The door, already hanging from one hinge, exploded completely off its frame.
They erupted into the room. All three of them, still in their turnout gear, faces carved with murderous intent.
Percy came through first, and the easy charm I’d seen was gone. His hazel eyes swept the room. His whole face turned into an expression that belonged to a different kind of creature.
Solomon was behind him, silent and massive, those pale colorless eyes tracking from the destruction and back to me. His jaw went tight.
Lucian came last. He took one look at the room, at me standing there with shaking hands, and darkness moved behind his expression. He looked as if he wanted blood.
“Where?”
“Window.” My voice came out steadier than I expected. “He’s gone.”
Percy lunged toward the window, a sound building in his chest that didn’t belong in a human throat.
Lucian was faster. He moved past Percy, one leg already over the broken frame, glass crunching under his boot. The look on his face wasn’t anger. It was colder, promising violence in the most methodical way possible.
“Lucian.” Solomon’s voice cut through the room. “Stop.”
“He dared attack her-”
“I know. But look at her.”
Lucian’s head turned. His eyes found mine.
And that’s when my knees decided they were done holding me up.
I didn’t fall so much as crumple, sliding down the wall until I hit the floor, my whole body shaking in a way I couldn’t control. The adrenaline was crashing out of my system and taking everything else with it. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling. I felt cold and hot and sick all at once.
Pathetic.I survived and now I was falling apart.
Lucian pulled his leg back through the window. The murder in his expression didn’t disappear, but it toned down a bit.
“Percival.” Solomon’s voice was low. “Ease back. She doesn’t need our anger right now.”
Percy, who’d been vibrating with barely contained violence, physically forced himself to relax. He crossed the room and lowered himself to the floor a few feet away from me. Not crowding or touching. Just present.
“Hey.” His voice had gone soft. Nothing close to the growl from moments before. “You’re okay. You’re safe. He’s gone.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t make the shaking stop.
Lucian stood by the window, fists clenched, jaw tight. I could see what it cost him to stay still. To not chase and choose me over revenge.
Solomon crouched in front of me, those pale eyes steady.
“Breathe, Mira. Just breathe. You were brave, you fought him off.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway.
“You bought yourself time, called for help, and kept yourself alive until we arrived,” Percy added, studying me to the point that it made my skin prickle. “That was smart. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
I laughed, and it came out cracked around the edges. “Yeah, well. I’ve had practice.”
“You won’t need to practice anymore.” His voice was quiet, but the promise underneath it was louder than anything Hudson had said. “He won’t get near you again.”
I wanted to believe him.
Still shaking in that wrecked inn room, surrounded by three men I barely knew, it could have gone so much worse. I wanted to believe him more than I’d wanted anything in a long time.
