Lucien's POV
Asriel charged, hands clamping around Malvrik before he could take another step. "You keep crossing the line, time and time again," Asriel growled, voice low and lethal. "I will not spare you this time."
"Wait—" Malvrik croaked, barely able to breathe.
I stepped forward, a cold smile curling my lips. This was too good. "He's mine," I said smoothly. "Remember, Asriel—I promised I'd deal with him."
Asriel's eyes flicked to me, dangerous and calculating. "And how do you intend to deal with him?" he asked.
I let the words hang, slow and deliberate. "We'll use him," I said. "Make him our scapegoat."
Asriel considered me, silence stretching taut. Malvrik's wide-eyed fear said it all, but I gave nothing away.
"Yes—a scapegoat," I said, as the plan set wheels in my mind.
We closed in, the orb pulsing like a heartbeat in my palm. The trail tugged us deeper into the dark until the cave yawed open before us—huge, black-mouthed, swallowing the moonlight.
