Tobias’s expression twists, fear flashing in his eyes. He doesn’t reach for it.
“It must’ve fallen off the night Rip killed our friends,” Red explains. “I’ve been trying different tracking spells on it hoping we could use it to find the coven, but—” He sits on the bed and blows out a frustrated breath. “Either I’m not good enough with that kind of magic, or it’s been too long since Rip touched it. I don’t know, but nothing stuck.”
Tobias hasn’t looked away from the small thing, staring at it like it’s a viper ready to strike.
“What Iwasable to do,” Red continues, “is charm it with a nearing spell. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner, but after last night’s talk about ownership and—well. Never mind. The point is, it gave me the idea.”
“A nearing spell?” I ask. I’ve never heard of it.
Red nods. “It’s actually similar to a tracking spell, but in reverse. It makes an item get warm if someone is near it.” He pauses. “Which, I know… is awful after what you’ve already endured since it’s a bracelet. I would never ask you to—”
“Then don’t!” I snap, knocking the bracelet from his hold. “Don’t you dare ask Tobias to wear something that’s going to burn him again!”
Red takes a calming breath. “It won’t burn him. It will just get warm, like it’s been in the sun for a few hours.”
“Like a… warning?” I ask.
“Exactly. If it gets warm, we know he’s near Toby.”
“How near?”
Red hesitates. “A hundred yards, give or take. It’s not much, I know, but it’s the best I could do.”
“How did you attach it to Rip?” I ask.
“His DNA was all over this bracelet, so it wasn’t hard. The point is, this is our best defense against Rip. If he gets close, we’ll know.”
Tobias stares at the bracelet, but doesn’t touch it.
I reach for his hand, gently squeezing. My chest eases a little at the contact. To my relief, he doesn’t pull away. His gaze meets mine, swirling with confusion and fear, but there’s something else too. Something lighter. Something that almost—almost—wants to trust this, even if he isn’t sure.
I brush a thumb over his hand. It’s cruel that the bracelet is going to get warm against his skin after he’s been burned on his wrists already, but… if Red is right? If this gives us a warning that Rip is close? It could save Tobias’s life.
He chews his lip, exhaling slowly. It makes hope flare. Maybe he feels it too—the possibility of protection.
“Would Rip know?” I ask.
Red shakes his head. “No. Not at all.”
Tobias sinks back against the wall, rubbing his arms.
Forest taps my shoulder. “Ro. A word?”
Oh, boy. Here we go.He’s probably not thrilled about finding me in Tobias’s bed.
I cast Tobias one last look before following my alpha down the hall.
Forest’s room has always smelled of cedar, pine, and something sweet. His slippers sit on the floor beside his partially turned-down bed, covered in a thick green bedspread. He closes the door behind us and turns to face me, arms crossed. His expression is unreadable.
“You want to tell me what’s going on between you and Tobias?”
My ears burn. “Nothing’s going on.”
His brow lifts. “And yet you’ve been slipping into each other’s beds for two weeks.”
I rub the back of my neck. “It’s not what you—”
“Isn’t it?”
