For a heartbeat, the room went silent so silent I could hear my own pulse thudding in my ears.
Then A second crunch of gravel.
Closer.
Deliberate
Elias stepped forward, body angled toward the door as if he'd rehearsed this moment a thousand times.
"Rowan," he said quietly.
Rowan's entire posture changed no jokes, no warmth just sharp focus and a protective fire I'd never seen burn so fiercely. He shifted me behind him with a single, fluid movement.
Ethan braced the metal bar against his shoulder, eyes fixed on the window's lower edge waiting for the shadow he knew was coming.
I whispered, "Is there another exit?"
"There is," Elias said. "But he's blocking it."
My stomach knotted. "How do you know?"
Elias's eyes didn't leave the door.
"Because that's what I would do."
The words hit me harder than they should have.
Elias Hale was calm not out of confidence, but because he understood the mind of the man hunting me.
Rowan hissed a breath. "We should've moved sooner."
"No," Elias murmured. "He wanted you scared. He wanted you cornered. He thinks he has that now."
Ethan's grip tightened. "Does he?"
Elias turned slightly.
For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that scared me as much as it comforted me:
A cold, precise promise.
"No," he said softly. "He has no idea what he just walked into."
Another step outside.
Closer.
Right beside the wall.
I felt myself tremble and Rowan immediately slid his hand down to squeeze mine behind him.
"You're not facing him alone," Rowan whispered.
Ethan nodded at me. "You won't even get near the door. I swear it."
Elias lifted his hand.
"Quiet."
Everything froze.
A shadow passed the window.
Slow, deliberate…
Hunting.
Then
A voice Low,Smug.
Too close.
"Ava."
I flinched.
Rowan nearly lunged.
Ethan raised the metal bar.
But Elias… Elias stepped forward, shoulders relaxed, eyes colder than the night.
He spoke with a quiet steel that made my breath stop entirely.
"If you touch that door… you won't walk away."
The shadow on the other side paused.
The air thickened.
My heart hammered.
And then
A click.
Metal against metal.
He was trying the lock.
Rowan tensed. "Elias—"
"I know." Elias moved closer. "He wants to break the lock."
"He won't get that far," Ethan said under his breath.
Elias gave a single nod.
And then…
The handle turned.
Slowly.
Purposefully.
Every hair on my body rose.
Rowan whispered, "On my mark. Ethan, left. Elias—"
The handle jerked harder.
Something snapped.
He was forcing his way in.
And then A sudden bang on the door.
I gasped.
Ethan steadied himself.
Rowan growled under his breath.
Elias didn't flinch. "He's testing us."
Another bang.
Harder.
The door shook.
I felt panic claw up my throat. "He's going to break it"
"No," Elias said simply.
"He thinks he will."
The handle twisted violently.
One loud crack.
One more hit
And the entire house seemed to hold its breath.
Because whoever was outside…
Was no longer trying to scare us.
He was trying to come in.
Elias lowered his voice to a razor-thin line.
"Positions… now."
And everything exploded into motion.