Ace’s arms locked around me like steel, one hand firm at my waist, the other gripping my forearm to steady me. My breath came out in a sharp gasp as my feet barely found the floor again, the marble cold and unforgiving beneath my heels.For a second, the world tilted.Then Ace straightened fully, pulling me flush against his chest.“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice low, urgent, vibrating through me.I shook my head, still dazed. “I—I’m fine.”That was all he needed to hear.The shift in him was immediate.He turned, placing himself squarely in front of me, his body a wall between Ella and me. I could see the rigid set of his shoulders, the way his hands curled into fists at his sides. The air around him felt charged, dangerous, like the calm before a storm.“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ace snapped.Ella didn’t flinch.She stood where she was, chin lifted, eyes blazing with something close to triumph. If anything, she looked pleased.“You saw that,” Ace continued, his voice ris
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