The iron gates of the Reed Fortress didn't groan when they opened; they hissed—a sound of heavy machinery slicing through the midnight silence of the estate. But as the battered black SUV skidded into the courtyard, the usual precision of the perimeter guards was replaced by a frantic, heavy tension.
I was standing in the foyer, my arms wrapped tightly around myself, staring at the door. Marcus stood beside me, his hand still white-knuckled around the handle of the fire axe he had used to save my life. We were both covered in the soot and grime of the nursery's near-death experience, but neither of us cared about the mess. We were waiting for the dead to return.
The SUV doors flew open before the vehicle had even come to a full stop.
"Medics! Get Doc C to the foyer! Now!" Julian's voice cracked through the night like a whip.
I didn't think. I didn't breathe. I ran.
