"Hush," Lily told the redhead who was making too much noise while the door was still open. "You have a plan, don't you?"

"Of course," Mia replied, her voice higher than usual to hide the fact that it was a half-lie.

A stupid plan, she kept to herself, but a plan.

"He's coming," Ethan announced grimly, turning toward the door. "Tear off the necklace."

Cold sweats rose the blonde's spine as she learned that it was time to confront the enemy she had heard so much about. To say she was afraid of him was an understatement, she was just terrified of meeting him. She slipped her trembling hands into her jacket pocket to pull out the leather jewel and snatch it without delay. With that, they had fulfilled their role. Now it was a matter of surviving long enough for Zerkan and Vasily to join them.

"What are we doing now?" asked Mia.

"You will wisely come with me," interrupted a deep voice from the entrance of the room. "As you kindly responded to my invitation, I have a little surprise for you."

Mia's throat tightened as her gaze fell on the silhouette of the Vila. He was a huge man, as much by his size as by his impressive musculature which he displayed proudly while wearing only wide pants. He took pleasure in intimidating his opponents, it was evident in his attire. He had olive skin and brown eyes and short hair. His gaze was stern, almost dark, and he had a perfectly square, chiseled jawline. Everything about him screamed power and raw power, from his attitude to his appearance. It was simply a beast of a fighter. There was no other term. And if that wasn't enough, two sharp sickles hung on either side of his hips, the pointed side facing back.

Instinctively, Ethan stood in front of his mate to defend her if Solomon intended to jump on them or force them to follow him. However, he did not move and simply remained leaning against the frame of the door, patiently waiting for the four friends to decide to obey him, not the least bit worried or annoyed. He even had a small smirk that he undoubtedly brandished as an insult since he knew very well that he had total ascendancy over the group.

"It's useless to resist, you should know that," he sneered, getting up to draw one of his weapons and twirl it around in his hand.

The message was pretty clear. After a shared look, they finally decided to obey and follow him. Dying right away didn't make sense, and they didn't stand a chance in this setup. Even though there were four of them, the rooms were too cramped for them to fight without getting in each other's way or destroying their surroundings. Solomon would just have to cut them one by one, going straight ahead.

"Sit down," the Vila ordered, pointing to the two sofas in the restroom. "Make yourself comfortable, our guest of honor is on her way."

Mia's gaze immediately locked on Ethan's, and the fear she saw in his eyes quickly confirmed her suspicions. How long did they have before she arrived? Every minute counted and with any luck, the experienced duo would save them before she had time to come... they could maybe get away without having to fight.

Yes, maybe it's a good thing that it happened like that, she tried to reassure herself internally since no one dared to speak with the warrior who had settled on the armchair in front of the group.

The only thing they could do was try to communicate via gaze. The blonde could see that Ethan's brain was racing. He who always managed to keep an impassive face, the incessant slap of his foot tapping nervously on the ground betrayed for once his dismay. Arry kept wiggling her fingers and alternating between nibbling on her already badly damaged fingernails – she must have picked up the bad habit in the previous days – and biting her lip in stress. Her jaw was so tense it was only a matter of time before the skin gave way and she bit down until she bled.

"Where's Oz?" Mia whispered after noticing that there was no shadow of the wolf around.

She didn't want to fear the worst, but that might explain the redhead's new nervous tics. He couldn't have died since they shared their vitality, but that didn't mean he wasn't in bad shape.

"He's being held in another room," she exclaimed, her voice cracking with anguish. "He's fine, but it's unbearable to be separated like this."

Lily, meanwhile, did not move an inch. She was sitting with dignity, her back straight, her hands resting on her thighs and her fingers tied, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. Her calm appearance, however, did not shock her friends who had seen how the fairy knew how to control her emotions when the situation required it. Mia admired her very much for this reason. She knew full well that panicking only hurt her, especially in a life-or-death situation, but it was beyond her, and that was perfectly normal for someone who wasn't used to having to be functional despite her mind amid an emotional storm.

When Mia thought the two hours waiting in the lobby was the longest of her life, she was sadly mistaken. Every second felt like hours, especially when her gaze fell on the Vila and his smirk. He was staring at them, his elbow nonchalantly resting on the arm of the chair, his cheek resting in the palm of his hand. He had the arrogant look of someone who knew he had already won the battle. Despite the terror she felt in his presence, she had deep inside her a growing desire to take out her revolver and stick it to his forehead to erase his condescending look.

The group waited a total of twenty minutes until the shrill sound of heels clicking against the cold stone of the ground resounded. Just by the sound of her footsteps, Mia could tell that Impervia was a confident woman, extremely sure of herself and who never stopped trying to get what she wanted. Believing that she was capable of killing her own son suddenly became extremely believable. Her two sons. She was blonde, like her children, with fine features and a feminine figure, but a polished style as evidenced by her chic and luxurious clothes and her tight bun. She wasn't alone, as she was holding Andrei by the hair who winced in pain every time she tugged on his fine hair to move him forward.

"Take a look at what I found on the way," she mocked before letting go of Andrei and pushing him forward. "Their little friends are trying to free the school."