To the people in the Thornston receiving room, it all went by too fast, but they did not miss any details. It all happened in a way that felt both agonizingly slow and terrifyingly fast. One moment, Shelby stood, still, calm, hands resting on her belly, looking at the impending danger as if it were a casual flower-viewing day out.
And then Aliya lurched in a blur of claw and desperation, her half-shifted form hideous and jagged, eyes glowing with venomous intent. Her body cracked with motion, unnatural and vicious, as she sprang like a creature from a nightmare, Geneva, against her better judgement, screamed, and Alex gasped in horror.
Although they had heard and seen some of the supernatural phenomena, it was different to see this in still images and then in real life. Their mouths moved as their hearts thundered.
Their feet refused to obey, and they stood frozen.
