Page 526 of Shadowblood Souls
The slimmer, younger-looking man grins at us, his expression as energetic as the wild tumble of his black curls. If I remember right, his name is Lance. It suits him, considering that his most distinguishing feature are those long, vicious-looking claws that protrude from his fingertips.
His companion looks equally intimidating with the square, stony jaw that juts from his face even more strikingly than the rest of his burly physique. It’s not hard to see the gargoyle in Crag even when he’s in human-like form.
Lance bobs on his feet as if he’s getting psyched up for a sports game. “Are we going to start right away?”
I turn to Rollick, my stomach making a seasick sort of lurch. “Start what? What’s this about?”
If it requires help from Mr. Claws and Gargoyle Guy, it must be more intense than I assumed.
Rollick drops into one of the armchairs and leans back to take us all in. His speculative expression only increases my apprehension.
The demon clasps his hands together on his lap and offers me a small smile. “Your talents are a major keystone in our plans to take on this genocidal maniac. How often have you used your banshee scream on shadowkind or your fellow shadowbloods?”
My skin goes cold. “I— There was that time when Kudzu and Cinder attacked us, and I stopped them…” And nearly mangled Billy beyond repair when he rushed in trying to help us. Just remembering that moment makes me twice as queasy.
Rollick nods. “And your friends?”
“Never.” I almost did, once, when Jacob’s early cruelties pushed me close to the breaking point. Instead, I ran away from the possibility of hurting them and got myself hit by a train.
A fact Jake also recalls all too well, I suspect. He steps forward as if he thinks he needs to shield me. “What are you getting at? Of course Riva doesn’t attack people who don’t deserve it.”
The demon gives him a measured look. “All of you will be up against fellow shadowbloods when we go for Balthazar. Potentially a shadowkind or two as well, since we’ve determined that he’s coerced at least a few into working for him.”
His gaze slides back to me. “Have you used your banshee skill at all in the past several days? The regular shriek or the new silent version?”
I shake my head slowly, hating the direction of this conversation more with each word that’s spoken.
“Well, then,” Rollick says. “You should test your limits. See how much pressure you need to apply when it comes to beings with some supernatural defenses—how quickly you can affect them—that sort of thing.”
I can’t restrain a shudder. “What? I’m not going to hurt?—”
He holds up his hand to stop my protest. “I’m not asking you to maim them. Freeze them in place. Feel out where the edge of your ability is, where you’d be able to hurt them. Give them a papercut—you’ve got your healer standing by. I’m sure they’ll recover just fine. And then you’ll be properly prepared when it really counts.”
My throat constricts. That’s why he wanted Jacob and Andreas to come along too—why Lance and Crag are here. Rollick expects me to aim my torturous shriek at them.
Every particle in my body balks at the idea. But I balk against refusing too.
I argued with the demon about testing my powers back when we were first traveling with him. My shaky control is part of the reason I wasn’t able to pull back from wrenching Billy apart in time to save him from those injuries.
Dominic won’t be able to heal the shadowkind men if I hurt them that badly. He helped Billy a little, but the shadowy essence that makes up their inner workings limited what his talents can do.
I can’t let that stop me. Shying away from the brutality inside me has never worked in my favor in the long run.
Do I want to rush into Balthazar’s fortress and watch the guys beside me cut down because I didn’t realize how forcefully I needed to project my power?
For all I know, I won’t be able to tackle fellow shadowbloods with my silent scream at all. It would be useful to know if I should go straight to using my voice. And at lower levels ofpower, I can simply lock people in place, before I get to the point of maiming them.
It’s not as if I can’t control it enough to make sure I don’t outrightkillanyone.
My teeth have gritted. I force them apart. “Fine. How do you think we should start?”
Rollick tips his head toward his shadowkind companions. “Why don’t you begin with these louts? Full shadowkind should be trickier than hybrids, and they’ll heal faster. You’ll have a better idea how to moderate yourself with your men afterward.”
A flicker of doubt crosses Lance’s face. “The scream—it doesn’t make peopledothings under your control, does it?”
“No,” I say quickly. “If it works, it’ll lock you in place so you can’t move, and I might do a little damage accidentally, but I can’t force you to walk or talk or anything.”
His momentary tension vanishes behind another grin. “All right, then.”
