The moment they stepped out of the corridor and into the hotel's grand hall, the atmosphere shifted from normal to chaos in a heartbeat. Cries rose above the clatter of overturned chairs, and a chandelier trembled overhead as something massive scuttled across the marble floor.
Hugo's arm instinctively went across Lea's shoulders, guiding her behind him while his eyes scanned the scene. The wide atrium that had been filled with tourists an hour ago now looked like a battlefield—splintered tables, scattered luggage, and the blurred shapes of at least four more beasts pushing through the shattered glass doors. No one knew where they had come from. They weren't like the insect creatures from the island; these were heavier, with armored hides and clawed forelimbs, more like a cross between a horned wolf and a centipede.
"Stay close," Hugo said lowly. He didn't shout. His tone carried calm command, even as a hotel porter ran past them screaming.
