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“You.”
Anderson, the jackass deputy whose nose Wilder had broken. Now I was wishing he’d punched his fist right through the guy’s face.
I was also immediately worried about Hank.
Why had I been stupid enough to think the police might be safe people for Wilder’s brother to be with? I already suspected the sheriff was in on it. I should have known there would be no such place as a safe haven in a town supported by lies and hatred. I felt naïve for believing the police force might remain untouched by corruption. I should have known better.
Callum was right not to trust anyone. He’d been right to want to keep me close. There was no protection for us outside the pack. No one had our best interests in mind.
Even the police didn’t think we were people anymore.
I wondered what would have happened to Wilder if we’d left him in jail another night. Or what Anderson would have done if he’d caught him this time.
“What did Deerling do to the woman?” The fire on my arms had begun to snuff itself out. I was hoping it would last longer, but I was getting tired and a headache was building up steam, making my whole head feel swollen. I might as well have been blinking shards of refined glass.
I was going to have one hell of a magic hangover once I slept this off.
“She’s dead.”
Of course she was dead, I already knew that. That’s why they had Hank arrested after all. “Who killed her?”
“What are you talking about? The wolf killed her.” In spite of his shaky voice, he sounded like he was telling the truth. At least the truth as he knew it. I reminded myself Anderson had been with us when the woman died. He might not know what really happened that night.
“How many other wolves does he have locked up?” I glanced down to the dark stain on the floor. “How many did he have?”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” I shouted, the flames streaming up again. My headache moved towards a migraine. If I didn’t get him to talk soon, there was a good chance I might not be able to walk out of here.
The other problem was if there was anyone else outside, they might start to wonder why I was shouting angrily rather than screaming in pain. If it would help, maybe I could make him scream a little. At the right pitch, screaming sounds the same from both sexes. Agony has no gender.
I took a step towards him, and he backed against the wall. If he could have gone right through it, he would.
“Tell me the truth.”
“I can’t be sure. Six, maybe? Ten?”
The hair on my arms rose as the flames flared high. For a moment the pain in my skull was so intense I was blind. I couldn’t see beyond the white haze of light. When I could see again, I had my hand wrapped around his throat, and the smell of burning flesh wafted up to my nostrils. He was trying to pry my hand off him, but he kept burning himself when he touched me.
“St-stop,” he pleaded.
I released him, horrified I’d been able to hurt him without even realizing what I was doing. This wasn’t me. It wasn’t like me to want to kill people, that’s not how my brain worked. I had never been the kind of person who wanted to inflict pain on anyone, yet here I was trying to choke the life out of a stranger.
My hand trembled.
What was I becoming?
When my mother said I was a killer—like my father—had she known something I hadn’t? Who was this person I was turning into? The powers were one thing, something amazing and special. But what was the risk to getting them? If I had to sacrifice my humanity to become a stronger witch, I didn’t want any part in it. I’d rather have no powers at all than to use them against others.
You’d be dead right now if you had no powers.
The voice in my head really needed to make up her mind. Was I supposed to be good or bad? What the hell was I meant to do?
Anderson stared at me, and his gaze briefly darted to the exit behind me. He must have noticed my hesitation. If he was reading it as a sign I was done questioning him, he had another thing coming.
“If you move, I will end you.” I raised my hand, and even though the fire had dwindled to mere sparks, I could see the fear renewed in his eyes. I’d made an impression. I was hoping the threat alone would be enough, because I wasn’t going to slip up again.
What if I didn’t stop myself next time?
