“NO!” Hope screamed.
Timber’s eyes locked on mine, and he shook his head slowly.
With a shrug, I said. “I have no power left, and I’m hardly in a position to have sex with anything. If you need me, take me, but she lives.”
Bannik’s smile was cruel. “All these years… all I needed was for you to reach your full potential, Alex. Do you know why?”
“Because you’re a really optimistic person?” I offered. “You want to take credit for my awesomeness? I don’t know. I give up.”
“You were late. Her race died because of it. But she survived. She was the key to your awakening and then she just… disappeared into thin air.”
Dread washed over me.
“And now look!” He clapped his hands slowly, “All I had to do was follow one disloyal demon and… jackpot!”
Mason growled, his transformation already complete, as he stood flanked on my right, ready for a fight.
“I need your power. All of it.” Bannik’s dark eyes were hollow, soulless. “But not this way, tell me, Siren… have you finally learned to love?”
“No,” I lied. “I hate. And by the looks of it, any more darkness will des
troy you.”
He sniffed the air, his head falling back as his body shuddered. “Lie.”
Shit. I forgot he could taste lies just like Cassius.
“You forget a great many things.” My body went completely numb as old memories washed over me. Of Hope, of meeting with Bannik in private, not realizing he was the enemy and not the key.
“You will be very useful to me one day,” he said. “Now, forget.”
And I did.
I forgot it all.
The training.
The hatred.
The fear that I would always be a prisoner of my own desires.
How in moments of weakness — when a hollow ache burned through my chest, Bannik sought me out and gave me access to power — my power.
His smile was cruel as he pulled a dagger from his leather belt and tossed it directly at Hope’s chest.
“NO!” I roared as Timber tried to shove her out of the way.
Time stilled.
An icy white smoke enveloped everything.
The dagger slammed into her arm instead of her heart.
She fell to her knees as silver-blue blood began spilling out of her body.
“Such a waste of life-giving blood,” Bannik spat.
I burned.