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  “How could I go back to my old life never knowing if you made it out?” Gavin asked, shaking his head. It wouldn’t have been right. Looking back, Gavin could see that this wasn’t even the first time she had put herself in danger, and she had done it for him.

  Gavin racked his brain, trying to filter through and explain emotions he had never experienced before. How could he let her know it wasn’t fair? “Don’t you know I feel the same way?”

  A smile swept across Stella’s features, wiping away the last traces of stress.

  “I’m glad I’m here,” Stella said, sliding closer to him. “After everything I did to get you home, I wouldn’t want to lose you at the oxygen factory. Whoever attacked you isn’t done. They’re going to try it again.”

  Gavin didn’t know what to say to that; he was too distracted by her presence. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, from the curve of her cheek to the swell of her mouth. She was beautiful, and Gavin found himself leaning toward her, without making the conscious decision to do so. His lips found hers, met hers with a gentle pressure that sent heat down his spine and cleared out every thought from his mind.

  “I think I love you,” Stella whispered when they broke apart. “I’ve never felt that before.” She sighed, resting her head down against his shoulder.

  Gavin held her close to him and quietly marveled at the warmth of her, at her very presence here in his arms. “Sorry for repeating myself,” Gavin replied when he finally got his thoughts collected, “but don’t you know I feel the same way?”

  He held her, watching their progress through the vast darkness of the ocean, until the moment when he could first see light piercing through the gloom. “Stella, look.”

  She picked up her head in time to see the dome jutting up from the ocean floor. The dome was sky blue, lit from within its bionic membrane. When Gavin peered into the depths, he saw forms silhouetted within—all the different organisms that lived there, from the elephants to the albatross to the caracals and all the other life forms his father and the other scientists managed to save.

  Stella watched, transfixed and wide-eyed the closer they got to the factory, as the sheer size of the place was revealed. The dome towered over them. What had started as a tiny underwater bunker had grown. First it had expanded with developments in technology; then, it grew with the world’s need for it. Now, it stood the size of a city, illuminating the ocean floor.

  As the submarine approached closer, Gavin could start to see all the biomes within the dome. From here, he could make out giraffes on the savannah, the binturongs and tigers of the forests, and the mixed herds of bison and cattle roaming through the prairie.

  As they continued forward, Gavin could see his colleagues out in their green lab coats as they scurried about, gathering samples from their test subjects; as they picked fruits from the trees; as they walked about the biomes, clipboards in hand, recording data. Now that he could actually see the faces of the people he had known every day of his life, the realization hit him. They had done it. They had actually done it. He was home.

  They slowed as the biomembrane recognized the submarine and folded around them, granting them access into the factory. Once inside, Gavin watched Stella’s expression as the water drained away. Stella’s hands trembled faintly. She bit her lip and folded her hands together. It was the first time he had seen her nervous.

  Gavin tried to look at the factory again from Stella’s perspective. He knew Stella was well adapted for her life out among the infected. Though it was dangerous, Stella knew every component necessary to survive. She was lethal, and respected for it. All that she knew about the factory had come from his own experiences; he had left the factory with a near-fatal injury, without knowing the cause.

  A small crowd gathered. Other scientists were running to their submarine, some still holding paperwork and test subjects. Among them, Gavin could see the tall profile of his father. Arthur Owings was not looking at him, but had his gaze locked on Stella.

  Wordlessly, Gavin took Stella’s hand and stood up with her. He paused with one hand on the doorframe and looked back at Stella. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you. I promise.”

  Stella pressed her palm tighter against his own, and the shadow of a smile lit up her face. “I know.”

  They walked into the factory together.

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  A paranormal 9-11 call. A secret society. What could go wrong? When 9-11 calls turn supernatural, dispatch turns to people like Mikhail. A member of a secret society called the Order, Mikhail has sworn to fight against the dark powers of magic. Trained and deadly, Mikhail must determine where his true enemies lie. Because when witches are involved, any mystery could be his last. Can Mikhail catch a murderer before the night turns fatal? Mikhail is the urban fantasy prequel to Magician Rising. Make sure to download your copy today!

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  About the Author

  Renée des Lauriers is the author of the Breathless series. Renée was raised by a folk-singer and an accountant to be analytically creative. From thirteen, she played guitar and sang on stage at coffee shops. She also oil painted and wrote poetry on odd paper scraps. Besides writing, Renée has worked as an emergency medical technician and a high school English teacher. Now she lives in California with her family. Visit Renée online at www.reneedeslauriers.com.

  Also by Renée des Lauriers

  MAGICIAN RISING

  Dark powers she can’t control. Deadly hunters tracking her down. Can she rip the target off her back before it turns fatal?

  * * *

  Jun Bear has lived with bad luck all her life. And when a professor threatens to give her a failing grade, the college senior sees her hopes for graduating in two months going down another ill-fated drain. But her fortunes plunge further when an unnatural earthquake shakes the campus and unleashes cold-blooded assassins after her head…

  * * *

  Unsure what’s happening, Jun finds herself facing a trained killer intent on exposing the wielder of the dangerous magic. And when she’s provoked into revealing her unexpected new abilities, she’s determined to prove her innocence before she’s permanently eliminated.

  * * *

  Can she win over an ally and survive a bloodthirsty secret society fixated on wiping her out?

  Copyright © 2021 by Renée des Lauriers

  First Edition 2014 - previously published as The Oxygen Factory by Sunbury Press

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Karri Klawiter

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  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.