38 – Part 2
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Chapter 38 – Part 2
POV Gabriel
I stood in front of her, not knowing what to do.
I grabbed her shoulders.
Her body was tense to the extreme. Her nails scraped the wall behind her, leaving irregular marks. Her lips were turning blue.
"Breathe, Avery… breathe…"
As if she could.
"What the hell—?" Jackson muttered behind me.
He froze.
He could see.
He didn't understand, but he could see.
I felt it. That presence. That thing. Not a shape. Not a silhouette. A pressure. A will.
Something was refusing to let her breathe.
"LET HER GO."
My voice vibrated, deeper than I intended.
No reaction.
Her fingers began to tremble. Her eyes rolled back.
No.
Not her.
I pressed my hand against her throat—or rather, where the force was acting—and felt resistance. Like pushing against a wall of icy water.
It was fighting back.
Jackson finally stepped closer, panicked.
"What the—"
"Back off!" I shouted.
He hesitated. Then he stepped back.
I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. The energy surged through me like a frozen shock. Images. Brief. Intruding into my mind.
"You won't get her."
The air vibrated violently.
Then—
As if something had let go.
Avery collapsed against me, gasping for air in broken ragged breaths. Her weight sent me falling backward, and I caught her just in time.
She was trembling. All over.
I held her close as she fought for air, her fingers clutching my jacket as if I were the only solid thing in the world.
The hallway had returned to normal.
Too normal.
Jackson hadn't moved. His face had lost all color.
He stared at the wall.
The marks.
At Avery's throat height.
Not human.
"That was… what?" he whispered.
I didn't answer.
Because I knew.
And it was worse than he imagined.
This time I was certain. The threat had returned stronger than before.
And it had managed to find her once again.
I lowered my eyes to Avery.
She was clinging to me like a frightened child, breathing loudly.
Each gasp seemed like it could be her last.
Panic was clear in her eyes.
Her nails dug deeper into my jacket.
I ran my hand over her face, brushing away the strands that had fallen over her, with the gentlest gesture possible to calm her.
"Come on, calm down. It's okay now," I whispered to her.
The tears she had tried to hold back poured down her face, and she hid in my arms as if seeking protection.
Jackson stood behind us, unable to move. I felt the helplessness in his gaze.
"We need to go," I finally said.
He came back to himself.
"And where?" he asked.
"I don't think it's appropriate to tell you," I replied.
"I still don't trust you," he said, staring me straight in the eyes.
"But I have the intuition that you can help her. Despite everything, I want to be sure she'll be okay…"
"And she will be," I cut him off.
He knew very well I wouldn't tell him where we were going. He hesitated for a moment, then slightly lowered his guard.
"Okay… but first I want a little guarantee…"
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POV Outside
Meanwhile, several hours from where these events had unfolded, someone woke up with a start.
Panting.
Their hand went to their neck, marked by unbearable pain and the signs of strangulation.
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