My heart drops like a leaden weight as the cell door swings open with an ominous creak. Chavo strides in, eyes narrowed to slits as he sweeps his cold gaze around the cramped space. Beside me, I feel Tessa and Ava tense.
"Well? Where is this mutt you've been harboring?" Chavo demands, his voice a lethal hiss.
For an instant, I'm frozen - mind racing as I try desperately to concoct some plausible lie. But Tessa is quicker.
"There is no dog, Master Chavo," she responds evenly, inclining her head in a show of deference. "Merely a rat that found its way in. We've already disposed of the filthy creature."
Chavo's lip curls with revulsion, but his suspicion seems temporarily allayed. Until his eyes land squarely on Ava's huddled form.
"And just what is that?" he growls, taking a menacing st
