Thad roared in anger but was quickly subdued by the shadow demons. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what to think. Wait. Yes, I did. “You’re experimenting with breeding.”

Severn leaned back in his chair, his fingers templed in front of his chin. “Indeed.”

I growled. “Because you’re letting the vampyres die out, the lykos have abandoned you, and demons can’t linger here long. You’re trying to replace them with something else. Something better.”

The smirk disappeared from Severn’s face.

I kept going, a different kind of fire shooting through my veins. “Is that why there are no demons in charge around here? They’re just your grunts? That’s why you needed witches, wasn’t it? Breeding with human women wasn’t working. You needed a more powerful being so the offspring would be stronger than the demons. Perhaps you got lucky with Thad.”

“Enough.”

The demon holding me yanked on my chain, choking me into silence. His hands held my chain, but his eyes were narrowed at Severn. I smirked in triumph, but Severn’s face was ugly.

“I wouldn’t be so smug. We now have new draken blood to experiment with.”

He snarled, and I pushed down the small flicker of fear that bloomed in my chest. It paled in comparison to the knowledge he’d just revealed to me unknowingly, unwittingly.

“Take her away.”

I laughed as they dragged me back through the parapets and down the staircases. I didn’t stop when they threw me into my cell without food or water, or even when the demons took out their anger with Severn on me. Each frustrated blow they landed was because they knew I was right. Severn didn’t care about anything other than his half-breeds. I laughed as my blood flecked the stone floor. I laughed because I had won. The witches were here, and they were alive.

Chapter Two

Benedict

I was confused when the blow caught me on the side of the head. Confused because I was surrounded by my own people, by Kieran, by—

I awoke furious, blood pounding in my ears as I shot straight up. Yarin the healer drew back, alarmed. Ronan was here too, but at the moment I couldn’t give a shit about the ten or so drakens who were clustered around me, their worry so tangible I could taste it. Despite the crowd, I knew instantly who was missing. I could feel the emptiness in my soul as acutely as if I were missing a limb.

“Where is she?”

I fought the lancing pain in my head, glaring at Kieran, who at least had the decency to look away in shame. I remembered we’d been fighting like possessed creatures to get to Wren, to make it before the lykos did with his band of demons. Instead of saving her, Kieran had chosen to save me instead. He was dead to me. Kieran darted out of the room as my angry gaze landed on him, my growl enough to make the others back away from the bed. I ignored the pain in my body as I forced it up and out, pushing through the crowd to our porch. Kieran turned to face me as I stepped out to meet him, his face lined with resignation. Good.