Vera

The world went black for a breath.

Not death no. It was terror so sharp it seared the edges of my vision, a blackout born of panic, not finality. The gunshot still echoed in my ears like thunder. My heart stopped until I heard the sweetest sound in the universe, Vanessa's scream.

She was alive.

“Run!” Nicolas’s roar split through the storm, feral, desperate. His voice was the tether dragging me back from the darkness.

The scarred man jerked at my side, his aim faltering as the chaos ...