~Alora~

I twisted just as Selene thrust the blade toward my chest, the tip grazing my ribs instead of piercing my heart. Pain flared—hot, sharp—but I didn’t slow.

I slammed my palm into her wrist.

The blade clattered to the floor.

Selene screamed—not in fear, but in fury. “You should have *died* the night she did!”

I grabbed her hair and drove her head into the wall. Stone cracked.

She laughed anyway.

“You fight just like her,” Selene wheezed. “Always protecting. Always ...