I stared at Julian's face, savoring his concern and protective rage. The healer had just left, and Julian was sitting beside me on the bed, his jaw clenched in anger. Everything was going according to plan.
"I'll speak to her immediately," Julian growled, his fingers gently brushing my hairline near the fresh stitches. "This ends tonight."
I leaned into his touch, allowing myself to appear fragile. "No, Julian. Maybe we should just let it go. I don't want to make things worse."
"Let it go?" Julian's eyes flashed dangerously. "She attacked you, Natalie. Drew blood. No one hurts someone under my protection."
I fought to keep the smile from my lips. Under his protection. That's exactly where I needed to be.
"She was at Rose's grave," I whispered, injecting a tremor into my voice. "I only went to pay my respects, bring fresh flowers. Then she appeared, screaming about me defiling her daughter's resting place."
Julian tensed beside me. "What happened next?"
