“If you let her scream, she can use her voice magicks.”

I heard Severn grunt, the whisper of fabric reaching my ears as he tried bandaging his wounds to no effect. Severn snarled and grabbed the demon nearest him, draining him of blood as his kept spilling out of his body, refusing to clot. I would have laughed if I could.

“Then hurt her so badly that all she can think to do is scream!”

Well, he was officially pissed. Thad’s hand on my back tensed. Everything slowed down, and as I jerked my head up, I saw everything. The mad hatred in Severn’s eyes and Thad’s calculating glance. The uneasiness of the demons and other soldiers around, their eyes lingering with distaste on the dead body of their comrade, their lips thinned in displeasure. Thad leaned down close to my ear, his hand wrapping around my throat. His voice was a punishing snarl as he squeezed, so I almost missed what he whispered against me.

“Would you ever willingly choose me?”

All around me was noise. Demons shouting at Thad to get on with it, Severn’s murderous words, and even through the fear, I couldn’t lie to him. Not after what we’d been through. He wanted me to nod or shake my head, but I was tied down too tight to answer. I stared at him, then felt the collar loosen. That’s when I struck.

I belted my voice as loudly as I could, a thunderous, middle pitch that echoed off the stone and marble. Demons and vampyres flinched around me, fumbling to cover their ears. Severn was knocked to the ground, unable to reassert his control immediately. Thad grabbed the nearest sword from a nearby demon and slammed it down on the table. My chains broke, and I didn’t hesitate to shift away.

I gathered my chains to my chest as I reappeared outside, in the glorious, glorious free air. I stretched my wings towards the horizon and pumped, my heart pounding in my chest. Thoughts of home, of my mates, of the witches—I stopped in midair, my wings flared to pause my ascent.

The witches.

I aimed for where the white magick felt the strongest, where the suffering and sorrow reached a tangible, horrendous peak. I dove into a window hard, a single demon present. I killed him almost immediately, not wasting anymore time. I was sick of waiting, sick of playing games. The demon was large, but I had surprise and momentum. His throat opened easily and I dropped him to the floor. I felt a wild, chaotic energy rise from his death, coaxing me to reach out and touch it.

I will tell you what I know.

I pulled my hand back. I didn’t want anything to do with white magick. I didn’t need it, it wasn’t necessary.

You’re already a killer.

My hand reached out, and the white magick slammed into my body. It found my fear, my rage, and the hole in my heart from being away from my mates. It saw every thrash of the cane, every harsh word from Benedict, and it fed. I opened my eyes as more demons poured into the room. They froze, confronted with a creature whose eyes had gone pure white.