Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 151

Chapter 151

A shape shifted behind the leaves.

Tall.

Too tall.

Its outline warped as it moved, stretching unnaturally, as if the shadows themselves were trying to stand upright. The whispers spiked, overlapping into something almost gleeful.

Julian took a step forward. “Jace–wait-”

The shape lunged.

Jace fired.

Once.

The recoil jolted his arms.

The shadow jerked back–but didn’t fall.

Julian’s heart slammed into his ribs.

“Jace!” he shouted.

Jace fired a second time.

The shots detonated in the forest, the sound so loud it felt like it ripped the silence apart. Birds–or something like birds–burst from the canopy in a frenzy of wings.

The figure staggered mid–stride.

A choked sound–half gasp, half broken sob–tore through the clearing.

“Jace?”

A familiar voice made Jace go still.

“No,” he breathed.

The figure collapsed to her knees, clutching her side with a broken sound that punched the air from Jace’s lungs.

His gun lowered slowly.

His voice came out hoarse. Small.

“…Maddy?”

Her face was pale beneath the faint light, eyes wide with shock and pain.

Blood soaked through her fingers.

The forest fell silent.

Jace stared at her like the world had just split open beneath his feet,

Maddy coughed weakly, crimson bubbling at the corner of her mouth.

“I–I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I should’ve made myself known

Jace didn’t move.

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His gun trembled in his hand, arms locked, breath shallow and uneven as if he’d forgotten how to inhale properly. “Wh–what are you doing here?” he asked in a shaky breath.

Maddy’s lips quivered into something like a sad smile. “I was worried,” she said softly. “I had to follow. I had to make sure you were safe.”

Her knees buckled.

She pitched sideways with a weak cry, hitting the forest floor hard.

“Maddy!” Jace surged forward-

A strong hand clamped around his arm.

Julian yanked him back.

“Jace–stop,” Julian snapped.

“That’s not Maddy.”

The words landed like a slap.

Jace spun on him, eyes wild.

“What the hell are you talking about? Look at her!”

Julian didn’t let go–nor did he look away from the figure on the ground. His voice dropped, low and urgent.

“How did she make it all the way here on her own? Think about it–this doesn’t make sense.”

Jace hesitated.

On the ground, Maddy lifted her head. Her eyes found Jace’s.

She reached out a blood–slicked hand, fingers trembling.

“Jace…” Her voice cracked, thin and desperate. “I’m dying. Please. Just–hold me.”

Jace’s chest heaved. His eyes flicked between Julian and the bleeding figure.

His wolf stirred uneasily beneath his skin, hackles rising.

His grip tightened on nothing.

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…My wolf doesn’t recognize your scent,” he said plainly.

Maddy’s sob cut off mid–sound.

Her face stilled.

Then –she laughed.

A laugh not of this world.

It started soft and broken

then dropped into something too deep, too layered, vibrating through the ground like it came from a

cavern instead of a throat. The sound warped as it rose, echoing from multiple directions at once.

“Oh, clever,” it purred.

Its body convalsed

Bones cracked. loud, wet snaps. The spine arched violently as its limbs elongated, joints bending at impossible angles. Skin

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rippled, splitting along its arms and shoulders as something dark and stone–like forced its way through.

Its fingers stretched, nails blackening, fusing into talons long and curved like hooked blades. Its jaw unhinged with a sickening pop, teeth multiplying, sharpening, filling its mouth until there was no room for anything but hunger.

Its eyes bled out entirely–sinking into shadow–until only glowing slits remained, burning with a cold, voided light.

Its body looked carved from leather and fur, veins glowing faintly beneath the surface like dying embers. Runes–ancient and jagged–etched themselves across its chest and throat, pulsing as if alive.

The thing straightened to its full height, towering over them.

A sentinel.

Its head tilted slowly.

Studying.

Smiling.

Julian took several slow steps backward, never breaking eye contact with the thing standing where Maddy had been.

His hand closed tighter around Jace’s arm.

“Jace,” he said quietly.

Air scraped into Jace’s lungs. “Yeah.”

They stood frozen for one suspended second- two men staring at something they could only imagine in nightmares.

The sentinel’s talons flexed.

The forest seemed to lean in.

Julian didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t need to.

“Run.”

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