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Raising her voice, imbuing every trace of confidence into the strength and cadence of her words, she decided to go with, “Hello?”

Nothing. Wind rustled the trees. A frog croaked. Poor sucker must have missed the “everything here is dead” memo.

“I’m here,” she called toward the shadowy cavern. “As promised. My sister is thirty. She’s alive, well, and happy. I’m ready to fulfill my end of the bargain.”

Five minutes. If she waited any longer, she’d look too eager.

“I guess I’ll try again later.” A chill rushed over her skin, icier the longer she waited. Bitch was toying with her… or ignoring her. Either way, hell of a power play. Eryn took a step back. “Be seeing you.”

Should she leave a note? There was no way she lived in the cave. Too human-like. Clean. Well dressed. She must have a house or something, but she hadn’t considered Eryn worthy to share her contact information with. Not very sisterly.

Prickles chased up her spine.

A shadow cast across the dirt-packed ground, despite the cloudy day.

A scream caught in her throat.

Blood crackled in her veins as she turned.

Warm eyes greeted her like a long-lost sister found. But the smile chilled Eryn deep to the bone. Broad, feathered wings tucked in as she landed, receding and disappearing into her back.

Eryn forced air in and out, but a sharp spike of dread clenched harder in her throat. “Hi.”

“I am impressed.” The monster’s gaze sharpened as she circled closer. Leisurely, she tilted her head with approval as she completed her round. Secretively, playfully, she whispered, “I should tell you…”

Eryn’s brow lowered, a curious nod breaking through the unsettled rush of the jump-scare.

She hooked a knuckle under Eryn’s chin as she narrowed her circle and looked upon Eryn, smiling as she studied her features. “You are not the first.”

“First?”

“My sisters were hunted and killed two thousand years ago. You have main character energy, I’ll give you that, but you don’t think you’re so special as to be the first to sway me?” Releasing her with a flick, she stepped back and sifted her hands through her sleek hair.

“I… I guess I never assumed I was your first, but there are a lot of variables I can’t figure out… I can’t help but wonder what happened to the others.”

“And I thought you were clever. But you, you have already exceeded my expectations. You crave your patients’ suffering. To watch the light extinguish from their eyes.”

Eryn’s stomach roiled. “I won’t pretend that death disturbs me the way it should.”

She smiled like a kind fairy now, granting Eryn an easy laugh that charmed the forest into chattering again.

A pair of frogs croaked happily with each other. A robin ruffled its wings before settling into its nest for a nap.

“I shall share in your honesty. Sisters tell each other everything, don’t we?” She scanned the sky, content, looking human and approachable.

Eryn was almost fooled into believing she hadn’t made a deal with the devil herself.

“So many before you didn’t survive even a single dose of my power. Others lost themselves to the cravings. A few… well, I didn’t like them as well as I’d hoped. But you, Eryn, I think you might be my heart of hearts. My soul sister.” She rested her thumbs in her pockets and tension eased from her shoulders, a light laugh lilting upward. “Oh my. Here I am, already calling you sister, and you don’t even know my name.”

If Eryn passed her on the street, she could have mistaken her for a human. A tall, bodybuilding supermodel, perhaps, but human anyway. But at the first hint of anger, her eyes would become blacker than midnight. “I’ve wondered. I did some research. You are a fury, right?”

“You truly are remarkable,” she said warmly. “Alecto’s anger got her killed; I must live with the guilt about how things ended between us. Thankfully, you are more balanced. Megaera once fell for a beautiful woman, strong and powerful, but this woman was born to hunt demons and could never fully share her heart with my dear sister. When her love rejected her, Magaera went after her and… well.” She sniffled and wiped the corner of her eye. “I miss my sisters dearly. It is my greatest hope that you can overcome your weaknesses, where they could not.”

Good to know. She wanted Eryn to like her or trust her—hopefully both.

“So you are Tisiphone. Vengeance was said to be your thing.” Eryn studied her ‘sister,’ watching as she tamed her temper. “It sounds like the myths were accurate in that.”

A low growl etched away the gentleness of Tisiphone’s voice. “Vengeance is not a weakness, but a threat and a promise. Unrequited love killed Magaera. Those responsible for my sisters’ fates lived for weeks as I tortured every trace of humanity from them, and I only ended their lives long after they had given up hope that I would. One day, I may love you well enough to punish any who wrong you. Like my birth sisters.”