Juliette’s POV
The intruder lunged forward just as I felt Dorian and Bryan crash into the room. Time stretched and contracted all at once. My heart slammed against my ribs, my Omega senses screaming every movement before it happened. The lair smelled of smoke, blood, and metal, the torchlight flickering across jagged stone walls. I could feel the heat of the intruder’s presence, the weight of his gaze, and my pulse spiked like a drum in my chest.
Dorian’s hand found mine instinctively, and I felt a grounding surge pass through me. “Juliette, stay behind me!” he shouted, but I couldn’t just hide. I wasn’t going to be caged again. My legs pumped, weaving through the obstacles, my senses pulling the tiniest cues from the intruder’s movement.
Bryan came up from the left, fury in his eyes, c
