Something had changed about Heine. The dogs presence seems to be fading, and with its departure, some of the pressure suffocating him seems to lessen. Not enough for him to wrench free from Heine's control, not yet, but enough for him to think and plan.

"I won't go near him."

And he intends to keep his word — the letter of it, at least, and not the spirit. He just has to make sure Jade comes to him. Eichel refuses to be deprived of another prize.