(...continued)
Selene hugged Kieran too tight.
But that embrace did not last long.
Behind them, the air shifted.
A low, feral snarl tore through the moment…too close…if not too sudden.
The beast attacked again.
Its presence slammed into the space behind Selene and Kieran like a wave…claws slicing through air, breath hot and vicious as it lunged for them from the back.
Selene did not scream.
She did not even turn fully.
She simply loosened her hold on Kieran just enough to move.
Her head tilted slightly, as if irritated.
And she snapped her fingers.
The sound was soft.
Almost delicate.
But the beast behind her, answered it.
Power rippled outward…silent, crushing, absolute.
The beast froze mid-motion.
Its roar cut off in its throat.
Then, like a puppet whose strings had been severed, it collapsed. Limbs went slack. Bones hit the ground with a dull, lifeless thud. Dust rose around its massive form as it lay there, unmoving, eyes dull, breath shallow but present.
