I woke up to thunder.
Actual thunder.
Which was weird because the weather forecast had promised clear skies for the next week.
Natalia stirred against my side, her hand tightening against my chest. The Cryo-Lich Ring pulsed once, responding to something I couldn't see.
Maki, still in cat form, lifted her head and hissed at the window.
"That's not weather," I said.
"No shit," Natalia muttered. She sat up, purple hair falling around her shoulders in a tangled mess. "That's an Aspect. High rank. Very high."
The thunder rolled again.
Closer this time.
My door burst open.
Braxton stood there in sweatpants and nothing else, his scarred torso on full display. He held his phone up.
"Get dressed. Now. VHC just issued a priority summons for you, Kuzmina, and Vance. Transport arrives in twenty."
"What happened?"
"Gate Break. Downtown. Three blocks from Central Station."
My stomach dropped.
"Rank?"
"They're saying C-Rank minimum. Possibly A."
