"No." She gave me a small smile then yawned. "Thank you."
“Very well.” I bowed slightly. “I’ll leave you alone.”
I quietly closed the door and returned to my post at the window. I shut off the lights and waited.
But my mind kept drifting back to her—the flush on her cheeks, her hand in mine. I forced myself to focus on the street below. I had bigger problems than a blue-eyed witch who made my pulse race.
The street below stayed empty. Silent.
Then a figure emerged from the shadows.
My blood went cold.
Long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. An immaculate suit that had no business in a place like Maddenvale. Even from up here, I knew exactly who it was.
Ari. The Dark Demon.
My stomach turned. When had he slithered back into the Elder Dimension? I'd heard nothing—not a whisper, not a rumor.
And what had happened to Joy DuPont? She'd been imprisoned with me in the queen's dungeon. It was because of her that I'd escaped. Ari had wanted to use her shadow magic to open a portal, to bring the queen's army into another world.
His plans must have failed. She must have stopped him somehow. But at what cost? Had she died trying?
Damn it, I should have found a way to rescue her from the queen’s dungeon.
But Ari’s failed plans only made him more dangerous. More desperate.
A demon with nothing left to lose.
If he knew about Alice and her magic, the bastard would try to use her to fuel his plans again. He'd done it before—used people, twisted them into whatever he needed, forced them to obey. Alice would be no different.
I couldn’t let him near her.
The thought surprised me. A few hours ago, she'd become my prisoner. Now I was ready to kill to protect her.
What the hell was happening to me?
I pressed myself back into the darkness, barely breathing. He didn't look up—but that meant nothing. A demon like him didn't need to look. He could feel fear the way a shark smelled blood.
Then the queen's soldiers dragged two struggling figures into the street.
No.
Steel and Flint. The twins fought against their captors, but there were too many. A soldier forced Steel to his knees. Another cracked Flint across the face.
My hands clenched into fists. Every instinct screamed at me to go down there, to fight, to do something.
But I'd be dead before I reached the street. And then Alice would be alone. Defenseless. With a demon who would smell her magic like blood in the water.
Ari circled the twins slowly, savoring their fear. He said something I couldn't hear and motioned with his fingers. Steel spat at his feet.
Two harpies swooped down, their long black hair streaming behind them like dark banners, their human faces twisted into sneers that made my stomach clench. Before I could move—before I could do anything—they sank their talons into Flint and Steel's shoulders and launched skyward.
"No!" The word ripped from my throat, useless.
Their massive wings beat the air, each powerful stroke carrying them higher, and I could only watch as Flint struggled against the grip, his legs kicking at nothing. Steel had gone rigid, his face pale even from here.
Damn it. Damn it.
