For one frozen second, nobody in the hall moved. Then Elder Grayson's voice cut through the silence like a whip crack.
"Defensive positions. Now."
Chaos erupted instantly. Chairs scraped back from the long table as elders rose, shedding their careful composure in favor of something harder, sharper, more animal. Several of them were already shrugging out of jackets, moving toward the tall windows with a speed that made Lily's stomach lurch, and she realized with dawning horror that they weren't panicking, they were preparing to fight.
"Lily." Ethan's hand closed around her arm, pulling her back from the window and away from the center of the room. "Stay behind me. Whatever happens, don't run outside."
"What's happening? Who are they?"
"Rogues," he said tightly, eyes fixed on the shifti
