Selene flicked her wrist—and the guards surged forward, weapons drawn.
Ubel’s voice thundered: “SEAL THE ROOM! GET HIM AWAY FROM HER!”
Trent stepped in front of me. Shadows rose behind him like wings. “Try it,” he whispered.
And the whole room exploded into chaos.
Chapter 36
Oren
Something ripped me out of sleep.
Not a sound.
Nothing had moved.
It was a lurch in my chest—like the bond had been punched.
I sat up sharply, heart hammering.
The campsite was still dark, embers glowing faintly. Chloe curled up between Oliver and Deshawn.
I sat up so fast I nearly knocked into Zane beside me.
The camp was still.
Too still.
The space where Reverie had been curled? Empty.
A chill bolted through me.
“Oren?” Jet whispered, rubbing his eyes, instantly alert when he saw my face.
Before I could answer, Nathan jolted upright with a ragged gasp, flames blooming across his arms as instinct overtook sleep. His kestrel, Dale, took to the sky in distress.
“She’s gone,” he growled.
Zeke and Zane both sprang up at the exact moment, every muscle tensed. Beasts flashing in their eyes.
“Not just her.” Jet looked around the camp, noting what I had missed in my panic.
I scanned the clearing?—
Tanya’s bedroll: empty.
Razor’s gear: untouched, but he was clearly not here.
Malik’s coat near the logs: no Malik in sight.
Four missing.
The question was: Why?
Adelaide bolted awake next, eyes sharp as blades. John jerked up behind her.
“Who’s missing?” Adelaide demanded.
