Page 6 of Jetmir

Gabriel’s voice reached me just as a deep, bone-rattling boom tore through the house.

The marble beneath my feet lurched.

For one impossible second, everything seemed to move at once. The windows bowed in their frames. The chandeliers swung wildly overhead, crystals clattering against one another as the fixtures arced back and forth. A sharp pressure punched through my ears.

Then the glass shattered.

I screamed and stumbled as the room tilted beneath me. My stomach dropped. Somewhere to my left, furniture scraped violently across the floor.

Thorne caught me before I fell.

His arms locked around me just as a second shockwave slammed into the foundation.

“Down!”

He drove us to the floor.

The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. Thorne twisted as he fell, covering me with his body. Something crashed against his back. Plaster rained down around us, peppering the marble. A jagged piece of debris struck the floor inches from my head.

I opened my mouth to scream.

Nothing.

My ears rang so loudly that the rest of the world seemed to disappear.

I couldn't hear the alarms. Couldn't hear Gabriel. Couldn't even hear Thorne breathing above me. Only that terrible, high-pitched ringing.

His arms tightened around me.

“Are you hurt?”

His voice seemed impossibly far away.

I swallowed and tried to answer, but my throat wouldn't cooperate.

“Anya.”

“I’m—” I coughed, dust scraping my throat. “I’m okay.”

For a moment, he just stared at me.

Relief flickered across his face before he pressed his forehead against mine.

Then the house exploded again.

The floor bucked beneath us.

Thorne grabbed my arm and hauled me upright. Dust churned through the air, turning everything beyond him into a gray blur.

“We have to move.”

“What about Gabriel?”

His eyes flicked around the foyer. Through the smoke and dust, I could barely make out my brother and Amara.

Gabriel was on top of her, shielding her with his body.

“Thorne—”