"Tell me about this person who dares to challenge the Thorne family," Aurora Valentine said, settling gracefully onto one of the stone benches. Her voice carried the kind of authority that made grown men tremble.
Maxwell Thorne and his three companions remained standing, too nervous to sit in her presence. Sweat beaded on Maxwell's forehead despite the cool garden air.
"His name is Ethan Hayes," Maxwell began, his voice shaking. "He's... he's not what he appears to be."
Aurora's green eyes sharpened with interest. "Continue."
"At first, we thought he was just some country bumpkin from the mountains," Maxwell explained. "But then he started causing problems. Real problems."
"What kind of problems?" Aurora asked, her tone deceptively casual.
Caleb Vance, one of Maxwell's companions, stepped forward nervously. "He defeated two hundred of our best men. Single-handedly."
Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Two hundred trained fighters?"
