Chapter 56 ~CASPER'S POV~

VIVALDI EYES MY BATTERED FORM with a disapproving shake of his head, like a parent scolding a child who's come home covered in mud. Crouching down, he begins to extract the wooden bullets lodged in my body, eliciting a series of groans and winces from me. "Just a few days without me by your side, and look at the mess you've become," he says with a tsk.

Suddenly, a bullet whizzes through the air toward Vivaldi, on a collision course with the back of his skull. But in a lightning-fast move, he spins around and plucks the bullet from the air like he's catching a fly. "Hmph," he scoffs, shaking his head with a tut-tut-tut. "The fear of me is the beginning of wisdom," he declares with a sly grin.

Without warning, he hurls the bullet back at the Hunters with deadly force. The air crackles as it rockets toward them, almost creating a spark. Before the Hunters can register the approaching projectile, it pierces through one of their throats, leaving a gaping hole. Blood gurgles from the Hunter