~Seris
The words hung in the air like a death sentence, my stomach lurching so hard that bile sprang up my throat.
Sylus went utterly and terrifyingly still.
I watched his countenance shift, but it didn't give way to horror. The grief, the shock—all of it was locked away behind a wall of ice. His eyes hardened, his jaw setting. He became the Alpha in an instant.
"Secure all exits," he barked. "No one leaves the grounds. I want every guest accounted for and every guard on high alert." His words were low and clipped. "Sweep the perimeter. Find the shooter."
The guards scattered, but one hesitated. His eyes flicked to me, full of suspicion.
"Mistress Seris." His tone was carefully neutral, but his eyes narrowed. "Where were you during the attack?"
My throat tightened, the cloying, foreign scent still burning my lungs. "I was—"
Sylus stepped between us, blocking the guard's view of me entirely.
