A kristallos drags Bryce into the pitch-dark river, clawing and biting as she struggles for air. Declan Emmet seizes her and hauls her to the surface while Ruhn declares the demon “down” and Flynn covers the water with his rifle. On the dock, Bryce coughs out water, surveys claw wounds, and processes Hunt’s absence.

Declan kneels and uses a rare Fae healing gift to close Bryce’s gash. Flynn needles her about being a “princess,” and Declan remarks how easily she gets under Ruhn’s skin. When Flynn asks where the demon came from, Bryce explains that heavy synth use can summon a kristallos, calling it a freak accident; Flynn counters it could be targeted. Ruhn warns the case may not be over.

Insisting on protecting her, Ruhn orders Bryce to stay with him. Furious over the failed trade for Hunt, Bryce refuses, deletes Ruhn’s contact in front of him, and thanks Declan and Flynn before leaving. The rift with Ruhn opens wider as she rides home, shaking but determined to be alone.

Back at her apartment, the emptiness without Hunt hits Bryce. She notes no one has taken his belongings and that she hid his sunball hat. In the bathroom, Declan’s healing continues to erase the kristallos marks; her back tattoo remains intact—“Through love, all is possible.” Though it once served as a clue, Bryce now dismisses it as nonsense, spiraling through grief for Danika, Connor, the Pack, her lost amulet, and Hunt.