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Tavik was unusually quiet as I stared at Cerise. I sensed his attention on her, too, but he said nothing.

For that, I was grateful. This felt like a private moment that I didn’t want to draw any attention to.

From across the room, Geraldine started to stir. I reluctantly turned away from Cerise to face the other witch, my blood boiling with rage. Geraldine’s brow furrowed, her eyes still closed as she turned her head slightly.

“Move, Alaric,” Tavik said sharply. “She can’t be allowed to escape.”

I was already in motion, summoning my shadow magic as I grabbed Geraldine’s wrists. Tendrils of shadow wrapped around her hands, forming the same cuffs I’d used on Cerise to block her magic. It was a calculated risk—technically, my shadow magic was powerful enough to draw the attention of the fae authorities. But this was a small spell, and I was hoping the wards on this bunker would help mask it.

Either way, this was too important. Geraldine needed to be contained.

The old witch’s eyes slowly opened and fixed on me. Her face paled a fraction as she no doubt felt the absence of her magic. She jerked wildly, tugging and clawing at the cuffs to no avail. Her wide eyes stared up at me in fear, and she let out a sharp cry.

“What is this? What did you do to me?” Her voice became more high-pitched with each word.

I leaned close to her, teeth bared. “If you can’t be quiet, I will have to find a creative way to silence you. Is that what you want?” If she dared to wake Cerise, I would snap her neck.

“Y-you promised you wouldn’t hurt me,” she hissed.

“I promised I wouldn’t kill you.” I paused and smiled cruelly. “At least, not today.”

Geraldine’s face drained of color, and she gulped.

I peered over my shoulder to ensure Cerise was still asleep. She had shifted onto her back, but she was still unconscious.

Good. She needed rest, and if she awoke to find me conversing with Geraldine, she certainly wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

I turned to face Geraldine. “Did Elvira keep any records of what you two discovered together?”

At first, she didn’t respond. Her lips grew thin, and her wide eyes darted from me to Cerise. Eventually, she nodded.

My heart lurched. “Where are they?”

She sucked in a breath and shook her head, eyes shut tight.

I sighed, draping one arm over my knee as I scrutinized her. “One way or another, you’ll have to answer for the horrible crimes you’ve committed against my kind.”

Her eyes flew open, her head jerking to me in surprise. “I’ve done nothing⁠—”

“Exactly,” I hissed, drawing closer to her. “You did nothing for that prisoner. You did not free him or help him. You did not stop your friend from torturing him. It may not have been you who held the knife that cut him open, but you were just as complicit in the unspeakable acts that were committed here.”

Her lower lip trembled, but she held my gaze. “Your kind have killed my kind for centuries. Did you expect us to sit back and do nothing?”

“No. But I can assure you that we do not cut witches open and keep them in labs for experimentation.”

She flinched, the motion subtle but enough to indicate she felt some semblance of shame.

Good. Perhaps I could use that.

“When you answer for your crimes,” I continued, “I can inform my superiors that you were cooperative… or that you were hostile. The choice is yours.”

Geraldine swallowed, her pulse spiking. “What makes you think you’re strong enough to drag me to your lands?”

I gave her a feral grin. “It doesn’t matter what condition you’re in when I apprehend you. It only matters that you’re alive.”

“Yes,” Tavik agreed with savage delight. “She could do with losing a limb or two.”

Her face turned ashen, and she shuddered. She gave another sharp tug against the restraints on her wrists, but my cuffs wouldn’t budge.