Lyra's POV
The time I spent alone with the three men felt like an eternity stretching before me. Vivienne's absence left a suffocating tension in the air that seemed to press against my chest with each breath.
Xander and Ash positioned themselves across from where I sat beside Alaric. Their stares burned into my skin like brands. Xander radiated pure fury, his jaw clenched so tightly I wondered if his teeth might crack. Ash appeared less volatile but somehow more devastating. Pain flickered across his features in waves, occasionally giving way to something that might have been understanding before morphing back into hurt.
I worried my bottom lip between my teeth until I tasted copper. The metallic flavor made my stomach churn. I kept glancing at Alaric, silently begging him to say something, anything, to break this unbearable silence. He parted his lips once as if to speak, then closed them again without uttering a word.
