Sera's food-smeared face was entirely too close. Lucian calmly placed a hand against her forehead — gently pushing her away.
"Sera, just watch and trust me, okay?" he whispered reassuringly.
Turning back around, the sly, calculating smirk slipped right back onto his face. Behind him, his whole team just watched in silence, Lyria giving Sera a helpless shrug.
"So, my friends, here is what you need to do..." he leaned in as his voice dropped to a conspiratorial murmur the rest of the instructions. A few seconds later, the leader of that group lost his patience. He stepped aggressively into Lucian's space.
"Hey! Why the hell should we trust you? How do we know this isn't a trap?"
Lucian didn't even blink.
"Think it through, my friend," he smiled softly. "Do you even have any other choice?"
The man clenched his fists. Gritting his teeth, he spun around and began a slow, hesitant walk toward the wall. His team watched him bated breath.
