Ian stared at the corpse dangling limp in Fang's grip, neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Blood ran in thin lines across the woman's cheek, mixing with the single tear that had fallen before her end.
He leaned forward, a bite of half-eaten pie still in his hand, and said flatly:
"I told you to leave one alive."
Fang turned his head slowly, the shadows rippling around his soulbound form like coiled serpents awaiting command.
"She knew me."
Ian's eyes narrowed. "I needed one alive so we could get information."
Fang let the body drop, its spine making a brittle crack as it struck the cobblestones. "I killed her because no amount of pain would've loosened her tongue. These aren't common thugs. They're trained to die a thousand deaths before they speak. You'd scrape their skin from bone, and they'd still laugh at you."
Velrosa leaned back in her chair, brushing flecks of blood from her sleeve as if they were dust.
"Then who were they?"
