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“Finn.” I’d barely spared my brother a second glance before this. He was sitting, back against the stairwell wall, with his face buried against his bent knee. “You’re coming with me.”

Asking him was something of an impulse at first—after all, it was best to have backup for this sort of thing—but as his blank expression met mine, my resolve steadied.

I hadn’t paid much attention to my brother these last few years. He’d been a loner, and I tried to respect that so long as he performed his duties.

Norman and I’d fought about it more than once, with my Jiangjun arguing that Finn’s continued absence was a reason to strip him of his position. After all, there were many things that were technically Er Bashou duties that the red-headed man performed in Finn’s absence.

But it never felt right. Any time I’d come close to considering it, Finn would return home with a new idea or some other matter that I’d been struggling with was suddenly resolved.

Not only that, but Finn was theonlyofficer who put their own life on the line in order to try to help me.

Now, as I took in his lost expression, I was more certain than ever that I wasn’t mistaken in keeping him around. Finn was more loyal than I’d ever could have imagined, even to the point of risking his trust with me, and his deepest emotions, in order to do his job.

He loved Bianca. I could see it in his crestfallen expression. He’d loved her enough to sacrifice his relationship with me. And he loved her knowing that she’d never be with him.

Yet, he still did his duties. He’d taken on the role of multiple officers—alone—to take care of her when everyone else remained in the dark. Every time he saw her, there was no way he wasn’t reminded of what he’d never have.

Because he had to have known, from the very beginning, that she belonged to me.

How did he feel now? Within the span of a few months, we’d failed in protecting her where he’d succeeded for ten years.

And now he had no purpose.

Guilt and grief made my stomach churn, only disturbed by the steady course of low-burning fury. But not toward Finn.

Someone was going to pay.

“What did he say?” Miles’s question broke into my thoughts. He was still sitting on the concrete, only dazed, and mildly curious for my response. “Where are you going?”

But his question caused another pang to shoot through my heart.

They couldn’t hear Kasai anymore. I hadn’t even thought about that.

But with Bianca gone, I was already weaker.

I ran my shaking fingers through my hair, fighting to keep the composure. “We’re going to the Underworld.” I lowered my hand, grabbing my charm necklace. It burned with the need to be used, and the steady hum of it pulled at me. “I want answers.”

And I would get them. I didn’t care what happened anymore.

Finn stared at me, eyes widening before he moved to his feet without argument. And I had to give him credit—I’d never before invited an Er Bashou to accompany me. I had the Overseers to deal with things in the Underworld, while my officers maintained order in this realm.

The prospect of it must be terrifying.

But there was no hesitation in his voice as he looked at me, glasses catching the light and gray eyes flashing. “Okay.”

“No!” Julian was pulled out of his stupor and he stepped toward me. “You still can’t open that gate. She wouldn’t want that. Let’s just wait for Maria, try to find out what happened.”

“That’s right.” Miles jumped up; his shock momentarily forgotten. “You can’t—”

“Don’t you dare try to speak for her.” Bryce stepped between us, turning for the necromancer and witch. “Why wouldn’t she want it? She has a lot of anger, and it’shumanswho did this—humans and shifters. They deserve it.”

“Don’t encourage it.You’llbe fine.” Miles frowned at the fae. “Youcan hide in your realm, but my people can’t. Besides, I’m telling you right now—just from conversations we’d had—that she hasn’t given up hope for this world yet.”

I opened my mouth—retort ready—when an ear-splitting cry cut through the brisk midday air, causing a chill to shoot down my spine. The heat cooled from the tips of my fingers, and the small promise of that something to come was planted in the back of my mind amongst the ashes of righteous anger.

Titus.

I didn’t dare to hope that we’d been mistaken. The sound was both blood curdling and chilling. There was only one thing in the world that could cause the dragon to sound like this.