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Chapter 43 — Part 2
POV Gabriel
Lauren didn't wait for a discussion.
She took the lead.
I kept Avery close to me. She felt light—too light—like a rag doll. Her fingers clung to my jacket with the same urgency as in the hallway.
Don't let go.
Don't fall back.
I could feel her heart pounding through my arm.
Daniel cleared the way for us. Will shut the door behind us.
It slammed.
The sound echoed like an illusion of safety.
Only an illusion.
Because the moment we crossed the threshold, I felt it again.
Not a presence.
Not an attack.
But a trace.
Like the smell in the air after a storm.
It had been there.
It knew the way.
And it would come back.
Lauren guided Avery toward the couch, but the moment I tried to let her sit, her grip tightened.
No.
I understood.
So I stayed.
I knelt in front of her without letting go, so she could feel that I wasn't disappearing.
"You're home," I said.
Her breathing was still uneven, but she gave a faint nod.
Behind me, I could hear Will pacing.
Daniel was muttering something I didn't even try to catch.
Lauren, though, was watching me.
And in her eyes, there was a question no one else could ask.
Can I protect her?
I held her gaze.
Trying to reassure her.
Her jaw trembled for a second.
Then she nodded.
She knew what that meant.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Avery was still shaking.
Then suddenly, her breath caught.
Her body went rigid.
"Avery?"
Her fingers dug sharply into my arm.
Her gaze fixed behind me.
Not on someone.
On something I couldn't see.
Damn it.
I turned immediately.
There was nothing.
Just the glass doors.
The lake.
The wind in the trees.
But the feeling shifted.
Like something had just laid its eyes on us.
From very far away.
A warning.
Not now.
But soon.
I turned back to her immediately.
"Look at me, Avery. Not there. Me."
Her pupils dilated.
As if the room was fading away.
As if what she saw was more real than I was.
Very bad.
I cupped her face gently but firmly.
"Avery. Stay here. With me."
Her breath trembled.
Her eyes kept trying to drift aside, pulled despite herself.
"No…" she whispered. "No… no…"
Behind me, Daniel blurted out,
"What the hell is wrong with her?!"
I didn't answer.
Because he was the only one who didn't understand.
And maybe that was better.
The pressure in the air rose another notch.
Avery's body started convulsing, as if an invisible current was running through her.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Lauren stepped toward us.
There was no panic left in her eyes.
Only a decision.
"Lay her down."
An order.
If I lost her now…
if her mind slipped back there…
we might not bring her back.
"Lay her down!" Lauren repeated.
So I did the only thing I could.
I listened.
I lowered Avery to the floor and held her shoulders the way Lauren instructed.
She had already opened a bag I hadn't even noticed.
A syringe.
A vial.
Her movements were quick. Precise. Practiced.
That detail sent a chill through me.
The next second, she drove the needle into Avery's chest.
Sharp. Clean.
Daniel cursed.
Will froze.
So did I.
"Stay with me," Lauren whispered.
"Do you hear me? You're not going anywhere."
Avery's fingers clenched.
Her breathing faltered.
Then—
she blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Lauren was already supporting her head, leaning over her.
Avery's breathing steadied.
She was back.
For now.
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