Just like Ethan had predicted, it didn't take long for Rocky's Earth Ward to start weakening.
He was running out of gas.
The moment Ethan saw it, he made the call.
Rocky's done.
He sent separate commands to the two thralls, then used Telekinesis to peel the energy mark off his body—like ripping a thorn out of skin.
The instant it came free, Ethan snapped on Absolute Stasis and chained several Teleportations, vanishing from the battlefield.
Absolute Stasis lasted less than a second.
Then everything resumed like nothing had happened. Nobody on the scene even seemed to notice the "hiccup." They kept fighting as if the world hadn't blinked.
But the winged captain felt it.
Her head jerked toward where Ethan had been.
Empty.
No human.
"Shit." Her expression darkened. She'd expected him to run. But him removing her mark? That hadn't even been on her list of possibilities.
She started to move to pursue—
