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Donika sat on the dais, her leg thrown over one arm of her throne. Today she wore a black tunic tucked into leather riding pants and knee-high riding boots. Was she heading out of the palace? As we were led into the room, the heavy doors were pulled shut behind us, leaving us alone in the room with Donika and her guards. Her wolves were nowhere to be seen.

The soldiers led us to the middle of the room before they pushed us down onto our knees before her.

“After your little stunt yesterday, I think I’ll keep you shackled…for now.” She grinned, as if this was a game to her.

“Afraid of me? What had you said yesterday…‘Just a little Stormshade, I don’t get what all the fuss is about,” I mocked. The soldier behind me kicked me in the back with a heeled boot for my insubordination. A grunt left me involuntarily before I regained my composure. Tess shot me a warning glare at my side.

“Oh, I am not afraid of you little Stormshade. You are weak and powerless. You are undermycontrol,” she scoffed. As if this weren’t obvious.

I swallowed down my next response, hoping to avoid being kicked in the back by the lumbering guard again. She didn’t appear to be in as forgiving of a mood today, and I had a bad habit of running my mouth when I shouldn’t.

“You know why you are here, little Stormshade. Let’s talk about the grimoire.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I replied honestly, the chain at my wrists jingling as I shrugged.

“There isn’t?” She feigned innocence, tapping her chin. “I already told you, there will be consequences if you do not give me what I desire, and I desire the grimoire.”

I was prepared to suffer those consequences. The grimoire had chosenme, it had belonged tomyancestors. I wasn’t about to give it up so easily, and to the Shadow Queen, no less. Who knew what dark and powerful spells there might be in there. I could never let her get her hands on it.

“So be it. Have it your way.” Her voice was cold as ice. I braced myself as she centered herself on her throne, raising her hands as dark shadows appeared at the tips of her fingers. No, not fingers...claws. They shot towards me, filling the room with their smoke, the sun from the windows quickly eclipsed by her darkness. I squeezed my eyes shut against her as I felt her magic lick at my skin, but it was Tess at my side who cried out.

“What are you doing?” I asked, the darkness obscuring my vision. I couldn’t see Tess but she cried out again, the chains at her wrists clanking together as she hit the floor with a heavy thud.

“Motivating you,” she raged.

“Stop it!” I cried as I felt around for Tess, finally finding her limp body in the darkness. The shadows cleared just enough to reveal her face, twisted in agony as she curled into herself on the floor.

“Tess doesn’t know anything! Stop hurting her!”

“Only if you tell me where the grimoire is…” Donika bargained. Is this what she planned to do? Torture everyone I cared about until I revealed its location? I was prepared to face the consequences myself, but I couldn’t put that on my loved ones. My family. I couldn’t put that on Tess.

“Stop!” I could sense my magic rising to the surface of my skin, but with the ash shackles bound tightly at my wrists the magic fizzled out with nowhere to go. My magic hit a wall, over and over again, quickly draining me as it tried to burst forth, but failed each time.

“This could all be over just like that.” Donika snapped her fingers together as her shadows parted, her lithe body descending the stairs of the dais to come and stand before us. Tess was motionless on the floor before me, her face still warped into a mask of pain. “It is all up to you, little Stormshade.”

“Stop calling me that,” I shot back, rising to my feet before her. “You would leave me alone? You would release me and let us go if I gave you the location of the grimoire?”

“Well, I didn’t say that…” Donika’s voice was smooth as silk, a master manipulator.

“Then what motivation do I have to give it to you?” I asked.

“For starters, I will stop torturing your friends. Eventually I would move on to your family…then I would move on to torturing you. That would be a last resort. I find it much more motivating to eviscerate my victimsemotionallyfirst, then physically. It’s always oh so much fun…” Her black eyes met mine. “I’ve heard you’ve taken a liking to my Nikolai.”

MyNikolai. The words rang hollow in my ears, and my stomach turned as my mouth went dry.

“I could arrange for you two to speak,” she offered, examining her perfectly polished nails. So, she didn’t know he had already come to visit us in the Stormvault, then.

“I don’t want to see him. He betrayed me. Used me. He brought me toyou,” I spit out.

“There are other things I can offer you…” she started.

“Why do you even care? It ismyfamily’s grimoire. You wouldn’t even be able to open it. The grimoire made itself known tome, it choseme. It is spelled against intruders. Why do you want it?”

Donika’s laugh rang out through the throne room, echoing off the stone walls endlessly.

“Oh, you really don’t know, do you?” she asked, her dark eyes bewildered.

“—know what?” I hesitated. The energy in the room had changed, and a cold chill ran up my spine as Donika’s shadows danced at my feet.