Lyra's POV
"This is absolutely ridiculous!"
The words tore out of me before I could stop them, sharp and loud in the quiet room. The paper in my hand crinkled as my grip tightened, anger crawling up my spine like heat under my skin.
"You can always back out?" he smirked, voice light, almost teasing.
The expression on his face made something snap. A sudden rush surged through me again, violent and disorienting, like my blood had been replaced with electricity. The faint ringing returned in my ears, high and metallic, as if steel was crashing against steel somewhere inside my skull. I clenched my jaw, grounding myself before it spilled over.
He knew I couldn't back down. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Without his protection, I'd be nothing more than a convenient targe
