I held tightly onto Jessie's hand. Her skin felt cold despite the lingering heat of the day, small tremors running through her fingers each time we turned a corner. Whenever she paused or looked around uncertainly, I gave her hand a squeeze, a wordless reminder of her current mission. No need for threats when a touch could say everything.

  The uneasy expression never left the girl's face as she led us through the streets. Her skin had paled, nearly glowing in the dark. The sun sank lower behind the buildings, dragging long shadows across the cobblestones. Jessie's eyes darted more frantically to the shadows growing between buildings.

  For the most part, Jacobi and I didn't share words as we walked through the city, only occasional glances loaded with meaning. We followed Jessie's lead, our heads swiveling to map these unfamiliar streets. Abandoned shopfronts lined the way, their windows broken or boarded, faded signs in a flowing script I couldn't read. Plants had begun reclaiming some buildings, vines crawling up walls like desperate fingers.

  As twilight deepened, I noticed Jessie move closer to me, clutching my arm with her free hand. Her nails dug small crescents into my sleeve.

  "Jessie?" I kept my voice gentle, wrapped in false concern. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

  She nodded, body trembling against mine. Jacobi let out a scoffing noise behind us, his boots clicking sharply against the stone.

  "Should have thought of that before you betrayed everyone."

  His coldness was expected. Useful, even. Realizing Jacobi offered no sympathy, Jessie turned her full attention to me, exactly as I wanted.

  She cast her eyes to the ground as we walked, her voice barely audible above the distant sounds of the city. "There are many things to be feared that move in darkness." Her fingers tightened on my arm, her body heat seeping through my sleeve. "Normally I'd be working right now. It's not the most dignified work, but it keeps me safe inside."

  I bent my head toward her, keeping my voice hushed. "What do you fear from the dark? Something here, or is it something from Naerith?"

  Jessie's face twisted into a look of horror and she shook her head. "Oh no, there's nothing around here like there is at home, not at all. But things here aren't so great either."

  I glanced back at Jacobi, who had fallen a step behind. His attention seemed caught by the ornate carvings on a nearby building, his fingers trailing along the stone as he examined the craftsmanship. The mask of distraction was familiar to me. He was listening intently while appearing completely absorbed in something else. I tugged Jessie's hand, quickening our pace to pull us ahead of Jacobi.

  "So, why are you so afraid of the dark here then?"

  Jessie shrugged, leaning her shoulder against mine. The contact felt both calculated and genuine. "Bad things can happen in the dark anywhere." She looked over her shoulder at Jacobi. "Humans can be just as evil too."

  I clicked my tongue, a sound I'd practiced to convey disappointment. "Do you think my brother is evil? Just because he grabbed you for a moment, and was mean to you?"

  The shift in my voice was subtle but deliberate, moving from my soft, comforting tone to something silkier, almost mocking. "Don't forget. The worst of all, he left you with me."

  My hand tightened its grip as Jessie tried to pull away. The darkness inside me stirred at her fear, a pleasant warmth spreading through my chest. It wasn't new. I'd felt it before, lurking beneath my carefully constructed persona. The afternoon in the arena flashed in my memory, when I'd spotted that man reaching for his knife, intending to harm Joy.

  That time, I'd acted without hesitation, neutralizing the threat before it materialised. The ease with which I'd disabled him had been... satisfying. Now, the same satisfaction bloomed as I held Jessie's trembling hand.

  "Please," Jessie whispered, her voice cracking. "You're hurting me."

  I relaxed my grip slightly but didn't release her. "My apologies. I forget my own strength sometimes."

  The lie tasted sweet on my tongue. I hadn't forgotten. I'd wanted her to feel that edge of pain, to understand who held the power between us.

  "Tell me about Dario," I said, voice light again. "How do you know him?"

  Jessie swallowed, throat bobbing visibly in the moonlight. "He's just a client."

  "And yet he gave you Joy's collar." I let her name slip deliberately, watching Jessie's reaction.

  Her eyes widened slightly, but she composed herself quickly. "I don't know any Joy."

  I smiled, enjoying the game. "Of course you do. White hair, pale skin, beautiful horns that curve up toward the sky." I traced the shape in the air with my free hand. "Eyes like lightning."

  Jessie's steps faltered. "I've never met her. Dario just gave me the collar because it's pretty."

  "And Marcelo Levanth?" I watched her face carefully as I said the name. "Do you know him too?"

  Her reaction was immediate – a full-body flinch, her pupils dilating with pure fear. More interesting than I'd expected.

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  "Everyone knows the Levanth family," she whispered, scanning the shadows around us. “Marcelo owns half the land in the Naerithi quarter. Or what's left of it.”

  Behind us, Jacobi had caught up, his footsteps deliberate on the cobblestones. "Are we getting close, or is she leading us in circles?"

  I turned slightly, keeping Jessie's hand firmly in mine. "Just gathering information, brother. Apparently, our friend Marcelo is quite the businessman in these parts."

  Jacobi's eyes narrowed, moonlight catching the gold flecks in his irises. "Is that so?"

  Jessie nodded frantically. "He doesn't like visitors in his territory."

  We rounded another corner, and the buildings pressed closer together. Shadows deepened, creating pools of absolute darkness between the occasional streetlamp. Jessie's breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling rapidly against my arm. I could smell the perfume she wore, something cheap and floral meant to mask her natural scent. Beneath it, the sharp tang of fear sweat grew stronger.

  I found myself studying her profile in the dim light. There was something familiar in the way she held herself, the calculated vulnerability. It reminded me of myself, of the careful masks I'd constructed over the years.

  "You're different from what I remember," Jessie murmured, her voice barely audible. "At The Dusk Blush before. You were always so gentle."

  The observation caught me off guard. I hadn't realized she remembered our previous encounters. I'd made a point of being unmemorable, a shadow in the corner watching while Jacobi commanded attention.

  "People change," I replied, keeping my voice neutral. "Circumstances change them."

  "It's her, isn't it? This Joy." Jessie's eyes flicked up to mine. "She changed you."

  I felt a flare of irritation at her presumption, at how easily she thought she could read me. The darkness that had been coiling inside me stretched, hungry for release. Part of me wanted to squeeze her hand until bones cracked, to show her just how different I truly was. Instead, I let silence answer for me.

  Behind us, Jacobi cleared his throat impatiently. The sound triggered something unexpected within me - a flicker of competition. All these years, I'd been content to stay in his shadow, to be the quiet brother, the reasonable one. But now, with Joy missing and danger pressing in from all sides, I found myself wanting to prove that my methods could be just as effective as his. Perhaps more so.

  "You and Dario seem close," I said, deliberately changing the subject. "More than just a client and worker."

  Jessie tensed against me. "We understand each other."

  "And what exactly does he understand about you?" The question came out silkier than intended, carrying an edge of threat.

  Her eyes darted to mine, then away. "That I'm trying to survive, just like anyone else."

  We walked in silence for several moments, the only sounds were our footsteps and the distant murmur of the city. A rat scurried across our path, disappearing down an alley. Jessie jumped, pressing herself against me.

  It was strange, this new feeling coursing through me. I'd always prided myself on my control, on being the levelheaded counterbalance to Jacobi's intensity. But now, with Jessie's trembling body against mine and Joy's absence a constant ache, I found myself embracing a different kind of control. Not restraint, but power. This feeling inside me wasn't new, but my willingness to unleash it was.

  I changed the rhythm instead, circling back to keep her on her toes. "So, where did Dario get the collar?"

  Her face paled further. "I told you, I don't know anything about that."

  I sighed dramatically. "Jessie, Jessie. We both know that's not true. And lying to me when I've been so kind..." I clicked my tongue again. "It makes me wonder if I should let my brother handle the questioning instead."

  Jacobi stepped closer, his shadow falling across Jessie's face. She shrank against me, suddenly viewing me as the lesser threat. Exactly as planned.

  “He didn’t explain it,” she said quickly. “He just handed it to me and told me to keep it safe. Wouldn’t say where he got it. But he was shaking. Like... really shaking.”

  I felt something cold settle in my stomach. My voice dropped any playfulness. “Why? What was he afraid of?”

  Jessie shook her head, tears in her eyes. “I don’t know. He just kept saying he shouldn’t have taken it. That he didn’t mean to get involved. That if someone found out, he’d be next.”

  Jacobi and I exchanged glances. The implications hung between us, unspoken but understood. Joy's collar removed. Dario would be "next." None of it boded well.

  "We're almost there," Jessie whispered, pointing down a narrow street where a single lantern glowed weakly. "That's Dario's tavern."

  The building hunched like a wounded animal at the end of the street. Once grand, now decaying, with boards covering most windows. A faint glow of lamplight leaked through the cracks.

  My grip on Jessie's hand remained firm as we approached. I leaned close to her ear, voice soft enough that Jacobi couldn't hear. "Remember, if you're lying to us, there's nowhere in this city you can hide. I'll find you."

  She nodded frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm not lying. Please, just let me go after this."

  I smiled, letting my thumb stroke across her knuckles in a gesture that could be mistaken for tenderness. "That depends entirely on what we find inside."

  As we reached the door, Jacobi moved ahead, his hand resting on the knife concealed at his waist. I pulled Jessie in front of me.

  The feeling that had been building inside me all evening crystallized into something sharp and clear. If Joy had been harmed, there would be no mercy, no restraint.

  Jacobi raised his hand to knock, then paused, looking back at me. In his eyes, I saw a question: are you ready for whatever we find?

  I nodded once, tightening my grip on Jessie's hand until she whimpered.

  I was more than ready. I was hungry for it.

  The hunt for Joy had awakened something in me that I'd spent years carefully containing. The part that understood violence as a language, pain as a tool. The part that knew how to extract information through fear and force.

  As Jacobi's knuckles rapped against the weathered wood, I felt a smile spread across my face. Not the gentle one I wore like a mask, but something sharper, truer.

  The door creaked open a crack, a sliver of yellow light spilling onto the street. A shadow moved behind it, and I heard a sharp intake of breath.

  "Jessie?" A man's voice, rough with surprise. "Who's with you? You know I don't—"

  Jacobi's boot connected with the door, sending it crashing inward. The man behind it stumbled back with a cry of alarm. Inside, the tavern was dim and filthy, tables covered in dust except for one near the back where cards and coins were scattered.

  "Hello, Dario," I said pleasantly, stepping inside with Jessie still clutched in my grip. "We need to talk about a mutual friend."

  The darkness inside me stretched and unfurled, like a falcon spreading its wings before the hunt. I had been holding back for so long. But now, with Joy missing and this man potentially responsible, I could finally let it loose.