The level of derision in his voice was scalding. I balked, a blush staining the back of my neck. I didn’t want to talk about my relationship with Benedict and certainly not to Thad about it.

“Where are we going then, if you aren’t helping me escape?” I asked, trying to talk about anything other than the weird tension that lay between us. If it was true that he’d risked his life to get blood for me, then it just became a lot harder to hate him. He flashed me a winning grin, which only made me glower more at him.

“One of the other demons mentioned a hidden bathing chamber. I found it last week, so I’m taking you there to bathe. You stink.”

There it was. My wings burst through my back and I growled at him. The collar heated against my skin but didn’t choke me. Thad eyed me skeptically, his hand on the door.

“So, you don’t want to clean off?”

Well, of course I did. I just didn’t want it to be him ordering me there. He pushed the door open, cocking an eyebrow at me. He waited for me at the threshold, and I tried to stand. My legs wobbled, weak from spending so long in bed. I grabbed the top of his table, putting weight on my arms while my legs adjusted. My fingers stretched out along the wood, bumping a small knife onto the floor. Thad glanced down the hallway, and without hesitating, I picked it up and slid it under the thin band of fabric around my breasts.

“Are you coming?”

I took a step forward and tripped over the stupid chair. My face hit the floor first, and I hissed in pain. The superior smirk on his face flickered before solidifying once more. He grunted in impatience before sweeping me into his arms. I shifted into my human form with a scowl, my wings and spine ridges disappearing into smooth skin. Neither of us said a word as he stomped through the fortress, his grip on me tight. I wondered at his ease with traversing this vast castle already. Had I been here for weeks or months now? It was becoming harder and harder to ground myself.

“Here we are.”

He kicked open the door, and I flinched as it slammed against the wall. It was dark here, with only bits of candlelight reflecting off the smooth, glassy surface of the large pool. Thad flicked his fingers to light the other candles, and the room was washed in a dull, orange glow. I didn’t see the shallowness of the water or think of how badly I needed to be cleansed. All I saw was a black, endless abyss. I heard the raging river we’d used to escape the lykos, the pounding current roaring in my ears. I remembered the heaviness as it pulled me down and away from my mates, pushing against my lungs and daring me to breathe in and end it all. The chains on my body felt tighter, more constricting.