Page 167 of Muse: Trey Baker

Then they’re lifting him—his body limp, pale, blood streaked across his ribs. Onto a gurney. Out the door.

Moving too fast.

“Come on, Seraphina,” someone says beside me, a man’s voice—steady, urgent. “We need to get you out of here.”

I blink up at him, dizzy, the room tilting. He reaches for me, his gloved hand firm around mine, pulling me to my feet. My knees buckle, but he steadies me.

“Come on,” he says again, and I let him lead me—through the smoke, through the ruins of Gideon’s world.

Outside, flashing lights paint the night red and white. Medics rush Trey into an ambulance, Chace climbing in right after them. The doors slam shut. The siren wails.

“We’ll follow,” the man beside me says.

Klaus and Artemis appear out of the shadows, hackles raised, blood on their fur. They press close to my legs, trembling but alert. The man opens the boot of a black SUV.

“Tell them to get in, Seraphina. Hurry.”

I don’t think—just move. “Hopp,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Hopp.” They respond on the second command.

They leap up, obedient, the door slamming shut behind them.

My heart barely beats as I slide into the back seat. My hands are shaking too hard to wipe the blood from them. My mind races, looping the same prayer over and over.

Please, God. Please. Keep him safe.

The man rounds the car, gets in beside me.

“I’m sorry, little one.”

Something sharp stings my neck. I gasp, hand flying up to the spot. “No—”

My vision swims. The edges blur.

“My name’s Johnathon Baker,” he says quietly.

The words hit harder than the drug flooding my veins. I blink at him, horror dawning slow and heavy. His eyes catch the passing light—green, deep and endless.

The same green as Trey’s.

Like the heart of a forest after rain.

“Why?” My voice slurs, barely a breath.

He watches me fade, guilt flickering across his face. “Because he can’t protect you, Seraphina.” His voice drops lower. “And you’re carrying my grandchild.”

The world tilts.

My breath catches.

What?

My world shatters in one breath, the darkness sweeping up every ruined piece of me.

To be continued…