(Kat’s POV)
The clearing settled into silence as the last body hit the ground.
Kat stood over the aftermath, her breathing steady, her attention sweeping the area one final time to confirm what she already knew. No movement, no stragglers, the rogues were finished. Her focus shifted to the wounded woman. She lay a few paces away, unmoving where she had fallen. Blood darkened the fabric at her side, the wound deep enough to matter, while something else—something less visible—lingered beneath the surface. Kat could see it in the slackness of her limbs, the unnatural stillness.
One of the Royal Guards with her moved quickly, intent on ending this woman as well, as if she was no different than the rogues he had just killed. His jaws reached for her throat, teeth grazing it before Kat acted.
