Thane’s mask never slips, but his jaw ticks. “I serve where I’m needed.”
“Do you?” Nyx’s smile sharpens. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve tied yourself into the Oath already. The strand won’t save you when they come for her, you know.”
The words hit me like ice water.
Tied into the Oath.
Not just bonded—tied into the Oath. That isn’t language you use unless you’ve seen it before. Information like that is meat dropped in a pit of wolves. But how would she know about that unless—
Unless the Council knows more than they’re letting on.
I file the information away, force my expression to remain bored. But every instinct I have is suddenly screaming that Nyx just revealed far more than she intended.
“The Council grows impatient,” she says, turning her attention to Bree for the first time. Her tone shifts—still predatory, but with a mock-welcoming warmth that makes my skin crawl. “Especially now, with this bond on such public display.”
She gestures to the crowd of still-kneeling Feeders, most of whom are trying to make themselves as small as possible.
“But don’t worry, dear,” Nyx continues, that razor smile widening. “An old friend is on his way to greet you. Someone who’s been watching you for quite some time. He’ll be so pleased to finally make proper introductions.”
My blood goes cold. Only one name fits her little riddle, and it’s the one I’ve been waiting to hear.
The others filled Thane and me in on everything that happened—the years of manipulation, the advances, even the cameras. Everything that led up to Bree broken on her apartment floor. Besides, I know exactly who they’d send when subtlety fails.
“I still have eighteen hours before you bring Phil in,” Thane says, his voice carefully controlled but edged with something sharp.
The name hits the air like a blade.
Bree stops moving completely, and I watch her face cycle through recognition, terror, and then something worse—betrayal. She turns to look at Thane, and I can see the exact moment it hits her: he knew. He’s known this whole time and didn’t tell her.
“Oh, wonderful,” Nyx purrs, noticing Bree’s reaction. “I’m sure you’re excited to be reunited, dear. He’s been asking about you.”
Thane’s entire body is taut, silver eyes flashing with something close to panic before he locks it down.
“How thoughtful,” I say, speaking for the first time since Nyx’s arrival. My voice carries just enough lazy amusement to suggest I’m not taking any of this seriously. “The Council sending gifts.”
Nyx’s gaze flickers to me—brief, but loaded with meaning. She knows I’m hiding something, she has for a while. More importantly, she understands what I represent. The network I’ve built, even the possibility of what I could unleash.
She’s counting on me not to interfere.
“Gifts,” she repeats, tasting the word like wine. “Yes, I suppose you could call him that.”
She takes a step back, preparing to leave as dramatically as she arrived. But her attention stays fixed on Bree, studying her with the kind of clinical interest that makes predators of us all.
“Enjoy your celebration,” she says. “All of you. Such bonds are so rarely public. So rarely… permanent.”
And then she’s gone—shifting mid-leap, black wings carrying her back into the sky before anyone can respond.
The silence she leaves behind is deafening.
I watch Thane’s face, catch the moment his carefully constructed control threatens to crack. He knows what’s coming. Knows that Phil isn’t just an “old friend”—he’s the Council’s hunter, their hybrid enforcer who’s been circling Bree’s life for years.
The others don’t understand yet. But they will.
I push off from the doorframe, straightening as the crowd of Feeders slowly begins to lift their heads. They’re looking to Bree for answers, for reassurance, for some sign that the Council’s arrival doesn’t mean the end of whatever hope they’ve found here.
But my thoughts aren’t on them.
If Phil’s coming, the board just got bloodier.
