"Sefe!" I shouted, stepping forward, my voice laced with that perfect mix of firmness and warmth. "This isn't you. Crow has manipulated you. We're not your enemies."
(Sheesh… damn, Tyler. Your acting's on point. If this was a movie, I'd get an Oscar. Dead serious.)
For a moment just one breathless moment, Sefe froze midair, suspended on a floating ring of flame. Her golden eyes widened, flickering like candles caught in a draft. The fire surrounding her pulsed unevenly, reacting to her racing heartbeat.
She looked between us… and Crow.
Confusion. Fear. Doubt. They crossed her face like shifting clouds over a burning sun.
Crow, sensing the slip in her resolve, stepped forward with chilling calm, his black cloak fluttering behind him like a curtain drawn back before a horror scene.
"Don't listen to him, Sefe," he said, voice low, wrapped in velvet malice. "They're trying to deceive you. Remember… who gave you your power."
