A pounding at the back of her skull welcomed Jamie into the room she woke up in. Darkness surrounded her on all sides, save for the glow of a single torch that illuminated the ropes around her wrists and ankles that tied her to a chair. A barely visible sparkle of magic surrounded her like a shield, shining brighter when Jamie tried to use her magic and it faltered.

Someone fae was working with these wolves. Whoever the traitor was, whoever caused all this trouble and cursed Rory and her father, they were likely soon to come to light. Unless they were smart enough to stay hidden in the shadows.

"I bet you had no idea the powers of the poltergeist you created." Ain's voice echoed in unison with another's that Jamie didn't recognize.

Jamie tensed. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be the truth she was seeking. "How are you possessing other fae? You shouldn't be able to do that, you're bound to me. Release them you bastard!"

An odd, half-dead fae stumbled forward. Their body looked like it was in one of the first phases of decomposition. "I could but—" Ain left the body. It fell to the ground, silent as death. "They won't be doing much without me. You see, dear sister, that power of ours has more uses than you could ever imagine."

Corpses. Jamie's blood turned cold. This was disrespectful, this was wrong. Her stomach churned from the stench of the corpse at her feet. The sweet scent of decay was heavy in the air.

"They don't fight me like you do," Ain said, floating around the corpse, her child form barely visible through the magic shield. "They don't try to control me like you do." She entered back into the corpse, causing it to glow like a jack o lantern. "Everything I say, the stupid wolves believe. They think I'm their goddess coming alive through the corpses or mortals."

Entering the magic shield, Ain placed a dagger to Jamie's throat. "They saw you that night because I waned them to. They accused you of being a traitors because the evidence said so." Ain smiled to show rotting teeth. "What a fun game this is, how will you get out of it, Jamie?"

"It was your handwriting on the wolf," Jamie whispered. She didn't want to believe this was possible, but here she was seeing Ain take position of a corpse right before her eyes. This was reality. Somehow, she'd gained enough power to do what shouldn't have been. "How can you use the magic when you aren't with me? It's bound to both of us, but only when we are together."

Lifting a crumbling finger, Ain caused the magic along Jamie's arm to stir and took it upon the arm of the corpse. "It was bound to me first before it was bound to you. That magic will always answer to its true master. You only possess it because we are together, otherwise it would be mine."

"Why are you doing this?" Jamie demanded, trying to break out of her bounds only to have the rope bloody her skin. "What good will come of it? These are real lives you are messing with, this is not a game."

"Good?" Ain smiled and dug the knife into Jamie's skin, drawing a line from her chin to her collar bone. "I want nothing good." She licked the blade. "I want blood."

Nil and two of his companions entered the room. In human form, the wolf was nearly as tall he was as a wolf and just as terrifying. With a huge build that barely fit through the doorway, he stalked forward with murder in his gaze.

Swallowing, Jamie flicked her eyes between him and Ain. What were they going to do to her? Did she want to know? She shuddered. This was the first time she'd ever been in this kind of situation. She didn't know what to do. Give them the answers they wanted she supposed? Fear washed over her in waves, making her hands shake.

Rory would know to search for her, right? All she'd have to do was follow her scent. She'd find her. Rory would save her. She had to.

Ain grabbed Jamie by the hair and jerked her gaze upward, bringing tears to her eye. It was clear Ain would hurt her if she spoke the truth. The werewolves would hurt her whether she did to not.

"If you don't start talking," Nil said, flicking out a blade. "We're going to send you back home in pieces."

"I was there," Jamie said quickly. "I don't remember what I was doing, but I saw the spirit of Toby, after he died. Which means I might have something to do with his death."

Ain's brows shot up in surprise. Both of them knew she shouldn't have been able to see the spirits of wolves regardless of the circumstances. But she had. Perhaps Toby was a wandering soul looking for justice. Maybe he was seeking help in finding a way to set his spirit at peace. But he should have gone to a wolf. Jamie couldn't grant him peace when it was likely she was involved in his death.

"Did you, Jamie of the fae, curse him?" Nil asked, his voice level in a threatening manner.

Whether she did or not, as the knife got closer to her face, Jamie knew she needed to tell them what they wanted to hear. "Yes. I cursed Toby and made him kill my family, because I'm a wicked fae and we do that shit." There was a sarcastic edge to her voice but they clearly didn't catch it.

A device clicked.

Jamie's heart dropped to her stomach. They were recording it. That was going to be used against her.

"We'll take this as evidence," Nil said. "Pity we don't get to cut you up—" Nil ran the knife over her arm and nicked her slightly. "Yet."

Jamie cringed. "What are you going to use it for? Is it not enough that I've told you the truth? Or at least whatever the fuck you think the truth is that you want to hear."

Pain collided with Jamie's cheek as her head snapped sharply to the side. The hit was so hard she tasted blood from her split lip.

Nil grabbed her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. "It won't be enough until we're allowed to kill you in retaliation for the death's you caused and trust me—" He stroked her hair in a gesture that by anyone else would have been calming. "The death will be slow."

"If you do that it could start—"

Ain put a hand over Jamie's mouth. "Don't you spoil my little surprise. I want to be the one to say it." She dug her claws into her cheeks, drawing blood and leaned forward. "It will start a war."