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propels me forward as Scarface drops back like a coward, flashes me a sickening smile, and disappears. Luka falls to the ground. I punch and kick and strike. But there are too many. We’re going to lose. There’s no way we can win. No hope of victory. All I want now is to reach Luka one last time. Touch him one last time. I strike one of the guards with the heel of my palm. Sweep the legs of another.
    “Tess!” Gabe yells.
    Our attention collides and holds through the chaos. His lips pull into a thin, resolved line. And then he throws another shield, bright and blinding. Only he doesn’t throw it at our enemy. He throws it at me. It barrels forward like a rolling wave of billowing heat.
    I don’t have time to understand. I don’t have time to process. All I can do is brace for the impact. But no amount of bracing can prepare me for what happens next.
    The shield does not slam against me. It slams inside of me. Like an atomic bomb of explosive power, so hot and so big I will rupture into a million fragmented pieces if it remains. On instinct, my body convulses and I hurl the power out.
    There’s a brilliant flash of light. So piercing, so overwhelming, there’s nothing but white. It charges through the chamber with a sonic boom, engulfing everything in its path. And when it’s gone, so is the enemy. None remain. Cap and Sticks are no longer bound.
    I don’t wait around to see what will happen next.
    I sprint forward and dive at Luka’s crumpled body. I grab onto his neck and scream at everyone to startle.

Chapter Eight
    An Eternity
    I sit up straight in the chair. I don’t wait for anyone else to come to consciousness. I rip the probes off my chest and my temple. I fling open the door and tear down the hallway. I don’t stop until I reach the antechamber that leads to the boys’ corridor.
    There’s nothing but dark and silence.
    My heart booms great giant beats that throb against my eardrums. I have a whole new understanding of the phrase— frozen in fear . Because that’s me. I want to sprint ahead, and I want to sprint away. But I can’t do either. I can do nothing but stand with trembling knees, wondering why the hallway is still dark. Why isn’t Luka coming out of his room? Fear terrorizes me. So does Cap’s warning.
    There are bound to be ramifications.
    I can see it—the black mist oozing inside of him. Luka’s body snapping. Were we too late? Scarface thought he had me. So why wouldn’t he destroy him? The bait had served its purpose. My booming heart booms harder.
    And then …
    A latch clicks.
    The door to Luka’s room slowly opens. He steps into the hallway. Luka, his dark hair sticking up in every direction. Luka, awake. Luka, alive.
    His eyes meet mine.
    I stand there, unable to move. Unable to breathe.
    He takes a step toward me, then sets his hand against the wall, as if he needs the support. The invisible chains of fear holding me in place fall away. I run and throw myself into his arms. He lets out a soft oomph as I collide against his chest. His arms slide around my waist. Mine wrap around his neck. He’s okay. Luka’s okay. I hold on tight, repeating the two words over and over and over again. Luka’s okay. Luka’s okay. I can’t get over them. I will never get over them.
    “You could have been killed.” His lips are hot against my ear. A few days worth of scruff scratch against my skin. “If I were a better Keeper, I’d be livid.”
    My entire body thrums to life.
    His hands span the width of my ribcage, and in a moment of total relief and passion, he pushes me against the wall and crushes my lips with his. I’m pinned in the best possible way. I can’t get enough of him. I will never, ever be able to get enough of him.
    “I thought I lost you,” I murmur between kisses.
    “Only for awhile.”
    “It felt like an eternity.”
    Luka slides his fingers into my hair and presses his forehead against mine—his eyes as intense as the raging sea. He kisses me again, so