Lyra's POV
Pure terror crashed over me like a tidal wave, threatening to buckle my knees.
Benedict wanted to remain at the estate. He wanted to be here when everyone else attended the wedding ceremony. When the grounds would be nearly deserted. When Rowena would be at her most defenseless.
This was his moment. His calculated strike.
My fingers shook uncontrollably. I forced them into tight fists and fought to regulate my breathing. Struggled to maintain a composed expression. But the fear was strangling me. Consuming every rational thought. The panic screaming in my mind drowned out everything else.
I released the mental barrier and allowed every ounce of my emotion to surge through our connection.
I flooded Kaelen with the raw terror racing through my bloodstream. It was a desperate gamble. A frantic attempt to convey what I couldn't voice aloud. Not when Benedict stood there wearing that modest smile, masquerading as anything other than the serpent he truly was.
