The hallway seemed to shrink around them, the polished floors reflecting every flicker of movement, every glint of steel, and every shadow stretched taut with tension. Helena’s mind raced, calculating distances, timing, and angles. She had been here before—against Lucian’s traps, his unpredictability—but this was different. This was the culmination of every lie, every manipulation, every carefully hidden secret.

Ares’ breathing was sharp, deliberate, controlled, a coiled tension ...