Swapping Out the Groom
A figure lunged out of the crowd, unkempt and clutching a knife.
My heart sank. Nick reacted instantly, shielding me with his body and kicking the attacker hard. The man collapsed, the knife clattering to the ground. Only then did I see clearly—he was frail, his limbs shaking, no longer the fierce threat he'd tried to be.
He groaned in pain and looked up. It was Jayden.
He looked like a ghost of himself. Gaunt. Dirty. Hair in clumps, eyes sunken deep into his skull. Clearly, life hadn't been kind to him these past few years.