Aria's POV
The man didn’t answer. I reached him. He moved too fast. One moment he was standing still. The next, pain exploded across my ribs. His fist crashed into my side with terrifying force.
The impact hurled me across the pavement. I slammed into the ground hard enough to c***k the concrete beneath me. Air rushed from my lungs. I coughed violently.
Lydia howled. Aria!
I forced myself onto one knee. The hooded man was already walking toward me, calm and unhurried. Like I had never been a threat. Something about the way he moved felt painfully familiar.
Lydia suddenly inhaled sharply. Then she went completely silent.
Lydia?
There was no answer.
Lydia!
Her voice returned as a horrified whisper. That scent...
The man was close enough now that his scent wrapped around me. It was
