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I’ll be there soon, Empress. I’m almost finished.

Finished?I say, alarm bells going off in my head.With what?

The interrogation.

Oh, fuck.

Dropping the mask, I dash toward the wrought iron spiral staircase. I glance up it, hearing the low notes of Memnon’s voice from somewhere up above.

Bloody boils. I take the stairs two at a time, the structure shivering as I pound my way up it in my haste to get to Memnon.

The stairs lead to a narrow antechamber with an open archway out. On the other side of it, I can see what looks like some sort of teacher’s lounge, and on the far side of the room, Memnon is holding a woman by the throat, her feet flailing as she tries to rip away the sorcerer’s hand. Her pale green magicsnaps at Memnon, but whatever spells she’s casting, they’re not deterring my mate in the slightest.

“Memnon!” I cannot leave this man alone for five fucking seconds. “Put the woman down,” I say in Sarmatian.

Memnon glances over his shoulder at me while he reluctantly lowers the woman back to the ground.

“Hello, my queen,” he says smoothly, like he wasn’t just choking a witch out. A witch hestillholds by the throat.

I stride forward. “You cannot accost people and treat them like threats,” I say.

I don’t mean for that to be a direct order, but in response to it, Memnon’s hand opens, and he releases the witch, who then tries to bolt. Memnon blocks her escape with his body.

“You may want to qualify that command,” he says, sending his magic to the door the witch is rushing toward. When she gets to it, the handle won’t turn. Her own magic flares out to combat Memnon’s spell. “We might be stumbling on a lot of bad people.”

She knows things,est amage,he adds silently.

Aw man. I can feel a stress headache already brewing.

Fine, disregard my last command. Just be gentle with her.

As soon as I give the order, Memnon’s magic wraps around the witch’s midsection andgentlydrags her to a nearby couch.

“Stay,” he orders. His magic flows out of him at the command and restrains her against the seat.

Goddess, but Ihatethat spell of his. I’m also trying not to hyperventilate at the fact that I’m now allowing Memnon to manhandle people on my behalf. Considering we’re somewhere inside the Henbane Coven’s main buildings, this witch is likely an instructor.

My misgivings overwhelm me. I’m about to call the sorcerer off when he speaks again.

“I think you’ll be very interested to hear what Lauren here has to say.”

The woman, who looks to be in her midthirties, glances between each of us, her light brown hair disheveled and her eyes frightened. More of her magic sifts out of her as she fights Memnon’s hold. It’s an exercise in futility.

“Let me go,” she demands.

Memnon folds his arms and tilts his head. “Tell her”—he nods to me—“what you told me, then maybe I will.”

This is so wrong. This isn’t what I meant at all when I asked for Memnon’s help.

Is it not?he responds.I think you needed an excuse to be unleashed, and I’m it.

The witch in front of us interrupts our silent conversation. “I—I was just down in the tunnels restocking it with supplies.”

My brow furrows and I look from Memnon to her. “Why does that room need to be stocked with food?”

The witch, Lauren, shifts her attention to me, and there is a flicker of recognition. Unfortunately, even with my memories back, I don’t recognize her.

“We always keep the tunnels stocked with f-food. In c-case of emergencies.”