Back through the vault room.
Through the black glass doors.
Into the corridor where the frozen enforcer still lies motionless on the marble floor.
The crimson light pulses overhead, casting everything in sharp, aggressive shadows.
I can hear them now.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Fast.
Coming up the east stairwell.
Multiple sets.
At least four, maybe five.
"Cyprian—"
"I know."
He pulls me close, his frame blocking the corridor, his wings unfurling with a sharp, leathery snap.
They fill the space.
Completely.
The membrane stretches taut, the bone spurs extending, the gold veins running through the dark leather glowing bright and incandescent.
He looks down at me, his amber eyes blazing.
"Stay behind me," he says.
"Like hell."
"Tamsin—"
"We're doing this together. Remember?"
His jaw tightens.
But he doesn't argue.
He just shifts his stance, positioning himself so that his wings create a protective barrier around me, his massive body ready to absorb whatever's coming.
The footsteps get louder.
Closer.
And then they round the corner.
Four enforcers.
All massive.
