The witches who had tried to kill Samael had used these chains on him. With enough time, the sheer force of his power would have snapped them, but while I had power, Samael was power. I’d had a glimpse of it when he’d killed close to thirty witches with little more than a glance. And yet, those chains had blocked his ability to access that power. If they’d made Samael unable to access his power, I’d be completely helpless.

If Rose put those chains on me, I was screwed.

Betrayal stabbed through me like broken glass. Two and a half years I’d been a contractor for the council. Not only had they fired me, but now, they wanted to put fucking Naud chains on me?

I bared my teeth at Rose. “If the mages want me to answer some questions, I will. But if you think I’m wearing those chains, you’re dreaming.”

Not only were the chains guaranteed to render me powerless, but they were meant to humiliate me. The Mage Council did the same to Mella, the selkie who was chained in the facility’s library. Since they’d hidden her skin from her, she was already completely powerless, but they’d put her in chains anyway. Because they wanted to prove a point.

Look what happens to the people who betray us.

Rose planted her feet. “Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I’ve had a very bad day. I’ll come in, but I’m not wearing the chains. Don’t push me on this.”

“I can have backup here in two minutes.”

I laughed, and it echoed through the room. It didn’t sound anything like me. “Bring your backup,” I dared her. Then I dropped my shields.

Power greeted me like a long-lost lover, caressing every inch of my skin. It urged me to make an example of the bounty hunter who’d dared to try to chain me.

Rose went white. She was very still. Prey. That’s what she looked like.

“What about now? Would you like to chain me now, Rosie?”

Wow, unseelie power made me into kind of a dick.

But Rose wasn’t holding out the chains anymore. She handed them to another bounty hunter. The backup. He’d arrived while I’d been attempting to control the power that urged me to kill everyone in sight. I bared my teeth at him.

Then I packed my power away, shoving it down beneath my shields. It hurt.

“Let’s go.”

I followed them out of the store. Out the corner of my eye I saw movement. Vas.

His expression was hard as his gaze took in the bounty hunters behind me. I gave him a nod. I was fine.