“Yes,” Valter sneered. “I would like to see Eviana.”

“That’s not possible,” Tessa replied, faux sympathy in her voice as power continued to pool beneath her hand.

“What are you doing?” Valter asked, his gaze darting to the swelling magic.

“The thing is, I’m really not sure,” she replied, her head tilting as she watched the power grow.

“Well, stop,” he demanded.

“Is this the negotiating part?”

“What? No. This is…”

She smiled darkly as he trailed off.

“I don’t know anything about the fucking feather,” Valter said, his gaze fixed on where her hand was connected to the window.

“Oh, that’s fine,” she chirped. “I think someone else down here will be able to answer those questions. I need to know about Axel.”

“Axel?” Valter repeated.

“Yes,” she drawled. “You know, your other son?”

“What do you want with him?”

“I did not think you were a forgetful person considering the grudge you have held for decades,” she mused.

She flexed her fingers against the glass, and the magic shuddered around the movement. Valter’s eyes widened, the color draining from his face.

“Are you?” she pressed.

His gaze flicked to hers, but when it went right back to the glass, she pressed her other hand to the smooth surface.

“What are you doing?” he repeated.

“You truly are absent-minded, aren’t you? I already told you I have no idea what this will do, just as I told you before thatI would be the downfall of your entire bloodline. That includes Axel, and I’m told you have him hidden away somewhere,” Tessa said, the power in her veins vibrating with the additional magic she was channeling into it.

“I will not tell you where he is just so you can kill him,” Valter said, a slight tremor in his voice.

“Because you are such a loving and caring father,” she said sarcastically, feeling the power that sparked in her eyes. “You only want him for leverage.”

“Which is what I have right now,” he replied, his chin lifting an inch with the words. “You just gave me the upper hand.”

“No, myLord,” she said, her tone as icy as death and the darkness she hated. “I still have that.”

With a push of power, the light and energy she’d been hoarding refracted across the glass and straight into his cell. Rays of magic burst forth, striking the Arius Lord from all angles as they bounced around the glass and marble cell.

Truthfully, she hadn’t known what would happen when she placed her hand on that glass. She didn’t know what she was doing; she never did.

Impulsive.

Uncontrollable.

Wild.

It was what was expected of her, so she continued to lean into it. Valter’s screams of agony on the other side of the glass only fed her. Her heart was pounding with the adrenaline rush of having someone so powerful at her mercy. Someone who had demanded she be caged. Tamed. Someone who had suggested she be used for securing deals, and who believed her sole purpose was to serve at the feet of the Legacy.

When the enchanted cell absorbed the last of her power as it bounced against the glass, she saw him on the floor, curled in on himself. His clothing had holes, and there were dark spotssplattered across the material of his pants and shirt from the various cuts on his visible skin.