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No. They couldn’t wait around for a star to guide them. Taly needed them now.

Skye exhaled through his nose to steady himself. Closing his eyes, he turned his attention inward.

At first, the bond was just a whisper—a faint hum in the background, like the distant murmur of a crowd.

As he opened himself to it, the volume rose. A thread pulled tight in his chest, tugging him forward.

“This way,” Skye said and set off into the forest.

Kato let out an exasperated sigh. “Sure, why not? Let’s just march off in a random direction. I’m sure the next thing we fall into will be a pit full of puppies and rainbows.”

“Stop whining,” Skye called back.

“This girl is going to get us killed!” Then, because he was out of options—and because Skye was already moving out of earshot—Kato followed, cursing under his breath as he stomped through the underbrush.

The sun was sinking by the time they made it back to anything that looked familiar, the forest’s shadows growing longer, thickening around them like ink.

A snarl echoed from somewhere ahead.

Skye didn’t hesitate. “Taly.” He took off at a sprint.

“Wait!” Kato called, but Skye wasn’t listening.

His only thought was her. Alone. In the dark. In danger.

He’d barely gotten her back, and now he was going to lose her again.

The world narrowed to the path ahead. Branches whipped past as he dodged trees and leapt over roots.

Then—firelight. A flicker through the trees.

He burst into the clearing. Taly was crumpled on the ground, eyes closed, breathing shallow. Calcifer stood over her, no longer the gangly feline. It had transformed—limbs elongated, sinewy muscles rippling beneath an iridescent, almost scale-like hide. Part wolf, part serpent, blue eyes blazed with an unnatural light.

It had been a… surprise—finding out that thing was a shapeshifter. Not that Skye was worried. When it finally turned on her, he fully expected to have figured out a way to kill it.

And right now, as much as it pained him to admit, he was grateful for the monster.

The remnants of shades lay everywhere. The air stank of rot.

And the fight wasn’t over.

The undead surged from the forest. Low growls mixed with the heavy tread of countless feet trampling the undergrowth. Calcifer struck fast—wolf claws tearing through bone, serpent tail snapping like a whip to sever spines.

He was holding the line, but barely. They kept coming—too many, too relentless.

“Shit, motherfucker, shit, fuck, shit!”

It wasn’t the worst battle cry Skye had ever heard. He glanced over his shoulder just as Kato charged at one of the undead, his daggers flashing.

His brother might’ve been an asshole, but he was a damn useful one. Absolutely lethal in close range. His blades slipped between joints with instinctive precision, severing limbs with practiced ease.

Between Calcifer’s claws and Kato’s blades, they carved back the tide. Skye lunged for Taly, falling hard to his knees.

“Taly, hey, come on,” he whispered, hands trembling as he reached for her.

As soon as their skin touched, he felt a spark.

Taly was smoke, drifting in darkness.