Behind the spiraling stairs was a single door. Connor tried the knob, then pulled out his lock-picking tool. He carefully opened the door, revealing a narrow hall lit by the same buzzing fluorescents. There were six doors in the hall, one at each end and two on each side. The side doors were harsh metallic rectangles cut by a narrow slot at eye level.

“What now?” Ethan asked.

“We start opening doors,” Monroe said. “We can each pick locks; everyone try a door.”

“No, wait.” I grabbed Monroe’s arm. “Just follow me.”

I shifted forms, keeping my muzzle low, sniffing along the hall. When I reached the far door on the right side of the hall, I whimpered, scratching the metal surface.

“This one?” Monroe asked.

I whimpered again, desperate to get through the door. Every beat of my heart throbbed in my neck as Monroe picked the lock. I couldn’t breathe as the door swung open.

Two young men sat, leaning against opposite walls of the cell. Chains bound their wrists to the walls, keeping them apart, their movements limited. They remained still, eyes closed. Remnants of clothing hung from their bodies. Torn pants, shredded shirts. Both of their faces were a muddle of bruises and swollen flesh, green, purple, red. A sickening rainbow painted on their skin.

The light in their cell flickered constantly, making the room waver as I stared inside.

I yelped, dashing into the room.

Mason’s eyelids flipped up at the sound of my cry. He slowly turned his head, squinting at me.

“No way.”

Nev groaned, keeping his own eyes shut. “Just tell me when it’s over.”

“Calla?” Mason leaned toward me, wincing.

I licked his face, shifting into human form so I could speak. “Mason. It’s me. I’m getting you out of here.”

“Seriously?” Mason regarded me as if I might be a figment of his imagination.

“Calla?” Nev’s eyes were open now.

“You mean she’s real?” Mason reached up, chains scraping the concrete floor, and touched my face. “Oh my God.”

“Can you walk?” Monroe had come to our side, crouching to address Mason.

“Who are you?” Mason frowned, his nose crinkling. “Hey! You’re a Searcher. What the hell!”

“It’s okay, Mason,” I said, taking his hand. “They’re on our side.”

“Searchers? On our side?” Nev laughed. “Maybe she’s not real.”

“I’m real,” I said quickly, feeling the press of time. “Please answer him. Can you walk?”

“I think so,” Mason said, stretching his legs. “I haven’t tried in a while. Are you going to tell us how you got here? And why the Searchers are helping you?”

“After we’ve put milesbetween us and Vail,” Connor said. “Story time can wait.”

“He’s right—but later, I promise, this will make sense.”

“As long as we’re out of this hellhole, it doesn’t have to make sense,” Nev said, covering his eyes.

“I don’t know that we’ll be much good to you,” Mason said. “I haven’t been able to shift since they put us in here.”

“It’s the chains,” I said, touching the iron at his wrist. “You’ll be able to shift once they’re off.”

“Connor,” Monroe said, gesturing to Nev. “Get him out of the restraints.”

Monroe bent down to free Mason.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Ethan said, glancing warily at the two chained Guardians.

“What are you going to do, shoot them?” I snapped. “Do you even remember why we’re here?”

“Our rescuers want to kill us, huh?” Mason asked, noting that Ethan’s crossbow was trained on his chest. “Nice.”

“Well, it fits the way everything else has been going lately,” Nev said. “I’d say I’m surprised, but I’d be lying.”

“They aren’t going to kill you.” I glared at Ethan until he slowly lowered his weapon.

“What if—” he began.

“What if it’s a trick?” I said. “Look at them. How are they going to fight like this? I’m worried we won’t be able to get them out in one piece.”

“That makes two of us,” Connor said. “And here I was hoping for wolf reinforcements as we went along.”

“If there’s a fight, we’ll fight,” Nev growled as the chains dropped away from his arms. Then he was a wolf, snarling while he limped toward Mason.

“Oh, man.” Ethan backed away, raising the crossbow.

“Knock it off!” I said. “They aren’t your enemies.”

The moment he was freed, Mason shifted too. The two wolves circled each other, sniffing, licking, nuzzling, and finding comfort through their contact. I watched, longing to join them but wanting to let them have their own moment of reunion.

“Whoa,” Ethan murmured as Mason bared his teeth, sinking fangs into Nev’s shoulder, lapping up the blood that poured out.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “They’ll heal if they do this now. Then they can fight with us.”

Nev took blood from Mason’s chest; I could sense the power of their bond flowing through the room, replacing their wounds with strength.

“Glad that worked,” Connor said, apparently sensing the tension in the room lift in the same way I did. “But we need to move.”