~Omniscient POV
The creature lunged before either of them could breathe. Its mouth tore open in a scream that didn’t sound like a human’s — too raw, too jagged. Claws glinted in the lamplight as it came for Ciela, fast and low, every muscle coiled for the kill.
Kendrix moved first.
His arm shot out, catching the thing mid-charge. The slap landed like a thunderclap. The half-monster flew sideways, crashed into the alley wall hard enough to leave a crater, and slumped into the rubble with a low, broken laugh.
“Stay behind me,” Kendrix said, voice calm but heavy. “I’ll handle this.”
The figure staggered upright, bones cracking into place. It grinned through split lips, eyes flickering between human brown and a ghostly white. “Help me,” it whispered — then the voice warped. “Kill you.”
T
