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She’d already summarised that red meant anger and hunger, and white was fear. She could only guess that blue was sadness.

She didn’t know what orchid meant.

His skull twitched in her palm, and she was surprised the bone was so warm.

“That scent is gone from you,”he stated, quick huffs escaping him. He was sniffing her.“The one that smelt possessive.”

Her head darted back. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“If...” she started, lowering her voice to make sure the guard couldn’t overhear. “If I were to release you, would you promise not to harm anyone?”

She thought he would leap at the potential opportunity to escape. He didn’t, and his silence was crushing.

“Duskwalker?”

“Ingram. My name is Ingram. Do not take away my name when I only just obtained it.”

Emerie, done cleaning him and merely wiping at a now-white skull, stepped back.He has a name?Why did that gouge at her chest? A real monster... wouldn’t have a name.Does that mean someone cares about him?

Gosh. Was there someone out there whomissedhim?

“You did not answer me, Ingram,” she whispered, hoping he would follow her lead.

“Promises are things that should not be broken, yes?”She nodded.“Then I cannot promise this.”

Her lips parted at his honesty. He was a fool! He’d almost had her in the palm of his hands, and he’d chosen to reveal he’d gladly kill her fellow Demonslayers.

“Okay, fine,” she grumbled, turning her back to him so she could collect her supplies.

“You are angry?”his high-pitched tone of surprise was unmistakable.

“I’m not going to free someone who will go out of their way to hurt my people.”

“I would not be able to help it if they harm me, or I them.”

Her lips tightened. She halted from leaving to toss her head to the side and look at him from her peripheral. “How so?”

“Mavka cannot help letting their rage take over. We... do not always mean to hurt, especially if we have been harmed.”

Mavka? Is that what they call themselves rather than Duskwalker?

She slowly turned around to warily face him. “Sometimes it’s an accident?”

“Yes. Like when your people struck me with arrows as Iknockedon your gate. I could not calm down once they started to attack me.”

The word ‘knocked’ lingered in her mind.

Emerie cupped her chin in thought.I see. So Duskwalkers turn mindless? Like an instinct to destroy?At least when she killed, it was completely on purpose.Animals act out when cornered for self-preservation.

And if Wren and the other Elders had been doing this to a wolf or a bear – that was immortal and couldn’t die – she would have long ago tried to free it.

Hell, even humans behaved differently when cornered and afraid.

“I also hunger. The scent of blood calls to me. It is never-ending, never goes away.”

Emerie chewed at the right corner of her lips. She muttered, “If you smell blood, you’ll go bat-shit crazy like when we captured you?”

Great! The likelihood of that was high. He wouldn’t even make it out of the hallway just beyond his dungeon door before he lost his shit.