“It’s not like that, Kane. She was freaking out. We had to give her something, or she was going to go out looking herself. And I’m glad she called. You both know trying to fight Dean is like, literally so dumb, right?”

Kane adjusted his grip on the bat. “So you believe me that Dean’s the Dreadmare, then?”

Adeline rolled her lips together and looked over the river, clearly not wanting to answer this question. Elliot shrugged and said, “Doesn’t matter what we believe, to be honest. You guys are our team. If your beliefs are strong enough to bring you out here in the middle of the night, we should be right there beside you.”

Kane knew this was a peace offering, but he had something to say. “So where was our team when I brought this up at the conservatory? Be honest, Elliot. You’re only here because Ursula’s in danger, right? You know you can flirt with her without also trying to get brownie points for being an awesome team captain, right?”

Adeline outright cackled at the dumbstruck expression on Elliot’s face. She pulled herself into a barely contained smirk, and for a second she and Kane connected in the dark humiliation that burned between Elliot and Ursula. Kane decided he was starting to like Adeline.

“Wait,” Ursula said. “Wait, what?”

Elliot, blushing, waved away the jab. “I prioritize safety. I’m just being cautious. You guys know this about me.”

“And you know that we don’t have the luxury of caution,” said Kane. “Not when we’re the only ones able to take action. My choices may have cost one woman her life. Maybe two. Worry about yourself all you want, but don’t stop me from trying to get Helena back.”

Ursula put a hand on Kane’s shoulder. “We don’t know what happened to Maxine, and what happened to Helena wasn’t just your fault, Kane. You have saved many, many people from their reveries, and we should have listened to you when you spoke up for her. What happened was Poesy’s fault. The blood is on her hands.”

The group considered this.

“Her very well-manicured hands,” Adeline added.

Kane had to admit she was right. Poesy had great nails.

Adeline’s eyes were laughing at Kane. “You really thought you could take on Poesy and her Dreadmare?”

“No.” Kane still wasn’t sure how he felt about Poesy. Scared, sure, but he still felt her scariness was rooted in necessity. He didn’t want to confront her; he wanted to investigate her. Learn more about what she meant when she said she would “fix”Helena’s reverie.

“I thought Dean would help us in secret. I’m sure he’s part of…”

“Part of what?”