“What does that mean?”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“It means we give them what they’re asking for,” he said. “Long enough to confirm Jonas is alive and out of their control.”
The weight of that landed immediately.
“You’re serious,” I said.
“Yes.”
“And then what?” I pressed.
His expression hardened just enough to answer before he spoke.
“Then we take Noah back.”
There was no hesitation in it. No uncertainty. Just a clear line drawn through the middle of an impossible situation.
Kael nodded once, following the logic.
“They’ll think we’ve made the decision they want,” he said. “That we chose one over the other.”
“And that’s when they relax,” Thoren added.
“And that’s when we stop playing along.”
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as I tried to settle the knot tightenin
