I remembered Benedict had similar tattoos across his chest and back, but he’d never mentioned them. “When did you get them? After we got here?”

Thad blushed, looking away. “After the incident in the laboratory. I realized I needed them to maintain control.”

He crossed the space of the small room in the blink of an eye, sitting down next to me on the bed. Uncomfortably, my thoughts were brought back to being tied down to that flat stone, unable to move or defend myself. I remembered the feel of his fingertips ghosting along my ribs, and to my surprise, I felt wistful. Shame warred with arousal, and I startled as Thad lifted my hand and set it on top of the tattoo. His nostrils flared, and I inhaled sharply at the tingle of magick that met the pads of my fingers. It stung me, biting into my skin and sending a small shock through my body.

“It acts as a neutral point and siphons off the excess. The original demons who came here lost their ability to perform black magick and quickly became overrun by white. Without a balance, it drives you insane and the magick turns destructive. I saw Benedict had something similar in Cantrada and asked him about it. The half-breeds have adapted the process, and it’s already had a large effect on helping them. If the demons have a way to dispel the extra magick it maintains balance and their sanity.”

I swallowed, wondering how many blood witches had to die before they figured it out or if they willingly told the demons their secrets after enough torture. Then I wondered how Benedict had learned about it, then implemented it on himself. It seemed as though my mate had more secrets than I’d imagined.

“If white magick is so bad, why don’t people just do black? Benedict usually—”

Thad gently removed my hand, dropping it to my side. “That’s not possible, either. Just like white magick can make someone dangerous to everyone around them, too much black magick can destroy you from the inside out. Overdoses of black magick lead to depression, sorrow, and you could even lose yourself enough to commit suicide. Balance is crucial.”

That meant you had to practice both forms of it.

“You’re teaching the demons black magick.”

Thad flushed. “What I learned from Benedict, yes. It seems a fair trade for what they’ve done for me.”

Right, because he was one of them, a demon. Did Benedict know his knowledge was being used to help the enemy? I turned over in the bed, putting my back to Thad. I expected him to return to his chair, but he surprised me by sighing deeply, then sliding under the covers next to me. My body went rigid, but he only rolled over, our backs to each other. His breathing quickly leveled out, and I relaxed.

Chapter Ten

Benedict

There were only two dinners left, including this one. Astrid kept kicking at my shins from under the table, letting me know just how displeased she was with our (my) lack of progress. Even Spike had a forlorn, resigned air around him. Little did they know I had already set a plan in motion. There was a scuffling noise and muffled shouts from out in the hall. The guards stood straighter, eyeing the door warily, their hands reflexively gripping the hilts of their swords. We all paused to look up at the massive double doors, everyone but me flinching when they were easily kicked open. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide an inappropriate smirk, while Astrid and Spike just gaped. Every other courtier and nobleman froze in their positions, staring at the wild creature who’d just stomped through the palace as if she owned it.