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The screams of the townspeople pierced through the chaos, but all I could focus on was Annika. Her eyes burned with defiance, and she gripped the dagger in her hand.

I hated the idea of pushing her away, hated myself for even suggesting it. But I had no choice.

“You have to hide,” I said, voice low but firm.

Her chin lifted, and fire flashed in her eyes. “No.”

“Annika—”

“I’m not leaving you!” She took a step closer, her free hand curling into my shirt. “You can’t ask me to just stand back and do nothing.”

My heart clenched, but I didn’t have time for tenderness. Not now. I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet my gaze.

“If they take you, it’s over,” I said, my voice hard. “Do you understand that? Aurelius will rise. Everything we’ve fought for, everything we’ve bled for, will be destroyed.”

Her lips parted, and for a second, I saw the fear flicker beneath her fury. She knew I was right, but she didn’t want to admit it. Neither did I.

“I won’t let them take you,” I said, softer this time. “But I can’t protect you and fight them at the same time. You’re the key to all of this, Annika. If you fall into their hands, we lose. Everyone loses.”

She swallowed hard, tears shining in her eyes, but she didn’t look away. “Promise me,” she whispered. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

I cupped her face, brushing my thumb over her cheek. “Always.”

Her breath hitched, but she nodded. “Okay.”

Relief warred with guilt as I let her go. “Kael!” I barked, and he was there in an instant. “Get her somewhere safe. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Kael nodded, but I didn’t miss the tightness in his jaw. He didn’t like it any more than I did.

Annika lingered a moment longer, her hand brushing mine before Kael pulled her away. I watched her disappear into the smoke, my chest tightening with every step she took.

I moved slowly, stealthily. I knew that I couldn’t take them head on. I had to be smart. I remembered Rowena’s words.

Keep your head. Don’t let your anger make you reckless.

I moved past lying bodies, past smoking houses. I took a few shifters out silently, without making any noise, but I knew better than to gloat. That was nothing. Just a drop in the sea.

That was when I found Callum pinned beneath the wreckage of a collapsed wall, blood streaked across his face and dirt caking his clothes. He was barely conscious, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths.

“Callum!” I dropped to my knees, shoving debris aside with raw desperation.

His eyelids fluttered. “Lucas?” His voice was a rasp, weak but alive. Relief surged through me, but I didn’t let it slow my hands.

“I’ve got you,” I said, prying away the last chunk of stone trapping his legs. He gritted his teeth, hissing in pain as I worked.

His leg was twisted unnaturally, and crimson seeped through a tear in his pants. Damn it. He wouldn’t be walking out of here on his own.

“Stay with me,” I ordered, hooking my arms under his shoulders and hauling him upright. He groaned, but he didn’t fight me. Good. He still had fight in him.

“Should’ve let me die,” he muttered, his voice half-lost against my shoulder.

“Not a chance.” I adjusted my grip and started dragging him toward cover. “You’re too stubborn for that anyway.”

We staggered through the rubble-strewn street, the sounds of fighting echoing all around us. My muscles burned, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

“Annika?” Callum croaked.

“She’s safe.” I didn’t know if that was true, but I needed him to believe it. Needed to believe it myself.