Olivia stood behind him, back to the corner, holding a jagged shard of broken mirror in trembling fingers. One of the assassins smirked under his mask, stepping forward.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "We're not here to hurt you. Not too much."
Storm lunged again, fangs aimed for the throat—but he was slower now. The assassin ducked, twisted, and kicked the cub into the wall with a crunch.
Olivia screamed.
And then the wall exploded inward.
Adrian appeared in a burst of light and mist, his presence crashing into the room like a storm tide. He didn't speak. He didn't warn.
He simply moved.
The first assassin died before he realized what had happened. One moment he was turning toward the burst of energy, the next his head was tumbling from his shoulders. The second raised his blade, but it met a wave of condensed starlight—his body dissolved into ash.
The third tried to flee.
Adrian raised a hand, palm glowing. "You touched my sister."
