Chapter 40

• Belle***
• The warehouse still felt like a tomb, the air thick with dust and the echoes of retreating footsteps. My pulse thrummed in my ears, a constant reminder that we weren’t safe yet. Jake was slumped against me, his breathing ragged, but he was holding on. Barely.
• I tightened my grip around his waist and whispered, "We need to move. Now." His weight against me felt heavier with every step, as if I were carrying the very fear of losing him.