The glass isn’t so much as dented from my last attempt. Even if I had a knife, it would take too long to chip away.

Ethan treads water below, his gun above his head.

“You need to shoot it!” I scream.

He nods, paddling back, aiming his gun.

I close my eyes and brace myself.

Tiny shards of glass pelt my face and arms like hail.

I open my eyes. An inch of glass remains.

“Again!” I yell.

He bobs with the flow of the water.

I try not to think about what will happen if he misses.

Glass bites me again. So many tiny cuts open my skin, it feels as if I’m bleeding from my very pores. I’m bleeding magic, and I can feel the hunger of this place—its desire to have me in its garden.

The keyhole is visible. I put the key in and turn.

The glass melts into liquid.

I slam into white marble.

My knives clatter around me. I sit and pull my knees up so I can stick my knives back into the sheaths in my boots. My skin bleeds. I don’t bother calling on magic to heal it. I don’t want to.

Noise drifts over me—laughter, clapping, exclamations of who won this round. My name and Ethan’s get shouted in equal measure. Someone takes bets.

I pull myself to my feet and turn to him.

“We make a good team.” He smiles without feeling, his only purpose to get a rise out of me.

“I will kill you,” I snarl, stalking toward him. My bones scream in protest. My body will be blooming bruises soon. Nadine is a gaping hole in my stomach. She wouldn’t have quit if he hadn’t shot her.

Roman is at my side in an instant. Lips near my ear, voice carefully soft. “You know she’s not completely gone.”

The garden. I know. I can’t stop picturing it.

I fight the desire to see Ethan bleed and straighten.

Ethan runs a hand through his wet hair and stands it on end, turning to address Natasha coming up behind him.

Roman lays his hands on my arms and my wounds disappear.

I thank him, even though part of me wanted to keep them. They reminded me of the thorns tearing Willow’s—and now Nadine’s—skin to pieces. The cuts gave me a little piece of their suffering to hold on to. Otherwise, I might quit. I might leave in the night and see if I could make it out without the magicians catching me. I could hide like my mother tried to, but I’d have to leave Parker for good.

“Thank you.” The voice behind me is unusually tentative.

I turn and meet Aristelle’s eyes. She doesn’t drop her gaze, and neither do I.

“I didn’t do it for you.” I glance behind her at Reina and Diantha. “Any of you.”