Chapter 12 - A Cornered Beast
In the flickering gloom, Genevieve didn't plead for mercy. True to her venomous nature, she lashed out. She slipped a tiny, single-shot derringer from inside her sable sleeve, leveling the barrel directly at Clara’s chest.
""If I lose everything,"" Genevieve shrieked, her voice stripping away every veneer of nobility, ""Marcus's spawn will not have it either!""
The gunshot shattered the subterranean silence with an explosive roar.
Clara flinched, instinctively raising her arms as the gunpowder flashed hot against the dark. But the impact never came. Julian had moved with blinding speed, throwing his broad frame in front of Clara, taking the brunt of the discharge.
Julian grunted, staggering backward into a wine rack as wooden splinters and shattered glass rained around them. Genevieve dropped the spent weapon, turning to flee toward the stone staircase in sheer panic.
""Julian!"" Clara screamed, catching him by his shoulders as his knees buckled. Her hands came away slick and hot with dark blood spreading across his white collar.
May you like
""I'm fine... go... stop her,"" Julian wheezed through gritted teeth, gripping Clara's forearm with desperate strength. ""Don't let her reach the river gates!""
Clara glanced between Julian’s bleeding shoulder and the fleeing silhouette of the woman who had orchestrated her family’s ruin. Rage, hot and unyielding, ignited in her chest. She grabbed a heavy iron bottle opener from the tasting table and bolted up the winding stairs.
