*~Caspian's POV~*
The plan had finally worked—or at least, it was working.
I moved when I saw Lilith's signal from the rooftop—her presence unmistakable, flanked by redhead Crescents that looked eerily like Aurora.
I walked straight over to Hazel and extended my hand.
"Hazel," I said softly, "will you dance with me?"
She hesitated. Her wary and sharp eyes searched mine. Somehow, she knew something was off. She didn't trust it, and I couldn't blame her. But we didn't have time for explanations. We had to distract her long enough to execute the switch.
I needed to hide her and get her out of the spotlight while we changed her dress—the one she was wearing… to Lilith. Lilith would take Hazel's place in the crowd, and whoever that monster was… whoever dared come to take Hazel—would find Lilith instead.
She resisted at first, even trying to pull away, but the crowd around us began cheering, clapping, and chanting. That public pressure finally pushed her to place her hand in mine.
