The divorced military queen awakens novel

Chapter 402 Inferno Confrontation Chapter 402 Inferno Confrontation 30 +10 Free Coins A strangled scream ripped from Serena as the landing splintered beneath her heels . Instinct surged . She flailed for anything solid - banister , wall , even smoke itself - desperate to stop the plunge that yawned open in front of her . A heartbeat later , a hand punched through the haze and clamped around her wrist . The fall snapped to a halt so violently her shoulder burned , leaving her body dangling over the black void of the stairwell while sparks drifted around them like dying fireflies .

Serena threw back her head and laughed , the sound jagged as broken glass . " Hahaha ! Quinn , even if I want to kill you , you still have to keep me breathing . After all , only I carry the cure for your brother's precious Lena . " Quinn's face hardened . Serena spoke the ugly truth - only Serena could donate the stem cells that might pull Lena back from the edge . That meant , whatever Serena did , Quinn could not let her die . Serena's gaze locked on the ruby necklace glinting at Quinn's throat . Snarling , she leveled her pistol again . " But saving me won't change a thing .

You must die tonight ." At this distance , she was confident she wouldn't miss . Even if Quinn let go , Serena would tumble only one flight - enough bruises to scream about , yet not enough to end her life . All Serena needed was for Quinn to drop dead , so she could rip that ruby necklace from the woman's neck . The trigger never clicked . Quinn whipped a boot upward , catching the pistol's barrel and sending the weapon clattering into the darkness below . " You ... " Serena choked , fury draining the color from her face . " You talk too much ," Quinn said , voice as cold as steel .

" Killing me ? You don't have what it takes . " She braced to haul Serena over the rail and knock her out cold . The world detonated . A roar of pressure slammed Quinn sideways , flinging her against a concrete wall hard enough to rattle her bones . The blast sheared the banister in two , Serena's body shot clear of the stairs , left hanging over open air while Quinn's hand - bloodied but unbroken - clung to her wrist . They were three stories above the lobby floor .

If Serena missed the second - floor landing and crashed all the way to the first , her neck would 1/3 18:00 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 402 Inferno Confrontation likely snap on impact . 30 +10 Free Coins If Quinn hadn't grasped Serena's hand even after the blast , Serena would've plunged to her death . Panic shredded Serena's earlier bravado . " Pull me up , Quinn ! You have to pull me up . If I die , Lena dies , and your brother will never forgive himself ! " Quinn's lungs screamed from heat and smoke . Every inch of skin felt scorched , and her breath came sharp and shallow .

A fresh spike of agony knifed through her calf . The collision had likely cracked the bone . If she let go now , she could still limp to safety before the fire swallowed the stairwell . But if she released Serena , the woman would plunge to her death . If Serena dies , Lena loses her only matched donor . Rowan will carry that guilt forever . Hold on a little longer , Quinn . This is Whitethorn Group's gala . He knows I was in the lounge when the fire broke out . He'll push the firefighters to reach me first . Do I risk everything on that ?

Bet my life - and Serena's - on Julius moving fast enough ? Quinn's fingers still clamped around Serena's slick , trembling hand , yet she felt her own strength bleeding away with every ragged breath . The choking smoke pressed against her lungs , and the din of distant flames sounded like a war drum pounding in her ears . " Quinn , you can't leave me here ! " Serena screamed , her voice raw with panic . " Weren't you a soldier ? Aren't soldiers supposed to heal the wounded , to give their lives so others can live ? " Quinn fixed her with a hard stare .

" And you expect me to sacrifice myself for someone who just tried to kill me ? You think you deserve that ? " Serena's face twisted , desperation and spite tangled together . " Don't you care if your brother suffers ? That girl Lena is his whole world . If I die , she dies too - your brother will break ! They were this close to marrying if she hadn't fallen ill ." The words struck Quinn like a backdraft . She had always believed Lena was merely Rowan's savior - never had she imagined feelings ran deeper than gratitude . " If you want to live , stop talking , " she said , voice clipped .

" I'll haul you up first , then we both get out . " " A - All right ! " Serena barked , bobbing her head so fast it looked detached from thought . Quinn drew one steadying breath , planted her good leg , and heaved . Muscle and willpower 18:00 Tue , Sep 16 .. 30 Chapter 402 Inferno Confrontation surged together as she dragged Serena over the jagged edge to relative safety . +10 Free Coins Serena sprawled on the scorched floorboards , coughing , eyes wild , the picture of someone yanked from the jaws of death by sheer luck .

Clutching a damp cloth against her mouth , Quinn sucked in smoky air . Her right calf throbbed where bone had snapped . " We move - now - before this place collapses . " 18:00 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 403 Falling Debris