Someone fired right away, but the bullets either hit their own people or barely brushed past Thora's clothes. None landed. She was moving way too fast for normal logic—always sliding behind someone before the shot even finished, turning enemies into human shields. "Stop shooting! Switch to close combat!" someone shouted as the wolf spirit surged. Gray fur burst behind his ears, and claws split his palms. Before the transformation could finish, Thora drove her knee hard into his gut. She twisted with the momentum and delivered a precise kick to his lower back. The half-wolf didn't even get his footing before he flew straight over the rail—splashing loudly into the sea. Thora grabbed another man by the collar and asked flatly, "Where's Darius?" The man clearly didn't understand Astralis. He could only shake his head, shaking with fear. Clap, clap, clap— Applause echoed from above. Elliott leaned over the upper deck railing, watching with interest. "Sharp moves. Impressive combat skills." "Mr. Hawthorne!" All the armed men bowed at once. Thora tossed the man aside and locked eyes with Elliott, her stare sharp enough to cut. "Darius is with you." It wasn't a question. It sounded like a statement steeped in blood. "Darius is indeed my guest," Elliott admitted openly. With a flash of motion, Thora had a pistol in her hand. Before anyone could react, the barrel pressed against Elliott's temple. "Drop your weapon!" Gun slides snapped back all around them. In an instant, every muzzle pointed at Thora's head. She had been weaving through the crowd before, always covered. Now she stood alone, fully exposed. "Where is he?" She didn't even look at the guns. Her voice was ice-cold. Elliott studied her up and down, his tone complicated. "You're a warrior. But I don't like guns aimed at me." "Funny. I hate it too." Before the last word faded, she fired—but not at him. Her wrist snapped sideways, bullets spraying into the armed men nearby. Screams rang out as several of them dropped to the deck. The return fire exploded instantly. Thora rolled across the floor, moving so fast that she blurred. Bullets skimmed past her clothes, missing every time. Hearing the chaos outside, Darius' expression turned terrifyingly cold. A dark swirl formed in his eyes, growing deeper and deeper. Black energy crawled over his palms like dead vines. It was nothing like the healing ability he had shown Thora before. What filled his hands now was pure death. Lorcan shouted in his mind, panicked. "Stop! Darius! Don't use that power! If you do, he'll seize the chance to swallow your mind—" Darius smiled coldly. "Thora came for me. I'm not sitting here while she risks her life." He had planned to just see her off. Halfway there, he ran into Elliott's men, changed plans, and boarded their ship. Technically, he hadn't even called Thora yet. She should've been on her way to Tohmont already. Carl must have tipped her off. No matter how it happened, now that she had fought her way aboard, he wasn't letting her get hurt. Darius cut off the mind-link himself. The dark power in his hands thickened, and the warm brown in his eyes was almost swallowed by black.