The word hung in the air like a blade.
Vex's expression didn't change—didn't flicker with anger or surprise or anything at all. She simply nodded, as if Julian's refusal had confirmed something she already suspected.
"Pity." Her hand dropped. "Kill them."
The Greenday fighters moved as one.
Emma exploded.
Fire roared from her in a controlled detonation, not wild but aimed—a expanding ring of flame that forced the nearest fighters to scatter or burn. Two weren't fast enough; their screams cut short as they fell.
Zoe didn't wait for commands. She lunged, her massive wolf form a blur of black fur and gleaming fangs. A fighter raised a weapon—too slow. Zoe's jaws closed on his arm, and the crack of bone was audible even over the chaos.
