Ellie POV
Felicity didn’t rush me.
That was the worst part.
She stepped fully into the packhouse, rainwater streaming from her clothes, boots leaving dark prints across stone already slick with blood. Around her, the fighting continued—Silver Fang warriors locked in brutal close combat with rogues—but there was a subtle, instinctive clearing around her path.
Even the rogues knew better than to crowd her.
She lifted her chin slightly, eyes never leaving mine as she walked forward, unhurried, deliberate. Like she was savoring this. Like she’d imagined this moment so many times that nothing could rush it now.
I stayed where I was, at the top of the staircase, hands already raised.
The shield responded instantly.
Golden light flared into existence in front of me
