Chapter 162

Claire's POV The wail of sirens pierced through the fog in my mind like knives cutting through cotton. Everything felt distant and surreal, as if I was experiencing someone else's emergency rather than my own near-death experience. My throat felt like I'd swallowed broken glass, each breath a struggle against the smoke damage that had ravaged my respiratory system. I remember being lifted onto a stretcher, the paramedics' voices urgent but professional as they assessed the extent of smoke inhalation and checked my vital signs. The oxygen mask they placed over my face was pure relief, each breath of clean air helping to clear the toxic haze that had been slowly killing me in that basement tomb. But it was Theo's hand finding mine that truly anchored me to consciousness. His fingers interlaced with mine with desperate intensity, as if physical contact could somehow transfer his strength to my depleted system. Through the mating bond, I could feel his relief at finding me alive, his terro