Chapter 28 · Price of Betrayal

"Get behind me. Now!"

Cain’s voice didn't just command—it vibrated through the floorboards, a low growl that hit me right in the chest.

He didn't wait for me to move. His hand clamped around my wrist, fingers digging into my skin with a possessive strength that nearly knocked the wind out of me. He yanked me backward just as the window exploded. Glass rained down around us, glittering like diamonds in the moonlight.

But the men stepping through the jagged frame weren't looking for jewelry. Black Sun assassins. Masked. Silent. Smelling of ozone and old blood.

"Let go!" I hissed, struggling against his grip. "I can fight—"

"You can die," Cain snapped. His eyes flashed a dangerous, molten gold. "Stay. Put."

He shoved me toward the heavy oak dresser, his body a wall between me and the first wave of blades. One assassin lunged, a curved dagger whistling through the air. Cain didn't even flinch. He caught the man’s wrist mid-strike.

*Snap.*

Bone broke like a dry twig. With a brutal twist, Cain slammed the assassin into the wall, cracking the plaster.

I backed away, my heart hammering. This wasn't the cold, calculated Regent I’d met months ago.