Nora's POV
"What does that mean?" Lena's voice trembles as she stares at me.
"It means he's hunting us. Hunting me. It means I have to return and face this fight."
"Nora, absolutely not!" James thunders down the staircase, his hands gripping my shoulders with desperate intensity. "You understand his power better than anyone, and we have no weapon against him. If you go back there, you're walking into your own execution."
"Let him try." I shake my head slowly, steel filling my voice. "I refuse to cower in hiding. I won't let him slaughter every single person I care about just to reach me."
"What's happening?" Lena's voice cracks with terror. "Who wants you dead?"
"Go home," I command her firmly. "I'll contact you later, assuming I survive this."
"You will not die," James states, his fingers digging deeper into my shoulders. "I refuse to lose you."
