Page 28 of Artificial Moon

The air feels too still, the silence unnatural, despite the faint hum of residual energy. Truth be told, the room feels like a trap waiting to be sprung. Meanwhile, my inner alarm, that ancient instinct I’ve learned never to ignore, goes berserk.

“Andrew, don’t—”

Too late.

When his fingers brush against the box, something above the roomclicks.

A mechanicalwhirfills the air, like the coiled tension of a spring snapping free. The hair on my arms rise as my vampire senses kick into overdrive. A panel in the ceiling slides open, and something small, roundish, and metallic drops toward us—a grenade.

Only instead of packed with shrapnel, this one, I know, is packed with silver shards.

I’m sure of it. I can sense it. My sixth sense has been all too aware of it.

I react on pure instinct. Before Andrew can even register the threat, I move. Time slows as my superhuman speed kicks in, the world around me blurring. I lunge forward, grabbing Andrew by the collar, my strength lifting him off his feet as I spin on my heel.

The grenade hits the floor with a loudclank.

I don’t wait for it to detonate.

I rush to the only exit as the air distorts around. I tap into all my abilities. The moment stretches, my entire being shifts through the fabric of space just as the explosion ignites behind us.

The blast sends a shockwave rippling out of the room, through the open door, and out into the tunnel—luckily, we’re already out of the room, around the corner, and safe in the tunnel beyond. The noise is deafening. I can feel the heat licking at my back. Silver particles slice through the air like razor blades. A second slower, and we’d have been torn apart, and there might not have been any putting me back together again. Not with silver at play.

Andrew gasps, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. “What. The hell. Was. That?”

I exhale sharply, rolling my shoulders and neck as I assess our surroundings. We’ve landed in a maintenance hallway, deep beneath the city of San Diego—a corridor that likely hasn’t been touched in years. The walls are coated in dust, the floor littered with forgotten debris. The only light comes from flickering overhead bulbs, casting eerie shadows that dance across the grimy concrete.

“A trap,” I mutter, brushing soot from my sleeve.

“Norm knew we would come back.” Andrew swipes a hand over his face, smearing sweat and grime across his cheek. “Can’t believe that asshole rigged his hideout with a silver freakin’ grenade.” His voice is incredulous, tinged with a mixture of fear and admiration. “Who the hell does that?”

“Someone who doesn’t want to be followed—and doesn’t care about consequences.”

“A psychopath.”

“Your words.” I narrow my eyes, scanning the hallway. No signs of movement. My inner alarm has settled back down. No immediate threats. But that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe. “He’s two or three steps ahead. He also knew I’d bring someone with me this time.”

Andrew lets out a sharp laugh, his breath still ragged. “You could’ve warned me sooner.”

“Idid.” I shoot him a look. “You just didn’t listen.”

He runs a hand through his hair, glancing back in the direction of the obliterated room. “Well, what now? That was our best shot at figuring out what he’s up to.”

I don’t answer immediately. My mind is already piecing things together. The silver shrapnel wasn’t meant tokillme—not outright. It was meant tocrippleme, slow me down. That means Norm isn’t just running—he’s covering his tracks.

Which means we may not have a lot of time...

I turn to Andrew, my expression grim. “What now, you ask? Now, we find another way to track him. Because whatever he’s planning? It’s gonna happen soon.”

Andrew exhales. “Great. Just great.”

I push off the wall, already moving. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before Norm’s next surprise shows up.”

Chapter Thirteen

It’s later that day. I’ve already teleported Andrew back to his office in Fullerton, and myself back to my home.

Knowing Norm knows where I live isn’t exactly comforting, so I grab the whole crew and teleport us to Kingsley’s.

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