The vault held its breath.
Eron rose from his chair, his smile brittle now, but still clinging to its edges. The green ward-flames trembled, as if they too knew what was about to happen.
Lucian stood right before him, space bending faint around his shoulders, eyes black and sharp as blades.
"You think you can speak to me like that?" Eron sneered, voice cracking with anger. His hands lifted, the wards in the stone walls flaring alive at his call. "I am the the head of the Thorne family. This is my house. You're just—"
Lucian's fist cracked across his jaw before the words finished.
The sound echoed like thunder, bouncing through the chamber. Eron staggered sideways, blood spilling from his lip, his head snapping toward the chains that bound Reia. The smug grin had shattered.
Lucian's voice was calm. "That's for Marius."
Eron spat red onto the stone floor, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You dare—"
