Adeline’s POV
“Hey, sweetheart, going somewhere in such a hurry?”
The voice came out of the shadows before I could take another breath. I froze, my steps faltering. Three men stepped into view, reeking of alcohol, their eyes shining with the wrong kind of hunger. Their boots dragged against the cobblestones as they closed in, circling me like predators that had finally found easy prey.
One whistles low, smirking. “Alone at this hour? Dangerous for a pretty thing like you.”
The biggest one slides behind me, his fingers grazing my hair. “Bet she smells sweet up close,” he mutters, his sour breath hot in my ear.
If I showed my strength, if word spread, everything I’d hidden would come crashing down. So I stood still, silent, my heartbeat steady even as fire burned in my chest.
My grip t
