Sometimes the enemy in front of you is less dangerous than the one behind.
The thing wearing Marcus's mother's face smiled. Not human. Not quite wolf. Something else entirely.
"Clever girl," it said, looking at me. "Most people never notice the details."
Marcus's hands shook. "Where is my mother? Where's my family?"
"Alive. Like I said. Safe. For now."
"For now isn't good enough."
"Then make it good enough. Cooperate."
Through the bond, Darius's presence surged. Urgent. Desperate.
Campus under heavy attack. Administrative building breached. Need you here. NOW.
I pushed back through the connection. Working on it. Trapped. Complications.
His frustration bled through. Anger at the situation. Fear for my safety. Rage at being outmaneuvered.
I forced myself to focus on the immediate threat. The shapeshifter. Marcus's family. The trap we'd walked into.
"What do you want?" I asked.
