Avalor stepped across the broken doorway, his energy pouring in to fill the room like a cold, suffocating shroud. His eyes locked on mine, and for that moment all else faded. I was locked in— immobile by the power of his gaze, the unspoken promise of what was to be.
I stood behind Richard, his chest moving with fast, deliberate breaths. "You don't belong here, Avalor," he said in a non-confrontational voice, but one full of warning.
Avalor's lips curled into a smile, but it wasn't friendly. It was predatory. "Protection?" he repeated in amusement, the word dripping with it. "You think you can protect her from me, human?"
Without a word, Avalor moved so fast he blurred. One instant, he was across the room, and the next, he had Richard pinned to the wall by his throat. Wood splintered as he let Richard go, and my mouth dropped open in a silent gasp.
