The royal palace was no longer a home. It was a cage filled with smoke and screaming sirens.
Killian didn't wait for the guards to recover from the shock of the White Pulse. He moved fast, his arms locked around Faith's limp body. He held her against his chest, protecting her from the falling glass as they ran through the crumbling halls.
He could feel the poison moving. The black veins on Faith's neck were pulsing. Every beat of her heart seemed to drag more of that dark shadow toward her brain.
"Leo, the main gates are sealed!" Sarah panted. She was clutching a hard drive, her life's work, to her chest. Valerius will have every exit covered. We're trapped.
Leo wiped a streak of blood from his forehead. His "nice guy" mask was gone. He looked like a Prince ready for war. There's an old drainage tunnel under the West Wing. The guards think it's collapsed, but I know a way through.
Move, Killian commanded.
They rounded a corner, but stopped short. Five Royal Alphas blocked the path. These weren't just soldiers; they were the King's personal killers. Their eyes glowed a hungry amber.
"Nightshade," the lead Alpha growled. His muscles began to bulge as he started to shift. The King wants the girl. Drop her, and you might live.
Killian didn't shift. He didn't have time for a slow transformation. He tightened his grip on Faith with one arm and pulled a silver-plated handgun from his jacket.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
He didn't hesitate. He didn't talk. Three of the Alphas dropped before they could even finish their snarls. When the last two lunged, Killian met them with a brutal, bone-shattering kick that sent one flying through a window.
"I don't have time for you, fools, today," Killian whispered.
They reached the tunnels just as a second alarm began to blare. The air inside the drainage system was thick and smelled of damp earth.
Killian knelt in the shadows, gently adjusting Faith in his arms. Her skin felt like ice. "How long, Sarah? Tell me the truth."
Sarah checked Faith's eyes with a small light. Her hands were shaking. "This poison is erasing her, Killian. At this rate? We have maybe seventy-two hours before her spark is gone forever. We have to reach the Whispering Peaks before the third moonrise."
Then we don't stop, Killian said. He looked at Leo. "You're a Prince. If you follow us, you're a traitor. You'll lose your name."
Leo looked back at the palace, then at Faith. She was the first person who had ever treated him like a friend instead of a Prince. My father is a monster. I'd rather be a traitor than his puppet. Let's go.
As they stepped out of the tunnels on the edge of the city, the night sky was glowing.
Flashes of silver and gold were erupting from the slums in the distance. The "Dud Awakening" had begun. People who had been powerless their whole lives were suddenly finding their strength. The world was turning upside down, and the girl who had started it all was dying in the back of a stolen SUV.
Killian got into the driver's seat. He looked at the distant, snow-capped mountains. He reached over and took Faith's cold hand, squeezing it tight.
"You changed the world, Faith," he whispered as he slammed the car into gear. Now, I'm going to make sure you're around to see it.
The tires screeched as they sped away from the burning palace. They were leaving their old lives behind, heading into the dark heart of the wilderness to find a miracle.