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“No.” Albert’s expression was growing increasingly annoying, yet something about it was causing my hackles to raise defensively. “But don’t you think it’s a bit strange how concerned he is about this girl?”

“I don’t have time for this.” Jameson sighed, glaring in exasperation. “Instead of trying to throw him into a rampage, you should be focusing on helpingme. This does not help. We’ve a schedule to keep.”

Albert lowered his arms back to his side, stepping back. “I am helping. If there’s a connection there, we could use this—”

“Whether he’s concerned or not isn’t even an issue—she’s gone.” Jameson pulled out his phone and began to swipe at the keys. “Our first priority is getting back on schedule; we still need to hold him until we get to base. It’s only further proof that our plan is divinely inspired that she was even there to help with this. Otherwise, this part would have taken months, the Overseers’s perception of time is much different than ours.”

Albert threw me another long look, then nudged at his companion. “He’s glaring at me. Don’t you think it’s the least bit perturbing? Who do you think she is—”

“Was.” Jameson cut in, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “And it doesn’t matter. Stop antagonizing the dragon and let’s go. We’ve some last-minute arrangements that require both our signatures.”

It was impossible to converse in words anymore. Despite my situation, and the bindings throwing flame and fire along every nerve, I continued to linger in that pinnacle state in between transformations. The monster in my head was roaring, fighting to free himself from this containment. In this lifetime, we’d never been closer to complete destruction than at this moment.

If only I could break free—there was no way I’d be able to be taken again in this state. And Jameson, at least, understood this. His expression was growing more unsettled each time he looked in my direction.

The energy they were using would wear off eventually, then nothing could stop me. They were dead—all of them. I’d waited to move on the Guild long enough and look where it had gotten me.

Fuck keeping a secret or working within the confines of the system. None of that mattered anymore.

The only thing that was important was revenge.

“He’s going to kill you.” Jameson’s calm voice didn’t match his growing discomfort. He was looking at Albert but didn’t seem to be concerned at all by this news. “You know that, right?”

“He can’t. We’re fine.” Albert was annoyingly confident as he ignored his much-wiser companion. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Notwe.” Jameson shrugged, heading for the door. “We will succeed, and you’re right, he’snotgoing anywhere. But you’ve pushed too far in whatever game you’re playing, and now you’ve made yourself the focus of a dragon’s fury. He’ll be with us for the rest of his short life, but thatlookis a promise. Even if it’s to his own detriment, and he’s surrounded by enemies, you’re going to die the second we give him any sort of leeway.”

Albert swallowed, and a fresh wave of anxiety radiated from the man. Finally, he was aware of his situation. “But… we won’t give him any leeway.”

“It’s your funeral,” Jameson called over his shoulder. “You’ll have better chances the sooner we leave, so we can finish this. So, let’s go.”

The growing scent of Albert’s discomfort was a balm over the raw edges of my hysteria. I wanted to smell more of it—I needed it. Nothing would make things right again, but to be able to surround myself in the scent of their terror, to see their blood stain the walls, might ease a fraction of the knot painfully pressing against my chest.

I could have reveled in their fear forever, it was almost a distraction from the sinking feeling in my stomach. But before anything else, I needed to get to them first—because, surely, the others were on their way. Someone must have felt something, or even noticed that Bianca had been gone longer than necessary. I had to escape if only for the chance to be the one who rent them limb from limb.

Because if they arrived before I could get free, I’d lose my chance.

Damen would take over. He’d been growing increasingly unstable as of late, and it would only take something like this to throw him over the edge. Julian and Miles too. None of them would hold back. There’d be no stopping any of us, and our enemies would pay.

But for once, I wanted to be selfish.

I wanted to be the one to kill them. This was personal.

The door slid closed, leaving me alone in the dimly lit room. A single lightbulb hung precariously on a wire far above me, and its unstable flickering was growing increasingly irritating.

Even that, though, failed to hold back the torrent of my thoughts.

Bianca.

Where was she now? Was it true that she was gone?

It was impossible to tell—it’d been growing harder to distinguish between what was real and my imagination. For example, Ithoughtshe’d liked me recently and was no longer afraid, but that could have been wishful thinking on my part too.

I’d been holding myself back. We wanted nothing more than to be close to her. I would go as slow as she needed—take as long as she wanted—before even approaching the subject of what arealmating would entail. After the incident at the hospital—after seeing how she reacted any time she was confronted with her past—it was obvious that until things were resolved there, she might not ever be ready.

That, at least, was something I could help with. If what she needed was a hero, for someone to solve her problems, I would do that for her.

Even then, I knew she might not ever be ready. But that was okay, because she’d be, at least, a little bit healed.