Clash of Magic and Strength

"You sense that?" Aiden's tone was strained, a snarl. His dark eyes scanned the room, his fingers flexing at his side.

Lawrence did not respond. He did not have to. The atmosphere crackled with an unnatural energy. It was like a knife slicing along his skin, a throb of fear along his spine.

Camilla was busy sweeping the floor, her knife tight in her grip. "It's not magic," she breathed. "It's something else. Something worse."

The hallway behind them was strangely ...