"Then we deal with her," Jade finishes, his voice making the words sound more threatening.
Agreement trickles through the bond from all of them. We have too many enemies to take chances with potential threats inside our walls.
That night, all six of us collapse in our shared bed. I'm too drained to do anything except lie there, surrounded by the people I love, trying to convince myself that we're going to survive this.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?" Stellan whispers into the darkness. "Dmitri's not going to stop. His followers will keep attacking. The Council will keep questioning. The violence will keep escalating until one side breaks."
No one answers. We all know he's right.
We've won battles, survived political attacks, defended our sanctuary. Exposed corruption. Changed the entire structure of Magila society.
But the war is far from over.
And I'm starting to wonder if we're strong enough to see it through to the end.
24
JADE
Lizcornersmethreedays after the Council session, and every demon instinct I have screams that this is a trap.
She finds me in the eastern courtyard where I've been helping younger students practice essence control. Teaching them that hunger doesn't have to be shameful, that consuming energy can be done ethically, that being different doesn't make them monsters. It's work I've come to love, watching their faces shift from fear to understanding when they realize their powers aren't curses.
But the moment I see Liz approaching, all that peace evaporates.
"Can we talk?" she asks, her aura subdued in a way it never was before. "Privately?"
My demon senses taste her emotions. Nervousness. Fear. Something that reads as genuine uncertainty. But I haven't forgotten how she treated Stellan, how she tried to make everyone afraid of him, how she used her position as enforcer to keep other students terrorized and compliant. And I definitely haven't forgotten that she's Dmitri's daughter.
My mates' reactions hit me instantly, a mix of curiosity and caution and protective warning.
They want me to hear her out. Most of them, anyway.
Fine.
"Training room three. Five minutes." I don't wait for her response, just turn and walk away. Let her follow if she's serious.
She does.
The training room is empty when I arrive, afternoon light slanting through high windows and illuminating dust motes that drift through the air. I position myself near the door, back to the wall, exits clearly visible. Old habits from years of being hunted for what I am.
Liz enters exactly on time, which surprises me. The old Liz would have made me wait, would have used tardiness as a power play. This version closes the door quietly and stands in the center of the room, making no move to claim advantageous ground.
"What do you want?" I ask, not bothering to hide my hostility. My demon form manifests fully as I speak. Horns curving back from my forehead, tail coiling behind me, wings spreading just enough to make my silhouette more threatening. If she's going to waste my time, she can at least be appropriately intimidated while doing it.
"I want to apologize." Liz's voice is quiet, and my demon senses taste sincerity layered over deep shame. "For how I treated you and your mates. Especially Stellan. I was wrong, and I knew I was wrong even while I was doing it, and I'm sorry."
The apology catches me off guard. I was expecting excuses, justifications, maybe even another subtle attack disguised as regret. But this feels genuine.
Feels. That's the operative word. I've been fooled before by people who knew how to project the right emotions while hiding their true intentions underneath.
"Why?" I demand. "Why were you such an ass if you knew it was wrong?"
Liz flinches but doesn't look away. "Because I was scared. Being an enforcer gave me power, made me feel safe in a place where no one was safe. And if I kept other people down, kept everyone afraid, then maybe I wouldn't end up being the one targeted next." She laughs bitterly, the sound hollow. "Turns out that kind of power just makes you lonely and hated. And it didn't protect me from anything. The moment my father fell, everyone who used to follow me disappeared. I went from being someone important to being Dmitri's daughter overnight."
The truth in her words is bitter on my tongue. The regret. The isolation. She genuinely despises what she became under her father's shadow.
But truth and trustworthiness aren't the same thing.
