…and a firestorm erupted around us. Flames shot into the air, running up my back, spreading over my wings. It engulfed the Viper, surrounding her with fire, until she looked like a snarling, bat-winged demon from the pits of hell. Shrieking, she raked her claws down my neck, then slapped me across the muzzle with a flame-wreathed talon. Before, the gashes had merely stung; now it felt like a hot poker was being jammed up beneath my scales, then doused with acid. Pain exploded behind my eyes, snapping the final threads of clear thought, and I roared.

Pinning the Viper to the floor, ignoring the claws that slashed at me, I bared my teeth and aimed for that slender neck. My jaws clamped shut on the dragon’s throat, right below her chin, and Faith screamed, thrashing wildly. All four talons beat and slashed at me, back legs kicking my stomach, front claws trying to shove me off. I closed my eyes, braced myself and began to squeeze.

“Stop!”

I paused, jaws still clamped around the slender throat, as the dragon’s frenzied cry rang out, echoing off the rafters. “Wait, please!” Faith went on, her voice strangled. “Don’t kill me! Stop!”

Relief, swift and sudden, spread through me, making my legs tremble. I hadn’t really been planning to kill her, not like this. Viper or no, I couldn’t stand here and ever-so-casually tear someone’s throat out. No matter what Talon said, I was not Lilith, and I never would be.

I eased up a bit, though not enough to let go. “Why not?” I growled through my teeth. “Why should I trust anything you say?”

She writhed helplessly, tail beating frantically against my legs. “Because I’ll tell you about Dante,” she wheezed. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just let me live.” She swallowed hard, wings trembling. “Let me Shift back to human form,” she offered. “I can’t hurt you like that, right? And I won’t be able to run. I’ll Shift, and then I’ll tell you whatever you want. Your brother, Mist, Riley. Anything.”

I thumped my tail, as if I was considering a moment longer, then sighed. “All right,” I muttered, and carefully opened my jaws, letting her slump to the concrete. I needed that information on Riley and my brother, and I didn’t have the will for any more fighting. Not that I would’ve killed her anyway, but it was getting hard to move without sharp stabs of pain shooting all up my body. Turned out fire in open wounds was a bad idea. If she ran now, I didn’t think I could catch her, even as a human.