Cassius of course had heard Carmela's scream.
The moment it pierced through the wall, something primal and instinctive had seized his legs and sent him sprinting before his mind had even caught up with his body.
He'd burst through the door fully expecting chaos—blood, maybe, or some creature that had slipped past the wards.
But what he had not expected was silence.
Carmela, Maria, and Joy were all there—clustered together like startled birds.
And all three of them were staring at him.
Not with fear.
Not with urgency.
With open, flustered shock.
Silence stretched for one agonizing heartbeat.
Then another.
Cassius blinked, confused.
"Why are you all staring at me like—"
He followed their collective gaze downward.
And he went white as death at what he saw.
There, impaled straight through her tiny body like a butterfly on a pin, was Vivi.
Completely naked.
Petite frame trembling, legs dangling uselessly, arms hanging limp at her sides.
