Lila’s POV
My heart thunders so loud I can hear it in my ears, every beat sharp, uneven. Then, in a flash, a shout tears through the air.
“What are you doing, Claudia?” Aurelia’s voice cracks, stopping Claudia mid-motion, knife glinting in her hand. Shock ripples across Aurelia’s face. “This isn’t what we agreed on.”
Agreed? The word burns through me like fire licking raw skin. My mind stumbles over it—agreed about? My breath falters.
Aurelia lunges forward, snatching the knife from Claudia’s grip and flinging it hard against the wall. “What were you planning? Kill her? Come on, Claudia. I’m not a killer, and I won’t be here to partake in that.”
Claudia straightens, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. “I thought you wanted her gone? So why stop me now?”
“That I wanted her gone doesn’t m
