Malice sighs, his eyes trailing to the ceiling. Fine. Then just do as you’re fucking told for once.

He turns from me and presses his palm to Fenryr’s chest. Sensing a threat, my beast rises to the surface, but then a weak golden light spreads across Fenryr’s skin, faint but undoubtedly real.

Healing magic. Why?

Sweat beads across Malice’s brow as his power spreads, threading Fenryr’s mutilated flesh together at a rate that’s much too slow for a demon of his caliber. Something is wrong. Malice isn’t as strong as he wants me to believe… then why is he pretending?

“Fuck,” he curses, his brow pinching as he attempts to heal the deepest of the wounds—the one right above his heart. The golden light flowing from his palm sputters, then fades entirely, leaving the gash half-mended.

Malice sits back on his heels, his muscles quaking as he sucks in shallow breaths of air. “Fuck… I knew I shouldn’t… shouldn’t have used it all…”

I tilt my head, confused by Malice’s words. It sounds like he made a mistake—like he used too much of his power doing something he wasn’t supposed to. But what?

Everything okay? I ask.

He shakes his head, gazing at his palms with frustration pinching his brow. I don’t know… I don’t know if it will be enough…

I don’t suppose you’re going to elaborate on that?

Malice’s mask slips back into place, and he raises his head with his signature grin. Nope. He takes a deep breath, then rises to a stand on shaking legs, refusing to address the rare moment of weakness. Everything is fine. It will have to be.

His eye twitches as he stalks toward the exit, his shoulders taut. As he passes by me, he tosses something to the floor, just within reach. A key.

Malice pretends not to notice it, so I don’t, either. He stops in the doorway, his hand curling around the iron bars as he turns his head to the side, not looking but addressing me all the same.

Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you two now. Places to be and lords to sabotage and all that. A low laugh rumbles in his chest as his gaze cuts toward me, shining with a cunning light. Fenryr will have use of his body in a few hours—well after the sun flips to night. Well after Slaine has lain down to rest for the day. And Fenryr will be pissed.

That’s… good to know.