“Good,” Thane says flatly.
Riley’s eyes find his, then move to each of the others. Lingering on their faces like she’s seeing them for the first time. “I’m sorry. For all of it. For what I did, what I let happen, what I—”
“Later,” Gray cuts in, not unkindly. “Right now we need to move.”
Riley looks back at me, tears threatening to spill. “Why did you save me? After everything?”
I pull my hands back, the Ether settling. “Because you don’t have to be whole to be worthy of being seen.”
The words hang in the air.
I look up and find Theo watching me, his eyes soft with recognition. He smiles—small and certain.
I smile back.
He nods, just once. Understanding passing between us without needing words.
Riley’s breath catches, something breaking open in her expression. She nods too, slower, like she’s testing the weight of those words and finding them true.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
For a moment, the clearing holds its breath. The daisies pulse once, bright and steady, like the land itself is acknowledging what just happened.
“He’s right,” Stellan adds, already scanning the forest. “That bond breaking made noise. Ethos felt it. And if he felt it—”
“Others did too,” Thane finishes grimly.
The air shifts. Colder.
“The sanctuary,” I say, pushing to my feet. My legs shake but hold. “We need to get to the sanctuary.”
Riley struggles to stand, swaying. Her knees give out.
I catch her before she falls, sliding my arm around her waist. She stiffens, then leans into me.
“You’re with us now,” I say quietly, meeting her eyes. “We’ve got you.”
Her breath hitches. For a moment she just stares at me—at the face that’s not quite hers anymore, at the power she tried to steal and the mercy she doesn’t deserve.
Then she nods.
Stellan steps forward, his fingers going to his lips. The whistle that cuts through the forest is sharp and clear—three short bursts, then one long.
A signal.
In the distance, I hear movement. Voices. The sound of over a hundred people stirring to life in the darkness.
The Feeders we came with now headed our way.
“They’ll follow,” Stellan says, lowering his hand. “We move now, we move together.”
Rhett’s flames flare brighter, lighting our path. Gray shifts half-way, senses sharpening. Jace’s knives catch the silver light. Wes moves to my other side, steady and quiet. Theo’s already three steps ahead, eyes distant with vision. Seth takes up the rear, silent as always.
Thane looks at me once—silver eyes unreadable—then turns toward the sanctuary.
“Let’s go.”
We move as one.
