{VAL}
Valerius sighed theatrically. "Relax. We weren't really going to do anything to her."
A lie.
I could hear it in his tone—too smooth, too careless. His eyes betrayed him, glinting with amusement. They had every intention of breaking Iris. Toying with her. Testing her limits just to see how far she could be pushed.
"So," Valerius continued, spreading his arms slightly, "you can give us that she-wolf, Vladimir." His grin widened. "She's nothing important, right?"
The air around me shifted.
Darkness stirred beneath my skin.
I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his. "Say that again."
His smile faltered for half a second—just enough to notice.
"She's expendable," he tried again. "You get your precious human. We get our entertainment. Fair trade."
My jaw clenched.
They truly believed Iris meant nothing to me.
Fools.
"She is under my protection," I said quietly. "And anything under my protection is untouchable."
