’s everywhere,” I finish for him, still feeling the same.

“You don’t think—”

“No.” Kai sighs, his eyes pulsing as he tries to control his hounds. “Let’s split up and look for her. She has to be here somewhere.” He forces a calm tone, but we all feel the tension in the air, and a blanket of panic falls over us.

Jax and I keep moving forward while the others turn right and down another hall. The farther we go, the more this place feels like a damn maze.

“What the—” Jax moves around a large werewolf, or what looks like a mutant version of one. It’s deformed, with a missing arm.

“Let’s keep moving,” I tell him, not ready to even think about what that thing is.

Not yet.

More unnatural creatures show up the longer we search, making my dread increase.

Where are you, Kiarra?

Finding a staircase, we head down. Coming to the end of the corridor on the last hall, we find three rooms. Two have bars on them.

Heading toward them, we find the bars bent, revealing a room with a metal table and machine to the side.

King has me strapped down to a table.Kiarra’s words flash before me, making my blood boil.

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