My wolf rumbles with approval deep in my chest.
The team begins their survey, moving carefully through the dead undergrowth. I notice how Astrid subtly positions herself between her rookies and the areas with the highest concentration of harbingers, though she gives no indication she's noticed the birds specifically.
Then it happens. Mid-sentence while instructing Mendez about sample collection procedures, Astrid's head snaps up, her eyes locking directly with mine. For a heartbeat, we stare at each other across the distance before she deliberately looks away, continuing her instructions.
"She saw you," Cormac whispers beside me, though he sounds more impressed than concerned.
"She always will," I reply softly. The pull between us grows stronger each time we meet, the connection deepening even as she fights against it.
I lean against a dead tree trunk, watching Astrid lead her team through their investigation. They collect soil samples and scan the area with their GUIDE tech. My eyes track her movements, cataloging every expression, every gesture. Three days without seeing her was three days too many. My wolf rumbles in agreement, mostly content now that she's within our sight again.
The methodical calm of their operation breaks when Sutter starts wandering toward a cluster of dead cypress trees. My muscles tense as I notice the harbingers perched in the branches directly above him, their red eyes following his every move. Fucking rookie is about to get himself killed, and he doesn't even know it. I shift my weight forward, ready to move if necessary, and catch Astrid's head turning in Sutter's direction.
"Agent Mathieson," he calls, pointing upward. "I've got something here."
Astrid looks up sharply, her body language instantly alert. She senses the danger too. "Sutter, move away from those trees. Slowly."
But the rookie either doesn't hear the warning or chooses to ignore it. He raises some kind of scanning device. "I'm getting energy readings off these birds. They're not natural."
"Sutter," Astrid says again, her tone hardening. "That's an order. Back away now."
A growl builds low in my throat. The rookies can't see what they're dealing with. The harbingers have noticed Sutter's attention, their smoky forms solidifying slightly. Their red eyes track him like prey. More of the birds materialize on nearby branches, drawn by the rising tension like sharks to blood in the water.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I take a step forward, muscles coiling, ready to leap into the clearing. I won’t let them touch Astrid. Cormac's hand lands heavy on my shoulder, fingers digging in with surprising strength.
"Wait," he murmurs. "Don't break cover unless absolutely necessary."
My wolf disagrees, hackles rising. Astrid is out there. In the open. I shrug off Cormac's hand but remain in place—for now.
"If these are the source of the contamination–" Sutter continues, adjusting his scanner with the misplaced confidence of a man who thinks technology can save him from magick.
"They're not," Astrid cuts him off, her voice carrying a note of urgency I recognize immediately. She senses the danger too. "Now back off before?—"
"I've got this. It's an easy shot."
I watch in slow-motion horror as Sutter pulls a weapon from his tactical vest, the metal catching dull light in the dying forest.
"We can't just leave them here," he says.
Mendez reacts to her partner's movement, following what must be ingrained GUIDE protocol as she draws her own weapon. The metallic slide of gun against holster echoes in the unnatural silence. My enhanced hearing picks up Astrid's sharp intake of breath, the slight acceleration of her heartbeat. She knows what's about to happen.
"Stand down! Both of you!" Astrid's command rings through the clearing, but it's already too late.
Sutter's finger tightens on the trigger. Time seems to stretch, each second expanding like a universe being born.
I'm already moving before I make the conscious decision, my body breaking free of Cormac's restraining grip. A pulse of energy erupts from Sutter's weapon, streaking toward the nearest harbinger in a flash of blue-white light that tears through the gloom.
The effect is immediate and catastrophic in a way I've never witnessed before.
The bird doesn't disintegrate or fall as Sutter clearly expected. Instead, its form solidifies completely, smoke hardening into feathers of gleaming obsidian that reflect no light. Its eyes flare like burning coals in a forge, and the shriek it emits drives into my skull like a physical force, setting my teeth on edge and making my wolf thrash beneath my skin. Around us, every other harbinger responds in kind, their spectral forms condensing into physical reality with a sound like ice cracking on a frozen lake.
"Fuck," Cormac hisses behind me, his usual composure fractured. "They're manifesting. We need to move. Now."
I can smell it in the air. The shift from passive observation to active threat. The harbingers' scent changes from something ethereal to a sharp, acrid odor that burns my nostrils. My wolf recognizes the smell of imminent death.
"We have to help them." My voice comes out as a growl, already roughened by the wolf pushing against my skin, demanding release.
Cormac catches me and his fingers dig into my arm. "They won't attack anything dead, but I'm pretty sure if you kill her team, she's going to be pissed."
