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For a moment, she couldn’t speak. She could hardly think straight.

The very thing Genoveva had been afraid of and went to war over had come true. And all because she’d attacked the shadow fae and forced them into the Abyss. Without the fae wars, they may have never learned how to use dark magic.

But necromancy… Well, fuck.

In the darkest parts of her, the thought of being able to summon the dead to do her bidding—to fight Magnus and his army—was more than a little appealing. She knew she should feel guilt at taking away the free will of the dead and summoning them from their place of rest—just as she should feel guilt at using the syphen to control the erox. But this sounded like the very edge she sought. And like the syphen, she could utilize their assistance to rescue Elias before returning them to their place of rest. She didn’t intend to take anyone’s free will indefinitely.

An increasingly distant part of her railed against the potential that she—an enchantress—could be the very thing she’d been taught to protect humankind from.

“Even if I believed you and agreed to let you unlock this magic,” she began carefully. “We need a way out of the Abyss.”

The Everdark made a rumbling sound that she thought might have been a laugh. “And who do you think helped you find the shadow fae? To make the map work when you failed to do so?”

She gaped. “What I felt outside the gateway… The reason I wasn’t ill passing through it… The map suddenly working… That was all you?”

“Yes.”

It should be a knock to her pride, her capability as a magic wielder. But rather than feeling shame for not being able to use the map properly, all she felt was unfettered shock.

“You’re the key to leaving the Abyss,” he continued. “Only creations of the underrealms can open the gateway to leave this place—and only those strong enough.”

“What’s the catch?” she said past the tightness in her throat. Damn it. This wasn’t the time to feel fear. Not when so much was at stake. “Power is never free. Using my shadow magic has made me become less human. What does unlocking demon magic do?”

The greater demon seemed to pause for a moment. She could have sworn it studied her intently before saying, “What differentiates demons from the other races?”

Eyes narrowing, she said, “Demons feed on life—consuming souls, essence, blood, or some other fundamental part of the living—in order to sustain their own lives or to wield magic.” Realization dawned. “No. You can’t mean I’d…”

The shadows that were the Everdark moved, seeming to nod. “If you fully unlock your magic, you’ll awaken the part of you that is a demon. The part of you that needs tofeed. I’ll give you one day to consider. One day to choose me willingly. Until then, perhaps you need to see just what your refusal will cost you.”

Sudden horror burned through her.

Before she could respond, to demand to know more, a shadow struck her in the chest. Gasping, she flew backward across the dark landscape. The Everdark grew smaller in the distance until she could no longer see him.

Eventually, she crashed into the not-ground and rolled to a stop. It didn’t hurt, exactly. But she gasped, struggling to regain her breath.

What the fuck?—

Then the darkness stirred, and another shape appeared.

Sudden tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them back. “Elias?”

When her mate turned to her, he didn’t reach for her. There wasn’t happiness or even relief in his gaze. Instead, his face grew pale, and he flinched away.

Her heart dropped. “What have they done to you?”

Chapter Twenty-One

ELIAS

“Elias?”

It was Arabella’s voice, and he peeled his eyes open with effort.

She stood at the entrance of Magnus’ tent, garbed in her leathers and with her two swords in crossing sheaths on her back.

Exhaustion weighed on his limbs, and he couldn’t bring himself to move from where he hung slack in the X. His wrists throbbed, and his shoulders screamed from the pressure. But he couldn’t stand even if he wanted to. It was all he could do to open his eyes and remain conscious.

Arabella ran over to him, an urgency alighting her gaze. But rather than reaching for his restraints and freeing him, she cupped his cheek in a hand.