James placed his hand on Derek's head.
Derek went still beneath him, his swollen face frozen in terror.
James said one word.
"Corpse Explosion."
Nothing happened.
For one terrifying second, Derek waited for death.
Then the System notification appeared.
[INVALID TARGET] [TARGET IS NOT A CORPSE]
James stared at the message.
The words hit him harder than any punch Ronan had landed. Derek was alive. His mother was alive. He'd almost tried to detonate his own cousin while sitting on top of him.
The warehouse around him was full of dead awakeners, broken containers, smoke, blood, and destroyed wolves. Bodies scattered across the floor. Fire still burning in the corners. The smell of death and scorched metal thick in the air.
For the first time since entering Dock 7, the rage cracked and something else slipped in.
Horror.
Derek saw the hesitation. His voice came out broken and desperate.
