I stumbled back, breathing heavily as I stared at my dagger, lying inches from a pile of ruddy brown ash. There was silence. Nothing outside or inside my head. Just vast emptiness in this moment of quiet, and all I felt was...

Anger.

The anger was still there, muted and a little more hollow, but present.

“Thank you,” Roth spoke, shattering the silence. Slowly, I looked at him. “Thank you.”

“It had...it had to be done,” I said, my voice sounding thready.

Amber eyes met mine. “It did.”

“It was unavoidable,” the Crone stated. “We do not choose sides, and Faye’s repeated actions could be perceived as such. While her aid favored you in the past, self-serving deeds cloaked as gifts always turn. There’s always a price to be paid,” she said to Roth. Then to me, she said, “Do you know what she could’ve done with just a quarter’s worth of blood from a Trueborn?”

I shook my head.

“She would’ve been able to overthrow me and acquire another wanted item without earning it. Greed for power is one of the most dangerous things, as volatile as a loss of faith.” The Crone lifted her sharp chin. “You have nothing to fear from the coven. Your identity is safe.”

I nodded my thanks as my gaze flicked back to Faye’s remains. I bent down, picked up my dagger and then sheathed it as I rose, thinking of the Crone’s words about what Faye had led to her coven. Something worse than demons.

“May I ask you a question?” I asked.

The Crone’s eyes were shrewd. “You may ask one.”

Did she mean that literally? I didn’t want to ask in case she did. “Do you know who or what the Harbinger is?”

Those ancient eyes fixed on me and then shifted to Roth. “What did I tell you the last time you were here, Prince? That what you seek is right in front of your own eyes.”

Roth stiffened but did not respond, and I had no idea what that could mean since the Harbinger wasn’t right in front of us. I didn’t get a chance to question her further.

“You both need to leave.” She shuffled around but stopped. She looked over her shoulder, her gaze meeting mine. “I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again, but not with the prince. You will bring me something I have not seen before. A real prize.”

Uh.

I had no words. None whatsoever as I watched one of the witches lead her out of the restaurant. Only Rowena remained, and she was staring at the mess in a way that told me she had just figured out that she was going to have to clean this up. My gaze found its way back to the ash.

“A real prize?” Roth said. “I’m kind of insulted that she doesn’t consider me a real prize.”