BANG!! BANG!!
"Alaric… no!"
The moment the blood appeared, her breath hitched violently, her eyes widening in shock as if something inside her froze.
But Alaric didn't stop. He didn't even hesitate. He kept coming at them.
The man tried to fire again, pulling the trigger in haste… but the gun clicked empty, the sound cutting sharply through the moment. For a fraction of a second, everything stilled.
Alaric's lips curved into something dangerous, something unhinged.
"Bad luck guys," he muttered under his breath.
His fist connected with brutal force, sending one of the men staggering back before he could recover. The second didn't even have time to react before Alaric drove into him, forcing him off Elena completely.
He grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, the impact echoing down the corridor, every movement fueled by adrenaline, pain and something far more violent beneath the surface.
He was already injured, already bleeding and yet he didn't stop.
