Auren POV
Lorien threw herself against me, burying her face in my chest. Her heartbeat was frantic, her breath uneven and sharp. The way her body trembled against mine dragged my beast forward, and if she hadn’t been clutched in my arms, I would have shifted and reduced every last one of them to scraps on the floor.
Our guards closed in immediately. I released a feral snarl, a warning that vibrated through my bones, just as Riven pushed through the crowd from his spot near the stage.
“Whoa Lorien? What’s wrong?” he asked, ignoring me entirely. My arms locked tighter around her.
Olyssia moved closer, eyes narrowed, and our guards blocked off the Fae, forming a wall between us and the enemies I wasn’t allowed to kill.
“You need to back up. Right now,” I growled, voice barely human, “bef
