The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 502

Chapter 502

Lilith’s POV

The smell hit her the moment she stepped through the door.

Smoke.

Lilith froze in the foyer and sniffed the air. That was definitely smoke that she smelled. The house was quiet except for a faint crackling sound coming from somewhere above. She looked up at the staircase. Gray smoke was seeping down from the second floor, pooling against the ceiling.

“Hello?” she called out. “Ella? Alexander?” There was no answer.

She moved toward the stairs, her hand already reaching for the banister. That was when she heard footsteps pounding above her. A moment later, Hunter appeared at the top of the landing, his face frantic.

“Get out!” he shouted.

“What-” Before Lilith could respond, he was running down the stairs. He slammed into her halfway, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around.

“We need to go,” he said. “Now.”

“What’s happening?” Lilith tried to pull away from him. “Where’s Lucien?”

“One of the fireplaces got out of control. The guest room–it’s completely ablaze. I tried to put it out, but it spread too fast.”

Lilith’s stomach dropped. “Where is Lucien?” she repeated.

“Still in the nursery. I couldn’t get to him. The hallway-”

She didn’t let him finish. She tore herself free from his grip and bolted up the stairs.

“Lilith, wait!”

She didn’t wait. She took the steps two at a time, her heart slamming against her ribs. The smoke was thicker up here, so thick she could barely see. She pressed her sleeve to her mouth and kept moving.

The nursery was at the end of the hall. All she had to do was get there. Get to Lucien. Get him out.

She was almost to the top when it happened. A loud crack echoed through the hall, like a gunshot going off. She looked up just in time to see a support beam breaking away from the ceiling. It fell toward the stairs, toward her, and she couldn’t move fast enough.

Something slammed into her from behind.

Hunter.

He tackled her backward, and they both tumbled down several steps. The beam crashed down where she’d been standing a second earlier, splintering the stairs and sending chunks of wood flying. Flames licked up through the gap it left behind.

“Are you insane?” Hunter shouted. He was still gripping her arm so hard his fingers were digging into her skin. ” You’ll get yourself killed!”

“I have to get to him!” Lilith struggled to her feet, coughing. The smoke was getting worse. “Let go of me!”

1/2

Chapter 502

+25 Bonus

“You can’t get up there. Look!”

She cursed under her breath. The stairs were destroyed, half of them collapsed into a burning pile of rubble. The flames were spreading across the walls now, eating through the wallpaper and wood. Even if she shifted and tried to jump the gap, she wouldn’t make it. The ceiling was starting to sag. Goddess, how did this fire spread so quickly? Was the house made of paper?

“We need to evacuate everyone else,” Hunter said. “The fire department is on the way.‘

Lilith wanted to argue. She wanted to shift and claw her way through the flames and broken wood. But Hunter was already dragging her back down the stairs, back toward the ground floor, and she was weakened from the torment she’d endured in Richard’s dungeon.

Staff members were running through the house now, some coughing, others shouting. Hunter moved through them quickly, directing them toward the exits. Lilith stood in the foyer, staring up at the smoke pouring down from above.

Lucien was up there. Alone. Trapped.

She could hear the fire department sirens now. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows. The front door burst open, and firefighters in heavy gear flooded inside, carrying hoses and equipment.

“Everyone out!” one of them barked. “Move, move, move!”

Hunter grabbed Lilith’s arm again and pulled her outside. She stumbled onto the lawn, her lungs burning. Around her, staff members were scattered across the grass, some sitting, some standing, all watching the house.

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