Something brushed against me: Mia slipping past, positioning herself more strategically. Cage made a show of folding his arms, keeping the hunter’s attention on him. “You really think you’re going to take us all on by yourself?” he demanded.

At last, the Silver Oni spoke. “Hold still, Mia,” he said, his voice tinged with amused malice. “Or I shoot Alexei in the head.”

I blinked. Something about his voice was familiar. Was he copying the Silver Oni’s tone from the films too? But no, that wasn’t it. Everything about this guy was familiar. I’d known it from the moment that mask glimmered in the marketplace. Who was he?

Beside me, Cage had gone ramrod straight. “Take off your mask,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

“Let’s see you, Mia,” the Oni continued. “Right now. If you’re not standing in front of me in three seconds, I’ll kill Alexei. I don’t care about the bounty. I have this thing set to full power.”

I got to two counts in my head before Mia shimmered into view between us and the hunter. I couldn’t see her face, but her posture told me she was furious. The Oni gestured. “Back up,” he said, and Mia complied, retreating until she hit Alexei, who quietly pulled her behind him.

I looked to Cage. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed something strange about this guy. But whatever I’d hoped to find in his expression: reassurance, confusion, just that moment of shared camaraderie—it wasn’t there. Instead, Cage had focused all of his attention on our adversary. “Take off your mask,” he repeated, his voice stronger, carrying a ring of authority.

“You sure that’s what you want?” The Oni laughed, although there was no humor in it; more like bitterness. “Is that what everyone wants, or is Cage making decisions on the group’s behalf again?”

Rune pushed through us, dodging Cage’s attempt to grab her. She stood directly between her brother and the Oni, her eyes even wider than usual, her hands clenched into fists. She opened her mouth to speak but seemed to trip over her words and just stood there, staring, her entire body trembling.

Silence settled over the group. We all felt it now. Something was wrong. This wasn’t your typical bounty hunter. He knew us too well. And we . . .

The Silver Oni hesitated. Slowly, he returned his sword to its sheath at his side. Then, keeping the stun gun trained on us, he reached up and slid the mask aside.

A collective gasp echoed through the hallway. “Matt?” asked Cage, his doubt and fear so strong they echoed through my own terrified heart.

My knees gave way. I dropped to the floor, gaping up at him as disbelief warred with terror and elation. Seeing Matt standing here, alive and . . . well, alive, brought back every second of that moment on Sanctuary. The alien scream. The tearing claws. The gun bucking in my hands.

I’d killed him.