Chapter 274

Grace

The clock on my office wall mocked me with its glowing red digits – 3:14 am. It had been another night spent hunched over my laptop, fueled by coffee and determination. The pressure was relentless, the weight of getting the production numbers up was almost overwhelming.

A sudden, shrill shriek filled the air. My heart hammered against my ribs, a jolt of adrenaline shot through me. Fire? Security breach? Panic threatened to engulf me.

Just as I was about to grab my stuff and head for the door, a dark figure materialized from the shadows in the corner of the lab. A woman, clad in black leather armor that glinted faintly in the overhead lights, her face obscured by a dark hood. She moved with a silent grace that spoke of honed skill and deadly efficiency.

My breath hitched in my throat, a primal scream trapped behind my lips. The shrill of the alarm cut through my concentration like a rusty knife. Panic clawed at my throat, constricting my airways. My eyes darted around the lab, searching for a potential weapon, landing on a stapler on my desk – a pathetic excuse for a weapon, but it was all I had.

Just as I lunged for it, the figure took a cautious step forward, one hand raised in a placating gesture.

"Don't be afraid," a low, surprisingly gentle voice said. "I'm here to help."

"Who… who are you?" I stammered, my voice barely a whisper above the blaring alarm. "What's going on?"

The figure lowered their hood, revealing a face etched with experience and a pair of keen gray eyes that held a spark of kindness. It was a woman, but not one I recognized.

"My name is Neith," she said, her voice grave. "And I'm here on behalf of Charles. For your protection."

Charles' name sent a wave of relief washing over me, battling the tendrils of fear that still clung to me. I lowered the stapler.

"There's been a threat to the building," Elara said, her voice laced with urgency. "My job is to get you out of this building alive and to the safety point."

My mind raced. Part of me screamed "stranger danger," but the official-looking gear, the urgency in her voice, and the insistent blare of the alarm all argued for trusting her. Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

Just then, she frowned.

"This is Firebird to Sparrow," she said, turning her head. "Give me a status update."

A crackle of static followed, then a familiar voice, one I recognized from my interactions with the Enforcers, filled the air. "Sparrow to Firebird. The building is under attack. Evacuate Alpha Wolfe ASAP. Repeat, evacuate Alpha Wolfe with extreme prejudice."

My breath hitched. Evacuate me? With extreme prejudice? What did that even mean.

"On it."

She turned to the window. What?

The blaring alarm took on a new level of urgency as Neith threw open the window, the cool night air flooding the room.

"But... but we're on the top floor!" I stammered, my voice barely audible over the deafening wail.

Her hand shot up, silencing me. A small device clipped to her ear crackled to life.

"Firebird to Sparrow," she spoke, her voice tight. "Is there another exit for the evacuee?"

Static filled the air for a moment, then a voice laced with urgency crackled back. "Negative, Firebird. Building's on lockdown. There's a bomb. Sweep teams are already on their way to all floors, including the lab."

My breath hitched. A bomb? My mind reeled.

Elara's jaw clenched tight.

"They're on their way up," she muttered, her voice grim.

Suddenly, the frantic pounding of footsteps echoed from the hallway. I jumped back toward the window. Without a word, she grabbed me by the arm, her grip surprisingly strong. Through the haze of terror, I registered a soft blue shimmer enveloping the doorway – a magical barrier. Just as the pounding reached a crescendo and a loud crash resonated from the hallway, a flurry of bullets ripped through the air.

What about Amira? Was she okay? Had she already headed home? The bullets clanged harmlessly against the shimmering barrier, showering the room with sparks. Relief, short-lived as it was, washed over me. But it wouldn't hold for long. The barrier, under the relentless assault of bullets, began to crack and flicker.

Elara saw it too.

"Hold on tight!" she shouted. Before I could react, she scooped me up, her arms surprisingly strong for her slender build.

The sound of the barrier shattering completely was drowned out by my own scream as she propelled us both out of the open window.

The night air whipped past me, a chilling me and freezing my scream. Below, the ground rushed up to meet us, a terrifying kaleidoscope of asphalt and concrete. Through the blur, above us, I could see the figures of the attackers bursting through the barriered doorway, their faces contorted in rage.

Elara twisted mid-air, her movements impossibly graceful for someone falling from a building. Relief washed over me in a tidal wave, momentarily drowning out the terror. Neith hadn't jumped. We hadn't plummeted to a bone-shattering demise. Instead, a soft, cool breeze enveloped us, slowing our descent. Neith's eyes were closed, her body radiating a faint blue glow. We were… gliding? On the wind? The alleyway rushed upwards, blurring into a kaleidoscope of brick and grime. Below, the figures on the rooftop shrunk, disappearing from view. Then, just as abruptly, the descent stopped. The impact, when it came, was a gentle thud, like landing on a thick, springy mattress.

We landed in the alleyway.

"Are you alright?"

Tears welled up in my eyes, a mixture of terror and relief blurring my vision.

"I... I think so," I stammered, and looking up. "Y-You're a witch?"

"At your service." Neith scanned the alleyway, her eyes narrowed.

"We don't have much time," she muttered, her voice tense. "There are definitely more of them. We need to move."

As she spoke, a low growl echoed from the rooftop of the adjacent building. Two figures, clad in the same black garb as Neith, materialized in the moonlight, their eyes fixed on the window we'd just fallen from, a grim determination etched on their faces.

She gave them a curt nod, a silent exchange passing between them. Then, she led me through the alleyway and emerged into a covered garage that I didn't recognize. A group of figures, clad in the same black leather armor as Neith, stood guard around a sleek black motorcycle.

"What about everyone else?"

"If they're in the building, they're being evacuated," she said. "Hop on."

I climbed on behind her and she revved the engine.

"Hold on tight."

Before I could stammer out a reply, the engine roared and we shot forward like a bullet, the garage flew away. The others shifted and took after us. Some of them disappeared into the shadows.

We weaved through the labyrinthine alleyways of Wolfe Medical's compound, the wind whipping through my hair. My grip tightened on Neith, making sure I stayed on the bike. Through the roar of the engine, I could still hear the faint wail of sirens growing louder in the distance. I turned back to look up at the main building. There were flashes of light on the upper floors and the alarm was still going.

We broke out of the compound and took to the main street. The streets melted and suddenly, we were in the forest.

She slowed the bike at the edge of a clearing filled with Enforcer vehicles.

"Here's your stop."

I climbed off and walked into the clearing. Only then, did I fully register the chaos around me. Staff members milled about the clearing, their faces etched with terror. Amira wasn't among them, but my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Alpha Wolfe," Amira shrieked. "Tell me you're out of the building!"

"I am. Where are--"

"I went out to get coffee, then I was scooped up. They're driving me somewhere right now. Are you okay?"

"I am."

I turned. In the distance, the imposing silhouette of Wolfe Medical dominated the skyline. But something was wrong. A shimmering blue barrier, like a giant bubble, pulsed around the building, the whine of containment magic filling the air.

Fear, cold and sharp, clawed its way back into my chest. The bomb. The evacuation. It all clicked into place. They hadn't just wanted to get me out, they wanted to get everyone out.

Just as the barrier stabilized, a blinding flash tore across the night sky. The air itself seemed to crackle with energy. The roar of the explosion hit us a moment later, a physical force that sent us all reeling back with a wave of heat. Flames roared up through the top of the barrier.

The containment barrier, for a terrifying moment, pulsed erratically, its blue light flickering. But then, it held. The sound of the explosion, muffled but no less devastating, faded into a distant rumble.

I sank to my knees, the weight of the revelation crushing me. They'd tried to kill me, yes, but not just me. Everyone at Wolfe Medical. Innocent people. The lab and all the work we'd put in was all potentially gone.