I grip the door handle as the SUV lurches onto the main road leading out of Silverwood. The stillness of the town recedes in the rearview mirror, but the wrongness clings to my skin like cobwebs.
“We should have stayed,” I say, breaking the tense silence. “That convergence matches what I’ve been tracking since before I came to Ash Hollow.”
Dane’s grip tightens on the steering wheel. “It was a recognition mission. We recognized. Mission complete.”
“Bullshit.” I turn in my seat to face him. “We barely scratched the surface. That tether line is feeding on something—or someone—in that town. We can’t just drive away.”
“We’re not equipped for extraction,” Dane says, eyes never leaving the road. “Not with what we felt back there.”
From the backseat, Lyanna leans forward. “Nova’s right. The resonance patterns were unusual. Almost ... responsive. I could have mapped its structure if we’d stayed longer.”
“And risk getting trapped?” Callum’s voice is gruff. “That convergence was designed as a net. If we’d pushed any harder, we’d be swimming in it right now.”
I tap my fingers against the dashboard, frustration building in my chest. “Every minute we waste gives Faelan more time to strengthen his hold. That bookstore sits right on top of it.”
“I know.” Dane’s voice is low, controlled. “The bookstore, the street grid, probably half the town. It’s not just a magical spike—it’s infrastructure.”
“It’s a trap,” Callum adds.
“It’s alive,” I counter, leaning closer to Dane. “You didn’t feel it respond when I touched that book, but I did. It recognized me. Like it was waiting.”
Dane spares me a brief glance, his expression unreadable. “That’s exactly why we pulled out. If it’s tracking you specifically—“
“Then I’m the perfect bait,” I finish for him.
“No.” His response is immediate and final. “You’re not bait. You’re the key. And I’m not risking the key before we understand the lock.” He looks at me. “I’m not letting that happen again.”
The air in the SUV feels charged, like the moments before lightning strikes. I look over my shoulder at Lyanna, whose eyes are fixed on the passing trees.
“It was more than fae magic,” she says softly. “There was something older underneath. Something that predates Faelan.”
“Which means he’s hijacking existing power,” Callum concludes. “Smart. Efficient.”
“And incredibly dangerous,” I add.
Dane slows the SUV as we approach the town limits. “We go back with numbers. With a plan. With protection that can handle whatever the hell that energy was.”
I turn to look out the window as we pass the final buildings of Silverwood. The lights of The Imaginarium flicker strangely—not dimming, but shifting, as though something is moving behind the glass. In the backseat, Lyanna and Callum are deep in quiet conversation. They don’t see it.
But Dane’s hands tighten on the wheel.
“You feel it too,” he says quietly.
I nod. “It’s watching us leave.”
“Good.” His jaw clenches. “Let it watch. Let it think we’re retreating.”
The town falls away behind us, but the sensation of being observed lingers. I roll my window down, letting the cold air cut through the heaviness inside the vehicle.
Dane’s eyes meet mine briefly. Neither of us says what we’re both thinking: this isn’t over. Not even close.
Chapter 24
Nova
The detection stone hasn’t stopped pulsing in three days.
I track the patterns in my notebook: spikes during pack meetings, sustained glow whenever Marcus speaks, sharp bursts when Dane makes leadership decisions. Someone’s feeding the pack’s existing tensions, amplifying natural conflicts into explosive confrontations.
