Chapter 26 #2
Then I heard it—a faint, rhythmic clicking sound. It was subtle at first, almost drowned out by the sound of my own footsteps, but it grew louder as I approached a junction in the corridor. I froze, my heart skipping a beat. My hand moved to my side, pulling out the knife I’d strapped on.
How the hell had Sean and Caden missed that sound?
“Hello?” I called out softly, the shadows swallowing my voice.
Silence answered back. I tried again, my tone more urgent. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
The clicking continued, growing faster and more erratic, like the ticking of a bomb. My mind raced—if the Radicals were here, I had to be smart, and I had to be quick.
I edged closer to the sound, my breaths shallow and controlled. The passage split into several smaller passages, each one leading deeper into the maze of the shelter. The clicking was louder now, coming from right around the corner. I pressed myself against the wall, peering around the edge.
Which is when I saw it—a small, compact device attached to the wall, its metal surface gleaming in the dim light. Wires snaked out from it, disappearing into the structure. My stomach dropped as I realized what it was. Explosives. Good old human explosives. And by the sound of it, they were armed.
I had to get out. Now.
Just as I made the decision to bolt for the exit, the ground below me began to tremble, a deep, rumbling vibration reverberating through the tunnel.
The clicking was drowned out by the growing roar, like an earthquake building up to a catastrophic release.
Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, and I knew I had seconds, maybe less, before this entire place came down on top of me.
Panic surged, but I forced it down, my thoughts racing.
I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I sprinted back the way I’d come, the rumbling growing louder with each step.
The corridor began to crack and split, the sides shaking as if they were alive.
I pushed harder, my legs burning as I ran for the entrance, but the shaking intensified, throwing me off balance.
Portaling out would be safer but the exit was right ahead! I could make it without translating!
Just before I reached it, a massive jolt threw me to the ground. I hit the cold, hard floor, the impact knocking the wind out of me. The barriers groaned, and I knew the whole thing was seconds away from collapsing entirely.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up, my muscles screaming in protest. The door was within reach, but as I grabbed the handle, the passage behind me gave a final, shuddering convulsion.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, but the gloom swallowed the sound whole, like it had been waiting to devour me. Panic clawed up my throat, my breath coming in short, desperate bursts as the walls seemed to close in, pressing against my skin, crushing me.
Then—light. A blinding, searing flash that burned away the shadows, forcing me to slam my eyelids shut.
Before I could even process what was happening, a strong hand clamped around my arm and yanked me down with enough force to steal the air from my lungs.
My body hit the ground hard, my senses reeling—then Caden.
I barely had time to see his face, set in fierce determination, before he threw his entire body over mine.
A barrier shimmered to life around us, cocooning us in a desperate shield. The moment it snapped into place, an explosion tore through the building, sending debris slamming into the glowing orb.
I flinched at every impact, heart pounding against my ribs as jagged shards ricocheted around us. Caden held firm, his broad frame pressing me into the ground, absorbing the brunt of the storm. His muscles were taut, every inch of him locked in raw, unyielding effort.
I could feel his breath against my neck, quick and shallow, his heartbeat hammering through his chest, a frantic mirror of my own.
The bunker roared around us, groaning, crumbling, collapsing in on itself.
Dust and heat surrounded us, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the moment everything caved completely.
Then, right as I thought we wouldn’t make it, Caden let out a sharp exhale. A split second later, a portal ripped open beneath us.
The world lurched, chaos folding away into nothing. One moment, we were drowning in destruction—the next, we were spit out onto solid ground.
I hit the dirt, gasping, my lungs seizing as I sucked in open air. My body trembled, chest heaving, the raw adrenaline still running wild in my veins. Behind us, the structure continued to crumble, reduced to a cloud of dust and ruin.
Caden rolled onto his back, his body shuddering with exhaustion.
For a long second, neither of us spoke, only breathing, existing after coming so close to the edge.
Then he turned his head toward me, his face still etched with strain, but something else too—relief.
Concern. His breath was ragged, but his gaze trailed over me, like he needed to be sure I was really here.
The intensity of what had just happened sank in, and I found myself moving slightly into him, grateful for his rescue and overwhelmed by yet another near-death experience.
I could see the exhaustion in Caden’s features as he wiped the dirt from his face. “You okay?” he asked, his worry evident in his furrowed brow, and in the unexpected softness of his voice.
I nodded, trying to hide the tremble in my hands.
He rose to his feet, pulling me up with him. As he glanced around, he shifted back to his familiar, icy mask.
“You mind telling me why the fuck you didn’t portal out of there?” His voice was cold, detached—the flicker of kindness from moments ago already buried beneath irritation.
It was the perfect moment to reveal my translation was traceable within the Metasphere. Caden had saved my life because I hadn’t used it, but I was stubborn, a little ashamed of myself, and still hesitant to trust him, to tell him the truth. So, I remained silent.
“Couldn’t focus enough,” I mumbled, offering the vaguest excuse imaginable.
“You couldn’t focus enough to save your own life?” Caden’s disbelief was palpable. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing!” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “Not everyone is keeping secrets. I know this might be a surprise to you, but I’m actually telling the truth here.”
A lie—a massive lie.
“Fine,” he growled. “Next time, I’ll let you figure it out yourself. Maybe you’ll learn to focus a bit more when I’m not breathing down your neck.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I muttered, realizing with a jolt I hadn’t even thanked him for saving my life.
Dammit.
“How did you know to come find me?” I asked.
Caden rolled his neck, a subtle crack breaking the silence. “I didn’t. I came to get you to move out to the Human World. When I didn’t find you and heard the noise, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Figured you had to be stuck or some shit.”
His glare bore into me as I pulled oxygen into my lungs, struggling to suppress the emotions behind my carefully maintained mask of indifference.
“Anyway,” I said, my voice regaining its neutral tone, “I am grateful for you showing up in time and saving my ass. So, thank you.”
Caden’s expression shifted abruptly from anger to something almost charming, his entire demeanor changing in the blink of an eye. It was unsettling, like he could flip between personalities with the ease of a switch.
Until he said, “Of course, wouldn’t want those ovaries to go to waste.”
My jaw dropped in shock. I was about to punch him in the face when a green portal swirled open, and Sean stepped through. He blinked a few times as he took in the scene of chaos before him.
“The fuck happened here?” he asked, visually calculating the damage and the people still standing in its wake.
Caden shrugged. “Apparently, when Emma’s bored, she blows up stuff.”
I let out a sharp gasp. Sean arched a brow at Caden’s flippant delivery, but the amusement vanished from his face almost instantly, replaced by a more serious composure.
“We need to move,” Sean said with urgency. “Enya just nexed me. The Radicals are threatening Slava with the Amplifier and are demanding they retract their consensus.”
Caden’s posture stiffened for a second, before he gave a curt nod. Without wasting another moment, we jumped through Sean’s portal, back to Caerleon Manor.