EMMA
At that exact moment, I lunged sideways, sending bottles and brushes crashing to the floor in a deafening clatter. But I wasn't fast enough.
A sharp sting tore through my arm, and I gasped, staring down at the gash that had been carved into my skin. A loud scream escaped my lips, more from shock than pain.
I had genuinely thought Vera was bluffing. I never imagined she'd actually slash me.
"Vera—" I started, voice trembling.
Her expression twisted with fury, and she lunged again. I turned on instinct, scrambling toward the other side of the room just as the door burst open with a thunderous slam that rattled the paintings on the walls.
The dagger clattered to the floor.
And there he was—Xander—filling the doorway, chest heaving, his wild gaze darting from Vera to me.
"What the hell is going on in here—?"
He didn't finish the sentence. His eyes landed on my bleeding arm, and his face shifted from confusion to alarm.
