"There!" she gasped. "Near the servants' wing!"
Without hesitation, two of the guards sprinted with her back toward the danger.
As they rounded the corner, a fight erupted.Steel clashed against steel.
The intruder was fast, too fast slicing down one guard before the others could close in.
But Liora didn't run.Not this time.
She seized a fallen dagger and flung it, the blade spinning through the air. It grazed the intruder's shoulder, buying the guards a precious second.
It was enough.
The attacker was subdued, bound, and dragged to the main hall.
Liora's hands shook. Her breath came ragged.
But her eyes were fierce.
She had defended Lucien's home.Their home.
Even if he would never know.
Lucien arrived just past midnight, the cloak of darkness clinging to his boots as he crossed the threshold of his estate.
Rowan met him first, face grave.
"Samuel's sending a full report, but there's something you need to see immediately."
