**Stefano’s POV**

The sound of the bullet hitting flesh was different from the sound of it hitting wood or glass. For a heartbeat, time froze. I looked at Elena, my soul screaming her name before my voice could find the air. My lungs felt as if they were filled with crushed glass. But as the shadows shifted, I realized she wasn't the one falling.

Lucia let out a high-pitched, gargling shriek. It was a sound of pure shock, the kind a person makes when they can't believe the world has turned on ...