During the Feast of San Maximille at Château de Coste, the nobility gather in lavish finery while the hunters assume roles to bait their target. Gabriel, disguised as a servant with only a concealed dagger and silverbombs, circulates in the ballroom. Greyhand stands watch as a footman with his falcon Archer patrolling above, and Seraph Talon patrols inside as a house guard. Aaron attends as noble company on his mother’s arm. Despite the revels, there is no sign of Marianne Luncóit.

A young noblewoman in green with autumn-gold hair and blue eyes engages Gabriel, noting he is no true servant and that he arrived with Aaron’s party, but she departs without naming herself. Gabriel’s thoughts drift to Astrid, underscoring his divided loyalties and longing amid the decadent scene. As the night wears on without a sighting of Luncóit, Gabriel notices a different problem: Aaron, surrounded by admiring young women, is becoming dangerously drunk.

Gabriel intervenes under the pretense of a message from the Baron and confronts Aaron privately at the table. Aaron mocks Gabriel’s servant garb and points out that his cousin Véronique has been watching Gabriel, underscoring the predatory allure palebloods exert on bystanders. Gabriel warns Aaron that Greyhand will not tolerate his state during a Hunt, but Aaron dismisses the danger, claiming the quarry has likely fled.

Their argument intensifies as Gabriel accuses Aaron of hypocrisy and entitlement. Aaron, stung, reveals a painful history: his first love, Sacha, a commoner, was killed by the Baron de Coste when he discovered them together in a drunken rage; Aaron was nearly killed as well. That night his mother told him of his paleblood nature. Aaron’s confession reframes his animosity toward his stepfather and explains some of his bitterness, but it does not lessen Gabriel’s distrust.

Gabriel, still angry over Sister Aoife’s murder, presses his accusation: he saw Aaron sneaking from the Armoury on the night Vivienne la Cour escaped and Aoife was slain, implying Aaron’s involvement. The charge lands hard; Gabriel sees murderous rage flash in Aaron’s eyes and believes Aaron wants to kill him. The confrontation teeters on violence.

Before the quarrel can erupt further, both men simultaneously sense a presence—an unmistakable sign that their true enemy is near. The chapter closes with the hunters feeling Marianne Luncóit’s approach, shifting the stakes from internal conflict to imminent threat.