“This one,” he said, resting his hand on a doorknob. He tried turning it, but it was locked. “I can smell it strongest here.”

Rylan pulled the captain’s key ring from his pocket, then made an educated guess as to which key to use. Thankfully, he got it right on the second try, and the door swung open to reveal an elegantly furnished guest room.

“This must be where Thorgana or her emissaries stay when they come to visit,” I said, looking at the thick carpeting and hand-carved furnishings. The room was nicely appointed, but lacked any sort of personal effects, suggesting that no one was currently occupying it.

“The scent is strongest over there,” Rylan said, crossing to the opposite wall where a desk and chair sat. He picked up the writing implements and paper that sat atop the varnished surface, sniffing.

“It’s the clock,” Iannis told me. “I can see the magic surrounding it.”

“I think it’s this clock,” Rylan said before I could relay the message. He reached up to grab the round brass object, which hung over the desk.

“Wait!” Iannis cried, and my heart rate shot up at the alarm in his voice.

But it was too late. Rylan’s fingers curled around the clock, and he brought it down with a tug. As it separated from the wall, a strange red glow burst from the face, and bolts of energy struck Rylan in the chest.

“No!” I shrieked as Rylan let out a cry of pain. He toppled backward, and everything went black.

18

“Rylan!” I screamed as the campsite came back into view around me. I’d been unceremoniously knocked out of his head when he lost consciousness, and I had no idea what was going on. My palms were sweaty, my heart pounding with fear for my cousin. Had the shock killed him?

“Rylan, wake up!”

“I think he’s alive,” Iannis said quietly. His violet eyes were heavy with concern, but he didn’t seem nearly as worried as I was. “That booby trap might have been strong enough to kill a human, but not a healthy young shifter. I do hope he doesn’t stay unconscious for long. We need him to destroy the clock, and if someone were to happen upon him before he wakes, we could lose our only chance of getting inside.”

“Fuck.” I jumped up and began circling the fire pit, agitation in every step. “Why didn’t you see the booby trap sooner?” I asked, unable to keep the accusation from my voice.

“Sunaya…” Fenris began, his eyes narrowing. But Iannis shook his head, and he subsided.