"Don't you dare," he hissed, voice low and trembling, though he fought to keep his expression defiant.
Second Aunt's smirk widened, enjoying every bit of his reaction. "Oh, you look so… beautiful when you're angry," she drawled, her voice almost taunting. "But I wonder—" she leaned in, her gaze narrowing, the cruelty etched into her expression palpable—"will that fire in your eyes still burn so brightly after I break you?"
He felt a surge of nausea twist in his stomach as she moved in, the reality of her intention bearing down on him, choking the air around him. But beneath that fear, there was something else—a cold, calculated resolve. He wasn't helpless.
