The world narrows to a single point of focus. "On my way."
I signal Lila and she lands beside me with increasing precision. We shift together—her transformation smooth now, instinctive—and I'm already moving toward my cave for clothes and weapons before human feet touch stone.
"What happened?" She keeps pace, copper hair whipping in the wind.
"Moira's been taken." I strap a blade to my thigh, check the edge. "Mikhail's making his move."
We reach Flynn's Inn minutes later. The door hangs open, hinges torn from the frame. Inside, furniture lies overturned. Blood stains the floor—not much, but enough to confirm violence. The scent of fear and struggle hangs thick in the air. Scorch marks mar the wall near the door frame—wood blackened in patterns I recognize as left by phoenix fire.
Declan stands near the bar with Kian. Rafe prowls the perimeter like a caged predator, shadows writhing around him in response to barely leashed rage. His eyes flash gold when he sees us—panther fighting for control. Grayson arrives right behind us.
"Three operatives." Kian gestures to the destroyed door, keeping his voice measured. Giving Rafe space. "Came in fast. Moira fought back but they had numbers."
Rafe snarls at the blood trail, his entire body vibrating with the need to hunt. To kill. His mate's blood on the floor is pushing him toward feral.
I find the blood trail. Moira's scent mixed with iron. She's alive—the volume tells me the wound isn't fatal. They wanted her conscious.
"Someone left this." Kian holds out a piece of paper, the edges singed. Not offering it to Rafe—the panther would shred it.
I read the message aloud. "Trade. North cliff convergence point. Standing stones. Sunset."
Lila checks her watch. "Hours from now."
"Before the moon reaches peak power. He wants us exhausted and reactive before the real ritual."
"Wolfstone Abbey." Declan's command cuts through the analysis. "We plan this properly. Not here in the open."
The Brotherhood moves. Declan, Kian, Rafe, and Grayson head for the vehicles parked outside. Lila and I shift and take to the air, flying north to the promontory headland where Declan's territory sprawls across windswept cliffs. Wolfstone Abbey rises from ancient stone, protected by generations of wards and pack magic.
We land in the courtyard and shift back. One of Declan’s people tosses clothing to us without comment and we dress quickly. The others arrive minutes later, vehicles pulling into the courtyard. Declan's pack watch from the shadows as we all enter the great hall. The space is built for war councils—a stone table, maps, weapons on the walls.
Declan spreads a map of the northern coastline across the table. "The convergence point. Standing stones near tidal pools. Mikhail chose his battlefield carefully."
"It's a trap." Kian's tactical mind dissects the problem. "He wants us scattered, unfocused. Fighting on his terms."
"We can't leave Moira with them." Rafe's voice comes out barely controlled, his panther bleeding through. "The syndicate doesn't take prisoners for long."
"So we spring the trap." Declan looks at me. "But on our terms."
Lila moves to the map, studying the coastline with the focus she'd use examining tide charts. "Mikhail needs dragon blood for the ritual. That means capturing Finn alive."
"Yes." I cross my arms. "He'll try to separate us. Divide focus."
"Two dragons complicate that equation." Her finger traces the water access points near the convergence stones. "He'd need to subdue both of us simultaneously."
"I’ve studied those waters." She taps the map where thermal vents create complex current patterns. "The deep channels. Where bioluminescent algae marks movement in dark water. Thermal updrafts that could trap a phoenix trying to rise."
Declan's attention sharpens on her. Kian leans forward. They're seeing what I already know. She's not just powerful. She's lethal.
"Rafe." I turn to the shadow-walker. "Find where they're holding Moira. Map their positions."
Shadows coil around his feet and he disappears without sound.
Declan studies the map. "We need to know what we're walking into before we plan the assault. When Rafe returns with intel, we'll know how to hit them."
Time passes while the Brotherhood reviews defensive positions, weapons, and contingencies. Lila studies the map, memorizing terrain features, asking questions about tidal patterns and approach vectors.
When Rafe materializes from shadows near the doorway, his expression is grim.
