Thomas's body was found at dawn.

A Forsaken patrol discovered him three blocks from the compound—chest opened by a single, precise wound that still carried traces of divine residue. His eyes were frozen wide, mouth locked in a scream that never finished. He'd been dead for hours.

"Angelic blade," Sariel confirmed, crouching beside the corpse. Her fingers hovered over the wound without touching it. "Clean kill. Professional. Whoever did this wanted him to die knowing exactly what was ...