Chapter 123

• Rose's POV
• In a single, fluid motion Kavian lunged. His claws—long, pale slashes gleaming—reached for Damian’s throat, missing by the tiniest fraction. I saw the flash of horror cross Damian’s face; he had never looked so exposed, so suddenly mortal. For a heartbeat every muscle in me tensed, certain the strike would land.
• Kavian didn’t relent. He lashed out with the other hand as if fate itself intended the second blow to connect. The crowd around us held its collective breath—warriors frozen mid-step, horses snorting uneasily—when a man from Damian’s guard threw himself into the path of the claw. The impact was sickening; the man crumpled where he stood, life ending in a single, brutal instant. The rest of Damian’s men surged, shields raised and blades drawn, forming a moving wall between their leader and the carnage.