Mason stalked forward, hackles raised.

“No!” It was Shay who blocked his line of attack before turning back to Logan. “What do you mean, we can still save them? Where are they?”

Logan smiled slowly. “If you want to know, I need assurance that I won’t be harmed.”

“He’s lying,” Nev hissed. “Shut him up now. Cut his tongue out.”

“Wait.” The words wanted to stick in my throat, but I knew Shay was at least partly right about this. “If he knows something about Shay’s parents, we at least have to find out what it is.”

“How about if you don’t tell us, I cut your tongue out?” Connor said, sheathing his sword after Ethan tossed him a dagger.

Logan’s smile vanished. “Barbarian.”

“I consider that a compliment,” Connor said. “You gonna play ball?”

“Stop this!” Silas limped forward, looking a bit singed. “If he has information, we’ll go through an official interrogation.”

“I don’t think I asked for your opinion,” Connor said.

“It’s protocol,” Silas said. “Anika will be furious if you don’t follow it. If this is indeed Efron Bane’s son, he’s not only a valuable informant. He could be a priceless hostage.”

“Brainiac’s got a point,” Ethan said.

Adne sprang forward, one of her skeans raised. “I don’t give a damn about protocol! My father and Isaac are dead because of the Keepers. I want his blood!”

Connor knocked her arm away at the last second, the slash of the skean’s sharp point coming within inches of Logan’s cheek.

“Let me go!” Adne shrieked, sobbing.

Logan was shaking, his eyes bulging as he watched Adne brandish her skeans. “I swear I have information you need. Plus if I wanted to harm you, wouldn’t I have already summoned a wraith?”

No one answered him. I hated that anything Logan said made sense.

Connor lifted his foot and Logan propped himself up on his elbows, which inspired Connor to level the dagger with Logan’s neck.

“If I give you something,” Logan asked, “will you bring me to your Arrow?”

“Depends on how much we think it’s worth,” Connor muttered, his eyes fixed on Adne’s struggle. “Your people have taken a lot from us today. And that’s just today.”

“I can tell you there’s a traitor in your midst. I’ll hand them to you as a sign of good faith.” Logan’s shaking gave way to a smirk that sent a chill skittering over my flesh.

“What traitor?” Connor asked, rolling the edge of the blade along Logan’s throat.

“How do you think we found you?” Logan said. “We’ve been hunting youfor years. Did you think we just got lucky today?”

“Someone led you to the Denver outpost,” Connor said.

“Someone you trusted,” Logan said. “Someone you brought back from the dead.”

“No,” Shay growled. “You’re lying.” He stepped in front of me, shielding me from something I did not yet know to be afraid of. What was he talking about?

Logan smiled at him. “You may have power, Scion. But not even you can protect her from this.”

“You heartless bastard,” Shay said. “Stop now or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” Logan said. “Would you kill me to hide the truth? Are my words a crime when they’ll protect your allies?”

“What are you talking about, Keeper?” Connor leaned down, pushing the dagger into his flesh. “I’m losing patience with you.”

“Her brother,” Logan choked against the blade’s pressure. “Calla’s brother. He made a deal with my father and Lumine.”

“No,” I whispered.

Mason snarled, pawing at the earth.

Logan’s eyes were on me. “It’s true. He betrayed you.”

I searched frantically for Ansel, finding him cowering behind Bryn, who had shifted into wolf form and was already growling as if to protect him from impending attack. Mason ran to her, taking up a sentry-like position at her side.

Oh God.

“He’s more of a threat to you than I am,” Logan hissed.

Connor lifted the dagger’s blade, looking up at me. “Calla?”

My throat had closed. I turned away from Connor, darting toward Ansel. Bryn bared her teeth at me, but I grabbed Ansel’s shoulders, shaking him.

“Ansel, please. You have to tell them the truth. Tell them you didn’t do this!!”

Logan had to be lying. He had to be.

The color had leached from Ansel’s face; his eyes rolled up at me. Hollow.

“They said they would make me a wolf again.”

Bryn whimpered. Mason barked, circling Ansel nervously while glancing at me.

I backed away, limbs trembling. I wished I could run—somehow escape this awful truth. But I had nowhere to go.

Connor shook his head. “We’d better sort this out with Anika.”

“Agreed,” Ethan said. His eyes met mine briefly as he readjusted Sabine’s body in his arms, but I couldn’t tell if he was angry or just full of regret.

A sharp whistle came from the dense maze of cornstalks around us, followed by several others. One by one, Strikers, armed to the teeth, emerged from the field around us, encircling our group.

My packmates stood back to back, growling and facing off against the Searchers.