LILY
The voice that cut through the room did something strange to the air. It didn’t just interrupt Sophie—it claimed the space.
“Hands off her.”
I felt it before I fully understood it. A shift. Pressure. Like the room had tilted on its axis and settled around a single point behind me.
Alice pressed closer to my legs, her small fingers gripping the fabric of my skirt. I instinctively bent, pulling her against me, my body angling between her and the danger I could feel more than see.
Sophie’s hand froze midair.
Zane stiffened.
Neither of them turned right away.
I did.
Ace stood a few steps behind them, his posture relaxed in a way that was anything but. His expression was carved from something cold and unyielding, his gaze locked not on Sophie or Zane—but on Alice. As if assessing
