Beside me, Sam joined in with our howls, spurring on my wolf even harder, drawing up more of our power that had been trapped inside. As our burning energy increased, it pushed past barriers I hadn’t even known were there. Power flowed from me until my howls echoed through the basement at an almost-deafening decibel. Sam eventually had to drop down and cover her ears with her paws, and while I didn’t want to hurt her, I couldn’t make myself stop.

On instinct, I directed the energy flowing from me toward that wall, and as it hit, a fire sprang to life, intense and bright in the dark room. There had been nothing to burn, but this sort of fire was fueled by my rage, with no need for any other accelerant.

Seemed my father had been right about me all along—I was a demon child.

Eventually, I was able to release the howl, my wolf slumping forward. Sam was there, her head under me, lifting me back to my feet, both of us staring at what I’d created.

Right where the silhouette had been was a swirling… portal, maybe? There was no way to tell what lay on the other side of it, since it was cloudy, but it was definitely not a solid wall any longer. Exhaustion pressed in on me as I stumbled forward, but I forced myself to take another step, scared that this portal might close before I found the energy to step through.

I braced myself when my nose touched the swirl, but there was no pain, just a rush of power across my fur. Turning my head, I nodded at Sam, hoping she’d understand that I was thanking her. She returned my nod with a little yip, and I let out a deep breath before returning to the portal, preparing to cross. Whatever lay beyond was my destiny… The truth that had been stolen from me.

I’d finally found my big break in this investigation, and I was not about to waste it.

14

It took less courage than I’d expected to step through a magical barrier into a completely unknown situation. I was that keen to be away from Torma and Torin that honestly, it could have been hell on the other side and I’d still think it was a better option.

When I arrived in a bright, stark-white hallway, I had to blink and adjust my sight, jumping at movement to my right before realizing it was Sam, her wolf so black that she appeared to be a shadow.

Sam! Fucking hell. She was not supposed to be here on this possibly very dangerous mission. I tried to nudge her back through the doorway, but of course, it faded out before I got her more than a step.