The crimson ash fell through Keth's fingers like sand through an hourglass. When the last grain vanished, the world snapped back into focus with jarring clarity. Birdsong gave way to the distant howl of wolves. The pale sand circle hardened into cracked marble beneath their knees.
The golden-eyed woman tilted her head. "They're coming."
Valtheris staggered to his feet. "The pack." Blood still seeped from the self-inflicted wound over his heart. "They'll tear us apart before listening."
Keth studied their scar in the sunlight. No longer burning. Just an old wound now. "Not if we give them back what they lost."
A sharp laugh from the woman. "You think to return the huntress unchanged? Look."
She gestured toward the ruined hall's entrance. Rhis stood framed in broken stone, her eyes wide and glowing faintly gold. The claw marks on her throat had healed wrong—the skin there shimmered like molten metal.
"Rhis?" Keth took a step forward.
The werewolf bared her teeth. A low growl rattled from her chest—then cut off abruptly as her gaze locked onto the golden-eyed woman. Recognition flashed across her face.
"You." Rhis's voice was raw. "You were inside me."
The woman smiled. "And now I'm not. How does it feel?"
Rhis flexed her claws. "Like I've swallowed sunlight." She turned to Keth, nostrils flaring. "The Mark is gone."
"Not gone." Keth touched their scar. "Just different."
Valtheris coughed. "This is touching, but we have approximately three minutes before the rest of the pack arrives." He nodded toward the shattered stained glass. Shadows moved beyond it—dozens of wolfish shapes circling closer. "Suggestions?"
Rhis surprised them all by laughing. It sounded unhinged. "You're asking me?" She shook her head, the gold in her throat catching the light. "The alpha will kill you on sight, bloodsucker. And Keth..." Her gaze dropped to their scar. "They'll think you stole the Mark's power."
The golden-eyed woman stretched like a cat. "Then we give them something else to think about."
Keth saw it first. "No."
Too late.
The woman's form dissolved into golden mist, swirling around Rhis before the werewolf could react. When it cleared, Rhis stood taller, her claws gleaming like polished brass.
But her eyes were still her own.
"Temporary," came the woman's voice from Rhis's mouth. "Just enough to make them hesitate."
Rhis shuddered. "Get. Out."
The gold faded. The woman reappeared beside Keth, looking amused. "See? Choices."
Howls erupted from all sides. The first wolf burst through the ruined windows.
Keth stepped forward, scar burning anew.