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Then three smaller marks.

"Carys."

"Sayer."

"Myself."

"If something changes, we adapt."

I point to Carys.

"You stay behind me."

She opens her mouth. I hold up a hand.

"This isn't a debate."

She considers arguing anyway. Then nods. I point to Sayer.

"You stay with Carys."

He nods.

"If either of you loses sight of me..."

I look from one to the other.

"...you do not come looking."

"We leave?" Carys asks.

"You fall back."

"And you?"

"I'll find you."

The certainty in my own voice surprises even me. But I mean it. Every word.

Sayer studies me.

"You really think you can protect us."

"I know I can."

Something shifts in his expression. Not confidence. Relief. The kind a son feels when his father promises something and he chooses to believe it. Without thinking, I rest a hand briefly on the back of his neck. The gesture feels strangely familiar. Natural.

"I've got you."

Three simple words. He nods once.

"I know."

Carys watches the exchange without speaking. Her eyes soften. For just a moment, none of us are investigators or firefighters or supernatural anomalies. We're simply a family trying to find its way through impossible circumstances.

The moment ends abruptly. The air pressure changes. My wolf surges forward so violently it almost forces a shift. Every hair on my arms stands up. Sayer's head snaps toward the trees.

"It's here."