A thin, cold neck tensed beneath his hand at the same moment a choked gasp came out of nowhere, making Rose step back in alarm.
Mark hardened his gaze and tightened his fingers slightly.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The air in front of him rippled.
For an instant, the figure he was holding by the neck seemed to flicker, like an out-of-focus image, and then finished appearing all at once.
She was a short young woman with pale skin, red eyes, and black hair cut at chin length.
Both her hands were clamped around Mark's wrist, trying unsuccessfully to pry it away, while her feet dangled several inches off the ground.
"D-Dalia..." Lily managed to say in a thread of a voice.
Behind Mark, Rose let out a gasp so sharp that he knew immediately something was wrong. He didn't catch her expression, but he didn't need to; from the sound she had made, she must have been completely paralyzed.
Mark was about to turn and ask what was happening when a shadow descended from above.
