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“It’s more than that.”

For a moment, something raw and honest flashes across his face. “It doesn’t matter what it is. What matters is keeping her alive until she heals. If she heals.”

The doubt in his voice chips away at something in my chest. I’ve seen strong witches before, but nothing like what they did to her. The extraction tore something fundamental within her, reaching beyond her consciousness into the deepest wells of her power.

And they did it because I failed to protect her.

My cover required standing back. Watching. Collecting intelligence. The Aurora Collective needs information about the Syndicate’s plans, about the Heartstone, about the unexpected energy signatures.

But Lila is paying the price for that caution.

There’s only one other time I’ve despised myself this much.

“You don’t act like the others,” Hargen says suddenly, watching me with renewed interest. “Your concern seems… personal.”

I maintain Allard Reeve’s professional detachment with effort. “Asset preservation is my priority. Her value to the Syndicate—”

“Spare me the company line,” he interrupts. “I’ve worked here long enough to recognize when someone isn’t what they claim to be. That conversation we had in the hallway…”

The accusation hangs between us. I keep my expression clinical despite the alarm bells ringing in my head. My instincts may be telling me that this man could be useful, but until I’mcertain, I can’t risk showing my hand completely. I need to feel him out first.

“Careful, Cole. That sounds dangerously close to insubordination,” I say instead.

“You care about her,” he continues, ignoring my warning.

“I don’t like waste,” I say carefully. “Pushing her that hard was tactically unsound.”

“Bullshit.” Hargen steps closer, lowering his voice. “There’s something else. Something you’re not saying.”

I hold his gaze, weighing risks. This man has been Lila’s protector; he cares about her, whether he admits it or not. His magical connection to her makes him both valuable and dangerous. If I reveal too much, he could expose me. If I reveal too little, I lose a potential ally. Perhaps the only one who might help me get Lila out.

“Let’s say I believe the Syndicate’s methods are… unnecessarily brutal,” I offer finally.

He studies me for a long moment, then nods almost imperceptibly. Not agreement, but acknowledgment of the careful dance we’re performing.

“They’ve found her,” he says quietly, changing the subject. “The daughter.”

My blood chills. “How?”

“Facial recognition software. Her mother’s name was enough to start the search.” He glances at Lila’s still form. “They pulled personnel files from law enforcement databases across the country. Looking for women named Elena Ross, aged twenty-five to thirty. Physical resemblance to Lila.”

“And?”

“Success on the third day. Elena Ross, twenty-eight. Private investigator based in Seattle. Specializing in missing persons and corporate investigations.”

The irony hits me. Lila’s daughter grew up to find missing people, perhaps driven by the unsolved disappearance of her own mother.

“What does Creed want with her?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

“They’re certain she inherited her mother’s Rossewyn abilities. That she’s connected to the energy fluctuations they’ve been tracking around the Craven clan.” Hargen’s voice drops lower. “They think she can get them access to the Heartstone.”

My mind races through implications. If Elena has even a fraction of her mother’s power, the Syndicate will use her to get to the Heartstone. And once they have what they want…

“They’ll use her,” I say flatly. “Like her mother.”

Hargen’s throat works. “Yes.”

“Does she know what she is? Her heritage?”

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