I raised my head and met Malachi’s eyes. There was no apology there. Only a brutal calm. If I told him to do terrible things to Clarence, he would. Without hesitation.

Clarence obviously knew it, too. He hissed at Malachi and then squealed when my Lieutenant feinted toward him and pulled back just as quickly. I would have had to use a scimitar to cut the thick haze of hatred between them. Clarence’s fingers curled into fists as he glared at Malachi. He opened his mouth and closed it again, clamping down on whatever words he was about to spew. Then he hitched a hideous grin onto his face and looked at me.

“You can do what you want with me, girl, but we won’t leave your friends alone unless you come to us. You can’t stop us. You can only postpone the inevitable. But the longer you wait, the worse it will be.”

This time, I stepped in front of Malachi before he reached Clarence, who started to giggle. “Oh, dear, things have changed, haven’t they? Is it her soul, Captain? Or her body? Will you miss her when she’s gone? Or will you still crave her when the Queen is wearing her skin?”

The knife zinged over my shoulder before Clarence finished his sentence. He shrieked and threw his head back. His left ear plopped to the ground next to him. I spun around and stared at Malachi, whose gaze was riveted on Clarence.

“Do that again, and you’re going upstairs,” I said quietly. I firmly reminded myself that Malachi was protective because I was his Captain, and for no other reason, and then turned to face Clarence again. “Sorry, dude. Here you go.” I picked up the ear and dropped it in his lap, trying to make it look like it was all part of the plan.

“When you’re in our city, I will return this favor,” he growled, staring at his bloody ear.

“You’re not going back there,” I said. “Ever.”

His head jerked up. “Humans are so stupid. This body won’t hold up.” He chuckled grimly. “It won’t last long at all. Your idea of forever is very limited.”

I talked directly to the monster hiding behind his gray eyes. “At first, you don’t know what’s happening. The dark tower is only a building, after all.”

Clarence’s eyes narrowed.

“It seems simple enough. Just walk through the lobby. It shouldn’t take more than a minute, right?” I closed my eyes and tensed against the shudder. “But then the doors disappear. It’s the funniest thing.”