“Then you do not know how the amulet works.”

Anger buzzed across my nerves at Eterran’s cool reply—his complete lack of remorse for his House’s slaughter of Zylas’s. How many Vh’alyir demons had Eterran killed before being summoned here?

“It sounds like you already know everything you need to know,” I said frostily. “If you possess the amulet, you become immune to your contract and you can split with Ezra. All you have to do is find it.”

“And good luck with that,” Amalia muttered.

“We need to know more,” Eterran growled. “The amulet—”

He broke off, a snarl twisting his lips. He slapped his hand over his left eye, shoulders hunching, tendons standing out sharply in his neck. The temperature dropped, a bone-deep chill permeating the air.

The tension slid from the mage. He straightened and lowered his hand—revealing a pale eye with no hint of crimson. “The part Eterran skipped over is that I won’t let him—or rather, us—anywhere near that amulet until I understand exactly what will happen. The best-case scenario is it breaks our contract and Eterran can leave my body. I’ll be free of him.”

“Does he even have a body anymore?” Amalia asked. “How long can a demon possess someone before their body just … stops existing?”

“He should be unchanged.” Zylas’s tail snapped against the floor. “Demons have disappeared into Ahlēvīsh for years and returned no different.”

“What’s an Ah—” I began.

“What is the bad case?” Zylas asked before I could get the question out.

“That the amulet will break the contract but not break whatever magic binds Eterran inside my body, and he’ll take full control.” Pushing off the wall, Ezra crossed to the sofa and sat on the opposite end. “Or its magic won’t be compatible with a demon mage, and we’ll both be driven mad.”

“But that’ll happen anyway,” Amalia pointed out. “All demon mages go mad eventually.”

Ezra nodded. Folding his hands together, he pressed his chin against them. “I promised myself a long time ago that as soon as I knew my mind was failing, I’d end it. But now that the moment’s come … it’s not as easy as I thought to die.”

I drew in a silent, sympathetic breath. I couldn’t imagine what circumstances had driven him to become a demon mage, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. And Tori definitely didn’t think he was rogue scum.

His eyes slid closed. “It would’ve been easier months ago, before …”

“Do you really think the amulet can save you?” I asked softly.

“I don’t know, but I want to try. It’s stupid … I gave up a long time ago, so why am I suddenly fighting now?”

A pair of hazel eyes, sharp with despair and determination, filled my mind’s eye. He wasn’t the only one fighting, and maybe that’s why he couldn’t passively accept his fate anymore.

“So you want to know exactly how the amulet works,” I summarized. “You want the details of the spell’s function and how it voids contracts.”

He nodded.

“I don’t know that … yet.” I hesitated, considering what else to add, but while I was pretty sure Ezra had a conscience, I had my doubts about Eterran. “I think I can find the answers you need, but we’ll need your help with Claude and the sorcerers first.”

“Yes, of course. I need to have a chat with this Claude person about why he had my profile. I’m assuming that winged demon was his.”

“And in a very illegal contract.” I rubbed my hands together anxiously. “Whatever they’re planning, it can’t be good.”

Ezra rose to his feet. “We can’t solve everything tonight. Get some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll also …” His face lost expression, all emotion hidden. “I should give Tori a call and find out where she is.”

“You don’t know where she went on her trip?”

“I know where she went, not where she is,” he answered flatly. “I should go.”

As he headed for the door, I hastily stood. “Hold up. I’ll walk you downstairs.”

Ezra opened his mouth to protest, then changed his mind. I shoved my feet in my shoes, gave Zylas and Amalia a quick wave, then hurried after the mage.

In silence, we walked down the rickety stairs that always smelled like cigarette smoke. At the building’s main doors, we found it pouring rain, the black motorcycle on the curb drenched and shining.

Ezra sighed at the sight.

“I don’t want to pry,” I began, wondering why on earth I was attempting this conversation, “but even though she didn’t say it, I think Tori is worried about you.”

His expression didn’t change, remaining blank and unreadable—but Zylas did that too, and I’d learned to find hints of his feelings. A tick in the jaw. A flex of muscle. The slight contraction of his pupils.

I could see all that and more in Ezra’s tight face, so I said nothing, waiting. Either he would walk out the door, or …

He exhaled harshly through his nose. “Has someone you cherished ever lied to you, Robin?”

“What kind of lie?”

“The kind of lie where the truth would have changed everything.”

Rain poured down, droplets streaking the glass door.

“Yes.” I folded my hands, fingernails digging in. “My parents. My mother. They hid something from me … they hid our family’s past and my whole future. I can’t even guess how many lies they told me to keep it a secret.”

I could feel his stare on the top of my head, and I wondered if that was the response he’d expected.

“What did you do when you found out?”

“Nothing. My parents were already dead. Claude killed them.”

A sharp inhalation, the sound almost lost in the pattering rain.

Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes as familiar grief swamped my lungs. “But if I could see her one more time, I would tell my mother that I understand … and I would say thank you.”

“Thank you?” he whispered.

“She was protecting me. Maybe she was wrong … she thought so herself by the end … but all she wanted was for me to be happy. Lying to me every day must have been so hard for her. I think it might’ve hurt her more than it ever hurt me.”