Bree starts to head inside, unaware of the eyes that track her movement. Unaware of the way some of them are already looking at the rest of us like we're part of whatever they think they've found.
I don't follow her. Not yet.
Instead, I stay planted, watching the one who smiled. Watching how they catalogue every window, every door, every path. How they note which direction she went.
If Bree doesn't see it yet, I will. If she doesn't stop it, I will.
The heat under my skin flares, just once. A reminder of what I could do. What I would do, if it comes to that.
They think standing on this land makes them part of her. They're wrong.
Because she doesn't belong to the Ether. She belongs to herself.
And I will burn down anyone who forgets that.
Chapter 35
Thane
Bree walks ahead of the group as we file back into the sanctuary, wrapped in silence that feels more like armor than quiet. Her bare feet make no sound on the stone floor, but I can feel the tension radiating off her in waves.
She doesn't speak. But I can feel her pulse from here. Fast. Controlled. Pretending to be fine.
She touched me in front of them all. And now they think she's made a choice.
Behind her, the others process what just happened in their own ways.
"That one with the gold cuffs?" Jace says, grin sharp and cocky. "Definitely wanted to climb me like a tree."
"Here we go," Wes mutters, but there's no real annoyance in it.
"I mean, who wouldn't?" Jace continues, spreading his arms wide. "It's the Ether effect. We're glowing, boys."
"They're not drawn to you," Theo says quietly. "They're drawn to her."
The correction lands like a stone in still water. Jace's grin falters slightly, but he doesn't argue.
Gray doesn't speak at all. He's tracking the perimeter through the windows, watching for movement. Watching for the wrong one Rhett noticed.
Bree doesn't react. Doesn't turn. Doesn't flinch.
But her heart stutters. Just once.
I hear it. A slight hitch in the rhythm of her pulse—so fast, so careful—and for anyone else, it would seem unchanged. But not to me.
She heard them. All of it. And she's locking it down so hard the tension tightens the air.
They think she's walking ahead because she's strong.
But I know the truth. She's walking ahead so they won't see her break.
Pain flares beneath my ribs. Not from the knowledge of what's happening to Bree right now.
I'm being summoned.
But this isn't the usual Council summons—sharp and demanding. This slides under my skin like silk laced with venom. Quieter. Curated.
Personal.
