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“Why do you think I let you chase your 'unusual' cases?” Sterling's smile held no humor as he worked the safe's combination. “Why I never questioned too deeply when yourreports stretched credibility past the breaking point? Because someone needs to stand ready, Cade. Someone with a foot in both worlds.”

The safe opened with a soft hiss, releasing air that smelled like old paper and older magic. Sterling removed something wrapped in cloth that hummed with power I could feel across the room. My mark throbbed in response, a steady pulse of heat and recognition.

“Is that...” Sean's voice was sharp with surprise.

“The Codex Obscura.” Sterling unwrapped the bundle, revealing a book bound in material I didn't want to identify. “One of three known copies. The others were supposedly destroyed during the Schism.”

“Holy shit,” Lex breathed, taking an unconscious step forward. “That's worth...”

“More than your entire network, Mr. de la Cruz.” Sterling's tone could have frozen hell. “And yes, I know exactly who you are. Just as I know about Mr. Cullen's rather colorful history with Hallow.”

Sean went completely still behind me. The kind of stillness that usually preceded violence. “How long?”

“Have I known about hunters? Since before you were born, boy.” Sterling set the book on his desk with careful reverence. “Have I known about you specifically? Since Dublin. That kind of disaster tends to leave marks, even if most people can't see them.”

Sean's jaw tightened, eyes narrowing. “So you've been keeping tabs on me? That's not creepy at all.”

“Someone had to keep an eye on the hothead working with my agent,” Sterling replied gruffly, nodding toward me. “Can't be too careful when demons want a piece of you.”

My head spun as pieces clicked into place. All those times Sterling had warned me away from certain cases, had suggestedI focus elsewhere. He hadn't been trying to stop me, he'd been steering me toward the truth at a pace I could handle.

“The symbols in your office.” I looked around with new eyes, seeing patterns I'd dismissed as modern art for what they really were. “The way you arrange everything. It's all protection magic.”

“Took you long enough,” Sterling said, but there was a hint of pride that softened his harsh tone. “You're finally seeing clearly. Though I suspect recent events have something to do with that.” His gaze flickered to my chest, where the mark burned beneath my shirt.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. “You know about my mark?”

“Course I do, boy.” He sighed heavily, some of his gruffness falling away. “I've known since the night your parents died.”

“That's not possible.” My voice sounded distant, strange.

“The official report was carefully crafted to protect you.” Sterling's expression softened, revealing genuine concern beneath the rough exterior. “You weren't ready to know the truth then. Hell, you're barely ready now. But forces are moving that we can't ignore anymore.”

“Phoenix,” Sean said flatly, shifting his weight impatiently.

“Among others.” Sterling opened the Codex, its yellowed pages covered in dense, intricate symbols that seemed to shift and rearrange themselves whenever directly focused upon. “What they're attempting goes beyond corporate ambition or supernatural politics. They're trying to wake something that should stay sleeping. Something that...”

A sharp knock cut him off. Alana burst through the door, O'Brien's journal clutched in her hands, face pale with urgency. “Sir, you need to see this. The decoded sections, it's worse than we thought.”

“Well, don't just stand there looking like you've seen a ghost,” Sterling growled, but the concern in his eyes betrayed his harsh tone. “Spit it out.”

I stared at her, processing what I was seeing. Alana was discussing demons and monsters as casually as budget reports. More jarring was how she and Sterling exchanged knowing glances, the kind shared between longtime collaborators.

Sean stiffened beside me, his eyes narrowing in recognition. “Wait. Alana Fitzgerald?”

Alana's professional demeanor faltered for a split second as her gaze shifted to Sean. A flash of something like surprise, then wry amusement crossed her face. “Sean Cullen. I'd heard rumors you were in New York. Still playing lone wolf, I see.”

“You two know each other?” I looked between them, catching the tension in Sean's shoulders.

“We crossed paths during a nasty ghoul infestation a few years back,” Alana explained, her tone carefully neutral. “Though back then, Sean was running with a different crowd.”

“Hallow,” Sean said flatly. “Before I saw the light and got the hell out.”

Alana's lips quirked in a half-smile. “And here I thought you left because they got tired of your charming personality.”

“You're part of this,” I said, the pieces suddenly clicking together. “All those times you helped me with translations or 'coincidentally' found resources I needed... You knew about the supernatural world all along.”

Alana's professional facade softened slightly. “I wasn't always an analyst, Cade. Before CITD, I was a hunter. Sterling brought me in when you joined the division.”