Eryx was just a few steps away from the car when he saw the door swing open. Lunara rushed out, her eyes wide with horror.
"Eryx!" she cried.
He turned right away, just in time to see Valerie lunging at him with a knife gripped tightly in her hand.
In one swift move, Eryx caught her wrist midair, stopping the blade inches from his back.
His jaw clenched, fury surging. "Stay back, Lunara!" he shouted without taking his eyes off Valerie, his voice laced with urgency and command.
Lunara froze a few feet away, trembling, torn between fear and the impulse to run to him.
Eryx's grip tightened around Valerie's wrist, his knuckles turning white. With a forceful twist, the blade clattered to the ground, slipping from her grasp like it weighed nothing.
She gasped, wincing in pain, but Eryx didn't let go.
He kicked the knife further away with a sharp nudge of his foot, eyes never leaving hers. "You really thought you could end me with that?" he growled, his voice low and lethal.
