“Go with him, Calla,” Monroe said. “If your packmates are inside, they’ll need you to convince them we’re allies.”

I nodded and slipped into the cell. Ethan was staring down at a third Bane, who was crouched in front of a limp figure along one wall. I saw the spill of dark hair, the curve of slender limbs barely covered by the shreds of a dress. Sabine. She wasn’t moving. My blood ran cold. Was she dead?

“Calla?” I turned at the sound of my name and I thought my heart would burst. Bryn gazed at me, eyes wide with disbelief. She was chained to the wall just as Mason and Nev had been. Her face was thin, cheeks hollow, her own dress only slightly less tattered than Sabine’s. My throat closed as I realized they were still in the gowns they’d been wearing the night of the union—or what was left of them.

I yelped, starting toward her, but stopped when I heard Ethan’s low voice.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll step away from the girl,” he said, taking aim at the Bane snarling in front of Sabine.

The wolf’s ears flattened, keeping its eyes locked on Ethan. It bent over Sabine, its fangs close to her throat. I could hear the vicious pleasure in its low, steady growl.

She moaned softly, eyes fluttering open. The rush of relief that she was still alive was overrun by horror as the Bane lowered its muzzle, taking Sabine’s neck in its jaws.

“Calla, you have to do something!” Bryn shouted, straining against her bonds. “Efron ordered the Banes to kill her if anyone attempted a rescue.”

I wheeled, focusing on the other wolf.

Ethan was already moving. With a shout, he tossed his crossbow away, barreling into the startled wolf. Human and Guardian crashed to the ground. Ethan swore when the wolf’s teeth sank into his shoulder. I lunged across the room. The wolf moved to strike again, its attention fully on Ethan. My jaws sank into the wolf’s shoulder. Blood spurted and I heard a crunch as my teeth hit bone. The Guardian squealed, twisting to attack me. I rolled along the floor away from its snapping jaws. That split second of distraction was all Ethan needed. He drew his dagger, sliding beneath the wolf, and thrust the blade up into its throat. The wolf shuddered and went still. Its limp body dropped to the floor when Ethan kicked it off of his dagger.

Sabine’s hand was at her throat and she was staring at Ethan. He went to her side, touching her arm gingerly.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, eyes moving over her body. He looked away, blushing when he realized how much flesh her torn dress revealed.

“No,” she whispered, still watching him. “Who are you?”

“Ethan,” he said, clearing his throat while trying to find a safe place for his eyes. “I’m here to help you.”

She drew a sharp breath. “You’re aSearcher.”

He nodded, finally meeting her gaze. “But I’m on your side.”

I almost choked, not because of the blood in my mouth, but because I’d never imagined those words could come from Ethan.

“I thought I was going to die.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I was certain of it. He said I would never leave him and live.”

“Who said?” Ethan slowly reached out, touching her cheek. I saw that his fingers were shaking.

It was Bryn who answered. “Efron.”

“Efron Bane?” As if remembering himself, Ethan snatched back his hand and pivoted to face Bryn. “The Keeper.”

She nodded. “He . . . likes to keep Sabine close. I think he took her choice personally.”

“What do you mean, close?” Ethan frowned. Sabine met his eyes and something seemed to pass between them.

His fist closed. “God damn that bastard.”

Sabine looked away, another tear sliding down her cheek.

I shifted forms, taking a step toward Sabine. “What choice?”

“He said I could swear a new oath of fealty,” she whispered, more tears coursing over her skin. “Return to Emile’s pack if I denounced you and your packmates.”

A choice. The Keepers or me. I shuddered.

“I wouldn’t,” Sabine continued, grimacing before she brushed the moisture from her cheeks. “I don’t know why you left, Calla, but what they did to Ansel . . . I knew they would do the same to Mason and Bryn. I couldn’t be part of that.”

“Efron came down hard on her,” Bryn said. “The wraiths were here every day. And only for her. They came for me a lot less. Four, maybe five times. I got off easy.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Sabine offered her a weak smile. “Once is hard enough.”

“I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.” I knelt beside Bryn.

She hugged me so tightly I couldn’t breathe. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered again, horror crawling under my skin. I might have been a captive, but I had been safe, well treated, and far from the agony that my packmates had been subjected to day after day since I’d fled Vail.

“Don’t,” she said. “You didn’t do it. They did.”

“I know, but—”

She cut me off, choking out words. “Cal—I don’t know what they did to Ansel after they hurt him. I think he might be . . .”

“No.” I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I know what they did to him, Bryn. It’s horrible, but he’s not dead. He’s safe. He found me and Shay.”