bullet in your little wolfy friend if you don’t tell me where An Breitheamh is, Rose.”
Thea launched herself at him, her jaw wide, canines out as she clamped onto his thigh and yanked her head back with such force, she took a huge chunk of Layton’s leg with her.
The warlock’s scream filled the basement as he fell to his knees. Rose watched in horror as Thea’s body jerked seconds after a gunshot rang out.
Liza stood, her hands wrapped around the gun.
Thea slumped against the wall, unconscious, as Lori hovered over Layton.
“The fucking fae, you moron!” he yelled, spittle flying everywhere. “Her blood will heal me. I’m not turning into a fucking dog every full moon!”
No.
No, no, no!
Between the thought of Thea dying and Layton living, Rose was done.
Done being the victim.
What would Fionn do?
He’d use the pain, Rose thought. He’d use the pain.
With a scream of fury, Rose did just that, using the agony to fuel her strength. She forced her body to move, pushing herself onto her feet. She wrapped her hands around the chains above her manacles and with every bit of her fae strength, she yanked those fuckers from the ceiling like she was pulling a birthday candle out of a cake.
They were too shocked to react in time.
And Rose’s rage was too great.
Using Fionn’s training, Rose vanished, traveling to the spot behind Liza. She was a streak of movement as she used her full speed and strength, snapping the wrist holding the gun. Then she twisted Liza’s neck, hearing the death crack. Traveling to the werewolf, Rose punched her fist through his back and tore out his heart.
One by one, fast as lightning, she broke the necks of all the warlocks.
Finally, she traveled to Lori.
Snuffed her out too.
Layton stared up at Rose in terror. “You’re a monster,” he whispered.
“Yes,” Rose admitted as she lowered to her haunches, fire still blazing around her wrists, the weight of the chains pulling on them. “I can be. And this is what you wanted to unleash on the world. Hundreds of thousands of fae who would decimate the human race.”
He shook his head. “Please …”
“Do you know what the difference is between you and me?”
“Please.”
Rose leaned into him. “I know what I am. I see the darkness inside me but it doesn’t define me. But you … you can’t even see your own wickedness. How many people have you killed, Blackwood, in your pursuit of Faerie?”
“I tried to protect you,” he pleaded, his hands raised to his chest in a defensive position.
“You tried to use me. You hunted me. You tortured me.” As Rose pressed her hand against his chest, his pleading changed to anger.
“My coven will have their revenge.”
“Good,” she whispered inches from his face. “Let them come. I look forward to meting out justice for all the innocent people they’ve killed through the centuries.” Pulling her elbow back, Rose thrust her fist into his chest and watched the maniacal light die in his eyes before she yanked his heart right out.
Dropping the muscle, Rose turned to her chains, breaking them off before concentrating on the iron. As soon as her fingertips touched it, pain had her yanking them back. It was like dipping her fingers in flame.
Cursing under her breath, she attempted to push the agony of the manacles to the back of her mind until she’d dealt with Thea. Rose crawled weakly over to her. Shuddering, she whispered the woman’s name as she forced her arms up and her fingers into the bullet wound in Thea’s shoulder.
The wolf jerked, eyelashes fluttering as Rose gritted her teeth and forced her fingers deep into the wound. Thea groaned, her eyes opening just as Rose connected with the flattened bullet.
With a heaving breath, she yanked it out and threw it across the room.
“Rose,” Thea moaned, her focus hazy. “What—”
“Where’s the other bullet?”
“G-gut.”
Holy crap.
Rose’s fingers fumbled to lift Thea’s sweater as she grew weaker with the iron.
“H-hey. Can you break my cuffs?”
Sweat rolling down her back, Rose turned to the shackles around Thea’s wrists. She concentrated and pulsed what little magic she could into the lock. They popped off.
Thea’s hands immediately wrapped around one of Rose’s iron-clad wrists. Gritting her teeth with a growl that sounded as if it came deep from her belly, Thea snapped the iron apart.
Immediate relief from the pain caused tears to burn in Rose’s eyes. “Thank you.”
Instead of answering, Thea did the same to her other wrist, and then slumped back against the wall, her eyes