Chapter 27

Gwendolyn’s POV

The darkness was total. It wasn't the absence of light; it was the presence of something heavy, ancient, and suffocating. The sound of the hydraulic pistons had stopped, replaced by a wet, rhythmic dripping that echoed off the curved stone walls.

"Donald? Adrien?" My voice sounded small, swallowed by the damp air.

A flashlight clicked on, the beam cutting through the dust. Adrien was standing five feet away, his gun held low, his face a mask of cold professionalism. "