“Rafael, don’t —”
“Behind me.”
She steps back. I step forward.
They round the corner. Tactical vests. Holstered weapons. They see me—half-shifted, blood on my face—and their hands drop to their sidearms.
I hit them with a low-frequency pulse. Below hearing. Inner ear. Balance centers. Both stagger. One drops to a knee. The other gets his weapon half-drawn before his eyes roll and he goes down flat, sidearm clattering across tile.
I hit the wall, vision fogging. My knees buckle.
Sable’s hands catch my arm. “Rafael!”
“A moment. Just need a moment.” My heart is pounding.
“I’ve got you. Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
“Then walk.”
We step over the guards. Sable grabs the fallen sidearm, checks it, and tucks it in her waistband.
“You shouldn’t have to carry that.”
“Worry about yourself.” She takes my arm. “Next door.”
We reach it. Reinforced. Heavy. Deadbolt and electronic fail-safe.
“Can you do it?”
I put both hands against the steel. The power answers harder than before, too much at once. Pipes tremble overhead. Dust sifts from the ceiling. The deadbolt screams as metal grates against metal. The fail-safe overloads. I push through the backup before the secondary lock catches. The door bows. The bolt gives.
My arms shake. Nose bleeding freely. My wolf strengthens, and the shift threatens, spine curving, jaw pushing out.
“Sable.” Rough. “I can do one more. Maybe two.”
“One more. That’s it.” She pulls me through. “Stairwell. Two flights.”
We take the stairs. She goes fast. I go slower, one hand on the railing, the metal bending under my grip. Each step jars my ribs.
“Stay with me,” she says from two steps ahead. “Talk to me.”
“I’m here.”
“Keep talking.”
“What do you want me to say?” My breath is coming hard.
“Anything. Keep your voice going so I know you’re still you.”
I almost laugh. It comes out as a cough. “I’m still me.”
Ground level. The bottom door is unlocked. She pushes through.
We reach the loading bay. Concrete floor. High ceiling. Three vans in numbered bays. The air is laden with exhaust, motor oil, mountain cold leaking through door seals.
“Bay three,” she says.
