Round 211

Halie moved between Silra and Jeane, her voice steady despite the terror coiling in her stomach. "Stop this now—both of you." She fixed her gaze on Silra first, then shifted to Jeane's wild eyes. "Silra, let go before you hurt her. And Jeane, fight it. You're stronger than this." She positioned herself slightly in front of Abby without looking at the girl she'd just failed so miserably—she couldn't face that yet—and continued, "We need to work together if we're going to survive this building's demands."

The very air seemed to pulse with lust, and Halie could feel her own body responding despite her best efforts. She gritted her teeth, focusing on the small silver cross around her neck as an anchor. "Hera, what can I do? How do we keep Jeane under control without Silra killing her?" Her eyes darted to the welder and metal fittings Hera had gathered—perhaps there was a way to restrain Jeane safely?

The building groaned again, louder this time, and Halie felt a fresh wave of panic. "We're running out of time. Forty minutes... we've already passed that estimate." She looked around at the others, her cleric's training warring with her own rising desire. "Someone tell me what to do. Please."