The forest was still, heavy with damp earth and the smell of pine. Only the ragged sound of Sasha's breathing filled the silence. He held Rin tighter, his heart hammering with his eyes flashing with raw desperation.
The enforcer stepped forward as his boots crunched over twigs. His broad frame looked monstrous in the moonlight, his patched eye gleaming with malice. At his side, his demon's smoky grin stretched impossibly wide.
"I'll give you one chance," the enforcer drawled, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Hand him over."
Sasha's grip on his twin daggers tightened until the leather handles dug into his palms. His lips peeled back in a half-snarl.
"Over my dead body."
"That can be arranged."
The enforcer unsheathed his blade in one smooth motion, the steel whispering in the night. A cold gleam caught the moonlight, promising blood.
