Chapter 58

Dimitri's POV

The air was thick with dust and the acrid scent of explosives. The explosion had been deafening, but now an eerie silence stretched between us and the collapsed entrance of the cave. Smoke billowed from the rubble, curling toward the dark sky like funeral pyres for the fallen.

I barely felt the sting of scrapes on my skin or the lingering burn of adrenaline in my veins. The only thing I could focus on was the woman in front of me—Zahra, shaking, breathless, eyes wide with disbelief.

She took a step forward before I caught her wrist, holding her back just as she lunged toward the destruction.

"No," she whispered, her voice trembling, raw. She tried to yank free from my grip, but I held her firm.

"Zahra, stop."

"They're in there!" Her voice cracked as she struggled harder, twisting against me, her fingers clawing at my hand. "Mira, Dominic—they're still in there! We have to—"