Chapter 73: Chapter 73

The impact threw everyone sideways. Concrete cracked somewhere below. The entire stairwell shuddered violently as dust rained from the ceiling. Rowan slammed into the railing. Corvin caught her before she could fall, one arm wrapping around her waist as the building groaned around them. Another roar echoed upward. Closer this time. Much closer.

The woman's face had gone completely pale.

"They shouldn't be here."

Lucien looked toward the darkness below.

"No," he agreed quietly. "They shouldn't."

Rowan stared between them.

"Okay, that's officially the worst thing either of you could have said."

Nobody laughed. That terrified her more than the roar. Below them, the creatures that had been covering the walls descended in a frenzy of claws and wings. Their shrieks echoed through the stairwell as they disappeared into the darkness. A second later something hit them. Hard. The sound exploded upward. Stone shattered. Metal screamed. The creatures shrieked in pain.

Rowan felt her stomach drop. Whatever was down there was winning.

"What are they?" she demanded.

The woman didn't answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed below.

"Ancient."

"That is not an answer."

"No," Jess agreed. "It's more of a category."

The woman ignored them.

Lucien didn't.

"Older than vampires."

Silence followed. Even Corvin looked surprised. That was somehow worse.

Rowan looked at Lucien.

"Older than vampires?"

"Much."

The building trembled again. Something massive slammed into a lower floor. The impact traveled through steel and concrete like a shockwave. Rowan felt it in her bones. Then she felt something else. The whispering. It flooded into her mind without warning. Louder than before. Stronger. No longer distant. The city was awake. Not fully. But enough. Images flashed behind her eyes. Stone, water, darkness. A city buried beneath centuries of earth. Massive structures hidden beneath Houston. Hallways carved from black stone. Doors. Thousands of doors and something behind them. Waiting. Watching. Hungry. Rowan gasped. The images vanished.

Corvin immediately turned toward her.

"What happened?"

She shook her head.

"I saw it."

Lucien went still. The woman did too.

"Saw what?" Corvin asked.

"The city."

Nobody spoke. The silence was immediate. Dangerous.

Rowan swallowed.

"I saw the city underneath us."

Lucien's expression darkened.

"What exactly did you see?"

She hesitated. Because she wasn't entirely sure. The images already felt distant.

Like a dream fading after waking.

"There are doors."

The woman's eyes widened. For the first time since appearing, she looked genuinely alarmed.

"What doors?"

"I don't know."

The whispering intensified. Rowan pressed a hand against her temple.

"But they're important."

The woman exchanged a look with Lucien. A look Rowan absolutely hated. Because it meant they knew exactly what she was talking about.

Corvin noticed too.

"What aren't you telling us?"

Neither answered. Of course they didn't.

A frustrated sound escaped Rowan.

"Seriously?"

Another impact rocked the building. This one felt different. Closer. Much closer. Then came the sound. Footsteps. Heavy, slow and deliberate. The entire stairwell froze. The footsteps echoed from below. One. Then another. Each impact shook the structure. The creatures were no longer screaming. The fighting had stopped. Which somehow felt worse. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The footsteps continued. Steady. Patient. Coming toward them.

Jess slowly looked downward.

"Nope."

Nobody disagreed. Malric stepped slightly forward. Golden light flickered beneath his skin. The first hint of power Rowan had seen from him since arriving. The air immediately grew warmer.

The woman noticed.

"So you've finally stopped hiding."

Malric didn't look at her.

"I'm considering it."

"Good."

That surprised everyone. Including Malric.

The woman folded her arms.

"Because if that's who I think it is, you're going to need considerably more than sarcasm."

Jess looked horrified.

"Excuse me?"

The footsteps stopped. Every muscle in Rowan's body locked. The silence that followed felt impossibly heavy. Like the entire building was holding its breath. Then something appeared below. A silhouette, huge, humanoid, standing several floors beneath them. Watching. The darkness concealed most of it. But Rowan could tell one thing immediately. It was looking directly at her. Not Corvin. Not Lucien. Her. The whispering exploded.

Run.

The thought slammed into her mind.

Run.

Run.

Run.

Her knees nearly buckled.

Corvin caught her instantly.

"Rowan."

"It's looking at me."

Nobody questioned it. Nobody asked how she knew.Because they all knew.The thing below took a single step forward.The building shook.

Jess stared.

"That's not normal."

"Excellent observation," Rowan whispered.

The figure took another step. A faint glow appeared within the darkness. Not eyes. Symbols. Dozens of them. Ancient markings burned across its skin. Rowan recognized them immediately. Even though she had never seen them before. The city recognized them. Which somehow meant she did too. The realization terrified her. The figure stopped again. Then slowly tilted its head. Studying her. Like someone examining an artifact they thought had been lost. The woman cursed. The sound was soft. Ancient. And deeply concerned.

Lucien heard it.

"So it is."

The woman nodded once. For the first time since appearing, her confidence was gone. Completely gone.

"What is it?" Corvin demanded.

Neither answered. The figure below smiled. At least Rowan thought it was a smile. The darkness shifted strangely around its face. Then it spoke. One word. A single word that echoed through the stairwell. Through the city. Through Rowan's mind.

"Found."

The whispering vanished. Instantly. Every voice. Every feeling. Gone. The silence that followed felt wrong. Empty. Like something had been ripped away. Rowan's heart hammered. The figure took another step. And every instinct she possessed screamed the same thing.

Run.

The woman moved first. Faster than Rowan could follow.

She grabbed Rowan's arm.

"Move."

Corvin's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Take your hand off her."

"Not now."

The woman pulled Rowan toward the upper stairs.

"Move."

Lucien was already climbing.

Malric shoved Jess ahead of him.

"What is happening?"

"No idea."

"That's not comforting."

"It wasn't supposed to be."

Below them, the figure began climbing. Slowly. Patiently. Certain it would catch them. The sound of its footsteps echoed through the stairwell.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Each step sending vibrations through the building. The woman looked back once. Fear flashed across her face. Real fear. The kind Rowan hadn't thought someone like her could feel. And suddenly Rowan understood something. Whatever was climbing those stairs......even the ancient things were afraid of it. And it knew exactly who she was.