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“We didn’t know Erlik existed until shortly after that,” I pointed out.

“After the Thayersons, I wanted to know if the changeling left some sort of residual energy,” Ezra said. “So, I dragged Remi to check on the boy. Jonah.” He paused, glaring at traffic. “We didn’t make contact. Just observed.”

“Sooner or later, he’ll get an armband too,” Remi said. “Black mark, same as the rest. Though we suspect the changeling was summoned to take him specifically. His parents thinking they’d get a non-autistic kid or some bullshit.”

That gave me a pause. Did Jude’s parents summon a changeling too? Maybe they saw signs of him being gay, or variant? I turned the pieces over. “Does the changeling create the variance? Amplify it? Or is it all just coincidence?”

No one had an answer.

“And you found others with this residue at the hospital?”

Remi nodded. “Two. One adult, completely comatose. The other a kid, like Jonah. Touched, but not hollowed out.”

My mind raced. The changeling wasn’t keeping the bodies. It was just snacking. A quick charge. Why sample when it could have the whole meal? What were we missing? Maybe it was feeding on magic? A variant ability yet to manifest? The stain wasn’t just a clue. It was a signature. A disruption in the flow. A dark spot in the ley lines where something hungry had passed and tore out a chunk. Every print led back to Jude.

All in all, a hell of a first Monday back. Eyes on me, eyes on my team, the fate of the weave hanging by a thread I couldn’t even see.

But I knew one thing: there was only one creature who might have the answers.

We had to find the changeling.

4

ANGEL

Ezra pulled into the hospital lot alongside the tactical van. Bobby slid out, gave the van a weary shake of his head, then climbed into our SUV, crouching awkwardly between the seats.

“Can’t find the bug,” he said, voice low. “But it’s there.”

Every word from here on out was for an audience. I bit back a sigh. “What about the cultists? Any leads?”

Bobby shook his head and pulled out his tablet. “Gerald McKaley. Coma for a few months. Family reported a sudden cognitive shift. At first, they wrote it off as dementia. But he wasn’t just confused. He was ranting. About rituals. Shadows and summoning. But if he’s part of the cult, I haven’t found a way to tie him back to it.”

“And the other patient?”

“A child. Cadence Lorenzo. No mention of the parents summoning anything or chronic illness,” He grimaced. “Brief personality shift after a bad flu. Parents wrote it off until they heard her speaking a language no one could identify. Seizures, abnormal brain activity. Doctors can’t define it. They expect she’ll be variant, but the band hasn’t shown up yet.”

Was the changeling still tied to her? Or had she already been taken?

“Could you tell if it was a changeling instead of the kid by looking at her?” I asked Remi.

He waved his head as if to say maybe? “Can’t say until I see her.” He pointed at his eyes. “Maybe you can?”

“Same,” was all I offered. Jude hadn’t known Jonah had been taken until the changeling had manifested itself. But he’d also gotten really good at narrowing down the lines of energy that made up reality. Would he know? I hesitated to tug on him again since we weren’t across the Veil. “Let’s go.”

We unloaded. I clipped on the bodycam, gaze fixed on the hospital entrance.

“We start with the girl. If she’s still connected, maybe we can get lucky and question a changeling today.” And save the kid before she got ripped out of life permanently to become a supernatural battery.

Victor lingered at my side, shadows deeper than usual under his eyes.

“You want to wait in the van?” I offered. Maybe nap?

He frowned, shook his head. Then a careful nudge brushed my mind.

I’m here to keep an eye on you. Orders.

Who? Hanna?