Behind him, the aegis looked bored.

Benedict’s arrogance had curdled his brain. He killed people without remorse. He kidnapped women just like me. They were scared just like me. He tortured them, squeezing out every drop of fear for his perverse pleasure until there was none left, and then he threw them away like trash. I wanted so much to rip into him. For the first time in my life I wished for Arabella’s magic. If only I could grow huge and strong, I’d grab his bodyguard and beat Benedict to death with him. I’d kick him and bounce him off the walls, while his pitiful little snakes bit at my hands. The sight of his terrified face before I stomped him into human pulp would mean everything.

“Fine,” Benedict said. “I would have rather done this in private, but why wait?”

The ghostly serpents rose around Benedict. He was about to strike.

My wings snapped open, every feather visible, glowing, radiant with power. Emerald fire danced across their width, flowing into dazzling gold at the tips. My magic erupted and soared, free from being constrained for so long.

Benedict halted in mid-step, his face shocked. Behind him the aegis gaped at me, his face slack.

“Beautiful . . .” Benedict whispered.

I opened my mouth and sang out a high, powerful note, born of pure magic. There was no need to calibrate it. It was utter power made into sound. Madame Trapeze would’ve been proud.

Benedict jerked his serpent swarm to him, wrapping it around his mind to shield himself.

The note resonated and died, tiny echoes of it traveling into the hallways. I fell silent.

The ghost serpents uncoiled, melting and twisting. Benedict smiled, emerging from the dark storm of his power. “You missed.”

I looked past him at the aegis and said, “Save me.”

With a primal scream, the aegis tackled Benedict from behind. They went down in a tangle of limbs. I sprinted to my right toward the hallway leading back to the Grand Foyer.

Behind me, the aegis howled, a sound of sheer terror, cut short. I didn’t look back. I knew what I would see—Benedict’s demonic snakes ripping into the aegis’ mind.

The walls of the hallway flashed past.

I turned the corner and almost collided with Alessandro. He caught me. “Hurt?”

“No.”

“Benedict?”

“Behind me.”

Alessandro sprinted back in the direction I’d come from. I followed. The reasonable thing to do would be to go back to the Grand Foyer, get Linus, get backup, security, other pissed-off Primes, instead of dramatically running toward danger to have a duel with a deranged megalomaniac with snakes growing out of his soul. But if he left the building, he would go straight for my family. And I was done. I was done listening to him, I was done with him killing people and everyone else acting like it wasn’t a big deal, I was just done. Someone had to step on that cockroach. Combat mage or no, I could block Benedict’s magic enough to give Alessandro the edge, and two Primes were always better than one.

Ahead of me Alessandro slowed and walked into the round room. The body of the aegis lay crumpled against the wall, his face a twisted, terrified mask. His eyes had rolled back in his head, the milky whites staring up unseeing, as if he had looked his death in the face before it devoured him, and the sight of it had struck him blind.

At the opposite wall, Benedict paused at the mouth of a hallway leading deeper into the building. His jacket hung on his body, one sleeve ripped. Blood stained his pale blue shirt. He saw us and bared his teeth. “You’re back. How fortunate for me. You could have run away. Who is an utter moron now?”

Magic flashed with orange, pulsing from Alessandro. A shoulder cannon flashed into existence on his shoulder. He raised his right hand, and an oddly shaped sword popped into it, resembling a violinist’s bow, except that the stick was an amalgam of metal parts and the ribbon was a metal cord, thin and razor sharp.

Linus made some weird stuff.

Shock slapped Benedict’s face. He recovered almost instantly and raised his eyebrows, his voice mocking. “The artisan graces us with his presence. I’m flattered.”

The sword in Alessandro’s hand let out a high-pitched metallic whine. The metal shuddered, spinning into the sword, turning it into a weaponized buzz saw.

Benedict’s magic lashed out. Orange pulsed from Alessandro. The black serpents fell short.

Benedict turned and sprinted into the hallway. Alessandro’s cannon spun and fired, spitting bullets into the corridor. Alessandro marched after him.

I moved to follow.

“Stop.” Linus’ voice snapped like a whip.

I froze.

Linus strode into the room, still the picture of elegance. If he had gotten into a brawl in the Grand Foyer, he’d come through it undamaged.

“Did you get it?” Linus asked.

“Yes.”

“Come with me.”

“But—”

“That isn’t your fight. He can handle himself. He took the contract as your bodyguard. Let him do his job while we go and do ours. Follow me.”

“But—”

“Now.”

I gritted my teeth and followed Linus back to the Grand Foyer.

Chapter 15

I sat on the opulent sofa in Linus’ Houston mansion and watched him scrutinize my video testimony.

After the opera, Linus and I drove here. He reviewed the recording of Cristal, told me I did well, then interrogated me about it. I wanted to run and find Alessandro. I wanted to kill Benedict. I wanted to search for Cristal’s lab so I could rescue Halle. Instead, I had to patiently recount everything that happened, several times over. Once I was done answering questions, Linus instructed me to write an account of what happened, which he then spent half an hour editing, then he had me recite the statement in front of the camera. He wasn’t satisfied with my first try, so I’d had to do it again. And again. He was reviewing attempt number three now.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“We wait for authorization. Once granted, we will dismantle House Ferrer until someone tells us where the lab is.”

“How long will that take?”

“Does he mean so much to you?” Linus asked.

He was asking about Alessandro. “It’s not just him. Halle’s life is on the line.”

Linus pivoted to me in his chair. “That’s not what I asked.”

“He means something.”

“Why him instead of all the others?”

“What others?”

“You’ve had opportunities, Catalina. I’ve watched you come in contact with several young men in the past three years. Four months ago, at the Mercier Exhibit, Justin Pine followed you around like a tail for the entire hour you were there. He is also handsome, wealthy, and a Prime.”

I’d barely noticed. I only attended because Arrosa wanted someone to go with her and Nevada couldn’t disentangle herself.

“Alessandro Sagredo is dangerous. You could do better. Is it a teenager crush?”

Linus waited.

“I like him,” I said. It seemed completely inadequate to describe what I felt. “He’s immune to me.”

Linus leaned forward, his face serious. “When I was asked to witness the birth of your House, I researched your talent.”

How exactly had he done that? I was the only siren in existence. There was another family somewhere in Greece, but they claimed to have lost the magic generations ago.

“Have you ever wondered why your family is immune?”

“They already love me.”

“Exactly. Your talent is a survival mechanism, like all magic. It seeks to keep you alive. It activates when it senses someone is a threat. Think back to your childhood. Some adults succumbed to your magic, but others didn’t. Do you understand me? Any man who truly falls in love with you and is invested in your survival will be immune. Alessandro isn’t your only chance at happiness.”

“Even if that’s true, I still like him.”

“Why?”

I spread my arms. “I don’t know. Half of the time I’m with him, he makes me grind my teeth. But I know that if I were in danger, he wouldn’t stop until I was safe. He looks at me like I’m beautiful. And he makes me laugh.”

Linus put his hand over his face. “God help us all.”

What did I say now?

He waved his hand. “Go. Go save Halle and help that young idiot. I’ll have the car ready for you.”

The little dog stirred on my bed and let out a quiet woof. I opened my eyes. My bedroom was dark, gloom pooling in the corners. The clock on my nightstand said 3:21 a.m. All was quiet.