Thane glanced at him sidelong, his expression unreadable. After a beat, he sighed. “Fine. But stay close to me or Echo, and follow my lead. No heroics.” He turned back to his tablet, his voice lowering. “I’ve done this before. You haven’t. If you come, I need to know you’ll follow orders.”
Lochlan bristled at Thane’s words but held his tongue.
Thane’s attention was back on the tablet. “We’ve got nine minutes before my people are in place. The guards can handle any magical interference, and Echo’s trained to sniff out anyone or anything hiding along the approach path.”
At the sound of his name, the sleek black shepherd let out a low bark, his ears perking up as his tail wagged in a subtle but eager display of readiness.
Lochlan hoped Echo could help them track down Jade, too.
Thane shut the tablet with a decisive click and grabbed his gear, slinging the pack over his shoulder. Confidence Lochlan found himself envying in that moment radiated off his brother like heat.
“Move out,” he commanded, heading for the door. “We’re not leaving her in there a second longer than we have to.”
CHAPTER 47
Nia
“THE BEST (AND WORST) WAYS TO GET OUT OF A MAGICAL CONTRACT.” —A LEGAL THREAD
Nia woke to a pounding headache and muffled sounds, as though the world had wrapped itself in cotton. The first thing she registered was clucking—dull and incessant. The next thing was the smell.
Wherever she was, it stank.
Her eyes fluttered open, vision swimming before gradually clearing. Darkness pressed against the outside windows; it had been hours since she’d collapsed on the floor. She shifted on the ground, the coarse texture of sawdust scraping against her skin.
Then she saw Jade.
Her dog was crammed into a cage far too small for her, growling low and steady. Nia’s chest tightened as anger burned away the mental haze.
Chickens. Dozens of them surrounded her, feathers shifting and restless, but they stayed clear of Jade and her cage.
Nia tried to move, but her arms were bound tightly behind her, secured to a pole. She tugged at the ropes, frustration building as her gaze darted around the space.
She recognized it.
The foul smell of badly cared for chickens and the faint creak of metal beams—she’d been here. Months ago, she’d snuck into this very warehouse to take incriminating photos and videos. This was Jackson’s operation.
Her eyes narrowed at the distant second-floor office overlooking the pens, where three figures moved behind opaque glass.
“Fucking Jackson,” she muttered, venom infusing every syllable.
She pulled harder at the ropes, but it was useless. Her head throbbed and her body felt weak. Across the room, Jade let out a low growl, her cramped body shaking with tension. Nia clenched her jaw, forcing down the panic rising in her chest. She had to focus. She had to get Jade out. And herself, too.
Taking a deep breath, she ignored the painful throb in her skull. The moon moss they’d drugged her with left her abilities dull and sluggish. Focusing on the floor, Nia coaxed a thin stream of shadow to creep forward, gliding across the sawdust like an inky thread. It took far more effort than it should have. The thread of shadow thinned, flickered, her breath catching as it reached the cage and?—
The latch clicked open.
Nia sagged back against the pole as Jade burst free, her body surging forward as chickens scattered, their wings flapping frantically. Feathers flew through the air as they scrambled away.
“Good girl,” Nia whispered hoarsely.
Relief flooded through her as Jade bounded forward. The dog wasted no time, her teeth going straight to the ropes that bound Nia’s hands. She tugged and gnawed, her strong jaws working quickly.
The three figures behind the glass had stopped moving.
“Shit,” Nia hissed under her breath. She turned to Jade, who was still frantically chewing at the ropes around her hands.
“Jade, leave me,” she whispered urgently, her voice trembling. “Go for help.”
