Rylan’s POV

With that command roaring from my lips, we sprang into action. I led the charge, muscles coiling as I surged forward, driven by an intense need to protect Eliza. My heart raced wildly, pounding a mantra of urgency as I darted from the shelter of the bushes towards the stranger and Eliza.

"Eliza!" I shouted, my voice slicing through the tension like a knife.

She turned, eyes wide in surprise, but a fleeting moment of shock fell across her features before the cloaked figure moved closer to her, positioning herself as a barrier.

"Stay back!" the woman hissed, her voice like cold steel against my resolve.

I skidded...