Dante
The note on Shirley’s pillow had changed everything. Even though she didn’t say a word when I saw her this morning, I knew she was shaken. I could see it in her eyes—wide, alert, scanning every shadow like they might leap out and swallow her whole.
I didn’t need to ask what was written on it. I already knew.
“The hunters are already inside the walls.”
Talon found it first, his voice low when he read it out loud. We had checked the perimeter, questioned the guards, but no one had seen anything. That meant only one thing—this wasn’t just a warning. It was a declaration. Someone had breached the security lines we’d drawn around Ashridge. And worse… they had direct access to Shirley.
I hadn’t slept since.
Now I was at the bar, pretending like nothing was wrong while my insides burn
