LUCAS'S POV
My breath was shallow, controlled, as I stood just inside the doorway, my presence casting a long shadow over the space. The sight of Cloris—her tall, willowy figure silhouetted against the pale glow—sent a surge of anger through me, and my jaw tightened, the hatred I bore for her palpable in every line of my face.
"You’ll not harm her, Cloris," I growled, my voice low but laced with a fierce determination. "Not while I still breathe."
Cloris turned slowly, her dark eyes glinting with a cold, cruel amusement. Her lips curled into a smile that never reached her eyes. "You think you can stop me?" she taunted, her voice as sharp and cutting as a blade. "After all these years, you still haven’t learned, Lucas. You are no match for me."
"I don’t need to be a match for you, Clori
