rough the concrete walls of the cell, sinking directly into Haley's bones. Her thin white s

She stood on her tiptoes, the rough cement scraping the skin off her toes, resting her chin on the cold, rusted i

ing siren shattered the

ed on simultaneously. The sudden, blinding white light flooded

lare. Her heart leaped into her throat, ha

e night air. Haley opened her eyes. A group of armed guards ma

r immediately. It was Lily Evans, a backpacker fro

bruises and deep, bleeding scratches. She was sobbing hysterically, he

vy boot and kicked Lily hard in the back of the kn

e cracking with pure terror. "I w

e a serrated knife. Haley bit down hard on her lower lip, tas

thick cashmere shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She l

" Bea announced. Her voice carried over the clearing, loud enough for

hand and snap

the end of the leashes were four massive Canary Mastiffs. The dogs were pure muscle, their coats pitch black,

taut with a harsh, metallic clank. They let out dee

, continuous shriek of absolute, primal horror. She scrambled backward in the dirt, her hands clawing at

wanted to look away, to drop down from the window, but

hem," Bea

unclipped

across the dirt like black torpedoes

y the wet, heavy sound of tearing flesh. Lily's scre

shing across the glass lens of the nearest halogen floodlight.

opping away from the window. She hit the ceme

horror of the dogs' jaws snapping bone triggered a violent physical reje

nothing but bitter, burning stomach acid. Tears streamed d

y sounds left were the low growls of the do

on tunneled into blackness. Her exhausted, traumatized brain simply refused to process another second of the mass

there were no tears left. But as the freezing temperature gnawed at her skin and the hunger hollowed her out, a different sensation began to rise from the absolute bottom of her despair. It was slow and agonizing, born from the sheer physiological demand to keep breathi

e closed her eyes. The image of Axel Sterling's cold, dead eyes filled her mind. He was a monste

She had to make herself i