Chapter 205

ANDREA’S POV Panting, I shifted back, my body aching. Blood soaked my tattered clothes and skin, but I was still standing. The stench of smoke, blood, and something unnatural clung to the air. My ears rang with the phantom echoes of screams. All around us, the plaza was a mirror of hell: torn banners, shattered glass, overturned barriers, and bodies—too many of them. Some human. Some not. My hands trembled as I wiped gore from my eyes. A long gash throbbed along my thigh, sluggish blood seeping out. I didn't even feel the pain anymore—just the weight. Kade was by my side in the blink of an eye, crossing through the chaos to pull me against his chest. “You okay?” he asked, voice rough with concern. I didn’t answer immediately. I closed my eyes and inhaled, taking in his scent mixed in with the tainted blood of those…things. “Andrea.” He sounded like he was being strangled. “I need to hear you say you’re okay.” I nodded, pressing a close-lipped kiss to his bare chest. “I’m okay,” I whisp