Nic turns to his mate. “Can you locate them, Luna? The way you found Skylar?”
Luna frowns and chews on her lower lip. “Maybe. Explosives don’t have magical signatures like people do, but if Rafe’s wolves planted them, there might be residual traces I can follow. Ruby, I’ll need your help channeling the spell.”
“Whatever you need,” Ruby agrees without a second thought.
The two women move to the center of the room and join hands. Luna closes her eyes and begins mumbling words in a language I don’t recognize. They’re using old magic, the kind that predates the pack system itself. Ruby’s lips move in silent accompaniment, and I can feel the power building between them like static electricity before a storm.
Bryan inches closer to me while they work. His hand finds mine, and he laces our fingers together without looking away from Luna and Ruby.
“How are you holding up?” he asks in a whisper.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You were held captive for two days, drugged, beaten, and locked in a cell with silver burning your skin. There’s no way you’re fine.”
I turn to look at him, and the concern in his eyes makes something crack inside my chest. “I’m alive. You came for me. Right now, that’s enough.”
He opens his mouth to argue, but the door swings open before he can speak. Fern rushes in with Connor close behind her, and her eyes run over the room until they land on me.
“Skylar!” She rushes across the room in seconds and pulls me into a hug. Her pregnant belly nudges against my abdomen, and I’m suddenly reminded of everything that’s at stake. Fern. Her baby. All the children at the school. Everyone I love could be dead within hours if we don’t stop Rafe’s plan.
“I’m okay,” I promise as I return her embrace, patting her back as I do. “I’m okay, Fern.”
She pulls back and studies my face with the critical eye of a trained therapist. “You’re covered in bruises, your wrists are a mess, and you’re shaking.” She takes my arm and steers me toward a chair. “Sit down. Let me look at those wounds.”
“There are others who need care more than me—”
“There’s no one else here right now, and you’re my patient.” Fern’s voice brooks no argument. “Sit.”
I sit.
Bryan stations himself beside my chair while Fern retrieves a first aid kit from somewhere. She kneels in front of me and takes my hands, turning them over to examine the damage to my wrists. The ropes left deep grooves in my skin, and some of the wounds are still seeping blood. She clicks her tongue disapprovingly.
“These need to be cleaned and bandaged,” she declares. “You should have had them treated hours ago.”
“We were a little busy escaping from an underground compound.”
“That’s not an excuse.” She begins dabbing antiseptic on my wrists, and I wince at the sting. “Just because you’re a healer doesn’t mean you get to neglect your own health.”
I don’t argue. Partly because she’s right, and partly because the simple act of being fussed over feels good after two days of nothing but fear and pain. Bryan watches Fern work, though his hand never leaves my shoulder.
Across the room, Luna and Ruby finish their spell. Luna opens her eyes and sways on her feet, and Nic catches her before she can stumble.
“I found them,” Luna announces. “They’re scattered across all three locations Skylar mentioned. The medical center has two devices planted. There’s one in the basement near the furnace and one in the supply closet on the second floor. The pack house has one in the eastern wing, buried in the wall behind the kitchen. And the school...” She pauses and swallows hard. “The school has three. One under the main staircase, one in the gymnasium, and one in the cafeteria.”
“That’s six explosives total,” Thomas tallies. “Can they be disarmed?”
“I don’t know enough about explosives to say, but I can guide teams to each location so they can assess the situation.”
Nic nods and turns to James. “Coordinate the evacuation. I want every building in the blast radius emptied within the hour. No exceptions, and no delays. Anyone who argues gets carried out by force if necessary.”
“On it.” James is already pulling out his phone. “I’ll have teams at each location in fifteen minutes.”
“What about Rafe?” Dylan has returned from his patrol coordination and stands near the door with his arms crossed. “He’s not going to sit back and let us dismantle his plan. The moment he realizes we’re evacuating, he’ll attack.”
“Then we fight.” Nic declares, his voice hard as steel. “Thomas, rally the combat teams. I want every capable fighter ready to defend the evacuation.”
The room erupts into organized pandemonium. James issues orders into his phone while Thomas strides out to gather the fighters. Luna and Ruby huddle together, refining the locations Luna sensed. Dylan disappears to brief his patrol teams. Even Fern pauses her fussing to look around for some way she can help.
