Chapter 37 · Bait Bites Back

"Get on your feet or they eat you right here!"

Sloane yanked my collar back, and the device didn't just buzz—it shrieked. A high, pulsing wail that tore through the courtyard.

"Yeah, thanks, I noticed," I snapped. My knees hit the stone and slipped. The red light on the collar flashed in sync with my pulse. Every monster in the square turned. All eyes on me.

"Don't look at them," Sloane hissed. She crouched over me, one arm locking across my chest like a cage. Her breath was hot against my ear, her body heat pressing into my back. "Eyes on me. Only me."

"Hard to do when your pet project is broadcasting a dinner bell to the whole city."

The hounds moved first. Low shoulders, rolling muscles, teeth bared. Six of them. Maybe eight. Behind them, the heavy hitters pushed forward—trolls, horned freaks, things with too many joints.

"Control your hounds!" Sloane barked. Her voice cracked like a whip. "He's collared! He's mine! You touch him, you answer to me!"

Nobody listened. The beacon was louder than her rank.

One hound lunged. A feint.