“That’s the best you got?” Roth laughed, and I really wished he’d shut up, because the table was now digging into my palms and it was starting to hurt. “You need to do better.”

“I haven’t even begun to show you what I can do.” Faye’s voice was thick like mud.

“And neither have you seen what I’m capable of.” Roth placed his hands palms down on the table.

The scent of sulphur hit the air and the table shattered into dust within a nanosecond. Everything that had been on the table—the glass, the tea candle, the napkins—was gone. Even the journal Faye had had.

Okay. Now that was really cool.

As I shot to my feet, the witch’s rage pulsed like a shock wave, rippling through the restaurant, and my grace answered, sparking to my skin.

“Deal with her.” Roth spun toward the dining area. “I’ll deal with them.”

Them happened to be the other twenty or so witches who were also levitating.

Faye lifted a hand, and the air seemed to vibrate above her palm. Her lips moved in a low, quick chant I couldn’t make out. A ball of fire appeared.

I darted to the side as the softball-size ball of flames hit the booth I’d been sitting in. The wood caught fire, swallowing the entire booth way too fast, reminding me of the fire the demon Aym had wielded.

“That was so not nice!” I spun back to the witch.

Instinct kicked in, and I could feel my grace powering down my arm, demanding to be used. I couldn’t. Not yet. Not with Bambi still on the witch. If I killed her, it would kill the familiar.

Another ball of flames formed above her hand as a shriek of pain and a blast of heat came from the direction of Roth. Faye’s gaze darted to our right.

I charged her, catching her in the stomach with my shoulder. She shouted as I brought her to the floor. The ball of flames flickered out as her body bounced off the hardwood. I went down with her, digging my knee into her stomach. She grunted as she swung her hand toward me.

“Oh, Hell no.” I caught her arm at the wrist and then the other. “No more fire tricks. Release Bambi.”

Faye tried to buck me off, but she wasn’t trained to fight, at least not physically. I easily restrained her, pinning her arms at her head. “Get off me!” she screamed.

“Not going to happen.” Another burst of hot air exploded, from Faye this time, and the air around her began to distort. Her skin heated under my hands, and holy crap, she was about to light up like the Human Torch.

Oh, Hell to the no.

I grabbed her by the throat, cutting off her air before she even realized she’d taken her last breath. “Don’t even think it.”