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Several blocks from the Duchess, near the military base, Max kept his hand wrapped firmly around Dal’s as they pushed through the massive crowd gathered in the street.

There had to be thousands of people here. Hundreds were being arrested and loaded into squad cars, while countless others looted and vandalized. Vehicles and buildings were being set on fire. People ran for shelter, barricading themselves inside any safe space they could find. Alarms and sirens sliced apart the air with piercing screams as rioters smashed windows and stole anything they could carry. Many stood their ground against cops wearing riot gear, while others ran from the threat of being apprehended, barking K-9 Familiars in pursuit. Silhouettes were chased down alleys, a few climbing fire escapes, while vampires shifted and fled from the scene on leathery wings.

Armed soldiers were stationed around the fenced perimeter of the military base, guns at the ready. Spells coated the base, the threat of incineration the only thing stopping these people from forcing their way through. Military personnel, cops, and MPU agents shouted into megaphones, warning people to get back, keep order, or risk getting shot or locked up.

Travis and Jewels came up behind Max, squeezing their way through droves of screaming and cursing vampires, wolves, veneficae, humans, and the odd hellseher. Even in large crowds like this, there were never many people like them—hellsehers. Their kind made up only a small percentage of the Terran demographic.

Behind Travis and Jewels came Aspen and Malakai, their eyes coal-black. Malakai’s power hummed in a dark glow around him as he craned his neck, peering over thousands of heads at the military equipment and armed soldiers in the fortified space.

“Fuck’s this all about?” Travis shouted. Jewels stood in front of him on her tiptoes, sheltered by Travis’s tall form as people moved all around them, jostling each other.

“I don’t know,” Max replied, scanning the crowds. “But these people are not happy.”

In front of him stood a witch, her back facing him. In her hands she held her cell phone, the camera recording. She was talking loudly for the mic, as if broadcasting the scene—putting the military on blast for trapping them all in here, by the sounds of it.

He tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey!” he shouted. “Hey—excuse me! HEY!” He had to tap her a few times and shout some more before she finally turned around, the rings around her pupils reflecting the light of a burning car across the street as she looked up at him. “Is your phone working?”

“What?”she yelled over the din, cupping a hand over her ear.

“Your phone!”He pointed at the device in her hands.“Is it working?”

“Service, you mean? No, that’s why we’re here—I’m recording so we have evidence! These bastards cut the service!” She stabbed her hand through the cold air, pointing to the military.

The blood drained from his face.

Fuck me.So it wasn’t just the pay phones, then.

“Why would they do that?” he asked her.

“They’re covering it up!” said the warlock beside her. “They’re trying to silence us and stop this shit from leaking to the public! What they’re doing is wrong—they should be letting us out! Bunch of bullshit.” He turned back around and resumed shouting profanities at the cops and military, spittle flying.

Max felt like he couldn’t breathe. This jacket was too warm, these people were too close, and they were trapped.

They were never going to make it out of here, were they? He was never going to see his family or his home again.

Dallas stared up at him, weary and bone-pale. Defeated—she looked utterly defeated. Aged. Exactly how Max felt.

Travis shouted, leaning in close to Max’s ear, “How are we supposed to get a hold of Darien now?”

They couldn’t. There was no way—not without service.

They were stuck. For real, this time.

And, for whatever reason, the government had made the decision to cut the telecommunications network. To cover up what was really happening here and feed the public some blatant lie.

Gunshots popped through the air. The crowd screamed and took cover. People ran, bowling others over in their mad dash to get away.

Something smacked into Max so hard, he went down. He crashed into the pavement, chin and palms ripping open.

CRACK.

The earth shook so violently, his brain rattled in his skull. The force pinned him to the pavement, people dropping all around him.

Deeper in the city, monsters screeched and roared as missiles struck their targets. Flashes of color and light from the artillery blitz licked across the curves and edges of the groaning massof shadow, the Void spreading like spilled ink. Like a great and terrible monster eclipsing the city with vast wings.

Ears ringing, head whirling, Max pushed himself onto his hands and knees, wincing as people stepped on his fingers as they ran by.

Dallas. Where the hell was Dallas?