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CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

TAI

T his is a godsdamned mistake.

I know it, I feel it, but it doesn’t stop Nova from digging in her heels, her lips drawn into a tight line as she glares at me like I’m the problem. Like I’m the reckless one for wanting to handle this myself.

“Go back to the dorms,” I whisper. I stand in front of her, blocking the path ahead. “I’ll bring him home.”

She huffs a breath, shaking her head. “Not happening.”

“Nova.” I drag a hand down my face, biting back my frustration. “Sylus wants you to come for him. You know that, right? You think he doesn’t know you’d run in headfirst? You’re playing right into whatever sick trap he’s got set up.”

“And if I sit back and do nothing, Callum dies.” Her eyes flash, her wolf prowling just beneath her skin. “You know that, Tai.”

I clench my jaw so tight my teeth ache.

She’s right.

But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Then you listen to me,” I grit out. “No running ahead. No taking unnecessary risks. We move as a unit, we follow the plan, and if I say we fall back, you listen. ”

“ Fine. ”

It’s not fine. It’s never fucking fine with her.

“I love you, Novaleigh Drake. Don’t break my heart.”

She softens at the raw vulnerability in my voice, the way it cracks on her name. I don’t give a fuck if we’re giving the others a show. Not when she reaches up to cup my face, her thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “I love you, too, Tai. If you were the one who’d been kidnapped, I’d fight a thousand armies to get you back. Thank you for trusting me.”

Guilt eats at my conscience, because she’s reminding me that even if I don’t like this, I must trust her.

Stepping back, I exhale sharply, tugging her mask down first before putting mine in place. I keep moving, motioning her forward with me toward the rendezvous point just through the trees.

The clearing is dark, the moons barely slicing through the skeletal branches above as we approach the others deep in the woods off campus. I keep my steps measured, scanning the shadows for anything out of place, my own spilling across the snow-covered ground in search of anything or anyone out of place. The entire group is already waiting for us—standing quiet, unmoving, their black masks glowing. In contrast to Echo’s red one, theirs is white.

All of them faceless. Unreadable.

Echo moves until he stands at the center of them, the wolf’s mask making him look more beast than fae, an apex predator assessing the moment. When we step into the space, he shifts slightly, nodding at Nova but keeping his attention on me.

“Meet Guard.” Echo gestures to me. “And Recruit.” He gestures to Nova.

The others regard us silently, their masked faces revealing nothing. I can feel their eyes on me, assessing, evaluating. I stand tall, shoulders back, meeting their gazes head-on.

Nova exhales beside me, folding her arms across her chest. “Can we just get on with it?”

Echo chuckles. “Let’s.”

One of the masked figures steps forward—a female, though her voice is distorted the same way Echo’s is. “I’m Second .” She raises her hand in a vague kind of wave. “We’ve got a location,” she pulls out her cell phone. “Sylus’s phone is tagged.”

Every part of me tenses, and fear wars with hope in my belly. I blink. “Tagged? You hacked his tech?”

The female tilts her head. “We used Earth tracking software. He doesn’t know the first thing about it.”

I hate that it’s a good plan. Hate that it actually gives us an edge. But I school my expression and nod. Not that anyone can see it.

Second turns, swiping a holographic projection into existence. A map of the school and the surrounding area flickers into place. A red blinking dot pulses at the far end of the screen.

“Abandoned estate outside campus boundaries right on this smaller mountain,” she continues. “Old fae stronghold. No surveillance. No monitoring spells. He thinks that means he’s invisible.”

I roll my shoulders back. “And how many inside?”

Second cocks her head at Echo, deferring to him. He steps closer, tapping a few points on the map. “We suspect at least ten stationed inside. Sylus doesn’t trust anyone but his own. That means fae born—no humans, no made fae.”

Nova stiffens beside me. I already know what she’s thinking— I don’t belong anywhere. But I don’t have time to unpack that right now.

“Callum?” I press.

Echo nods once. “Alive.”

I choke back a sob of short-lived relief and cover it with a strong clearing of my throat.

“But if we don’t move fast, that’s subject to change,” Echo adds.

The cold truth of it settles in my gut like a stone.

I glance at Nova. Her fists clench tight, her body humming with tension. She’s been unraveling since we saw Callum on the screen, and I know she’s barely holding it together.

I sigh, meaning to shove a hand through my hair, but it catches on the stupid mask. “Fine. We do it your way.” I level my gaze at Echo. “But if this goes sideways, I’ll be the one making the calls.”

The wolf mask inclines, almost like he’s smiling underneath it. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I exhale, letting the weight of this settle over me.

“Tell us the plan.”