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her. She’s more than she appears. Much more.”
    “Since when is a human too difficult for me to handle?”
    “Since you wanted one for more than just a meal.” Azza’s words slice into my heart. “Am I wrong?” he asks.
    I stiffen with anger as I consider his words. My shoulders slump with the weight of my truth; I do want her for more than a meal.
    So much more.
    I bite back the feelings I’ve never wanted, clinging to my familiar anger. Balling my hands into fists, I drink in my anguish, letting it calm the Beast. “You are not.”
    “Then you must stay away from her for now.” Azza glares at me, a primordial show of force.
    “No,” I say before I can think. So much for control. “I will have her.” I’ve always been too impulsive. Especially when I’m angry. “All of her.”
    And I’m more than angry tonight.
    My rage engulfs the space, exploding into an inferno I can’t contain. I don’t want to contain.
    Centuries of doing his bidding.
    Meeting his needs.
    Fighting his battles.
    It’s time I took care of me. And right now, Nesy would fill my needs.
    Memories I can’t shake spin me into a fury. Pictures of Elle, of her death. I feel it like it just happened. Centuries of purging these feelings gone. And all because of this girl.
    Nesy.
    My world slips away and I again taste vengeance on my tongue. I do want Nesy for more than a meal. I need her soul to erase these feelings—I need her to pay for waking them in the first place.
    I clench my jaw, stifling the rage I feel for her. For the life I regret. For everything Azza has turned me into. Releasing a low growl, I storm off, walking toward the stone staircase that leads to the upper terrace overlooking the fountain—her fountain. Nesy’s face follows me, burned into each stone. She whispers to me. Taunts me. Each step brings me closer to my undoing. But still I push on, desperate to outrun the she-devil.
    I feel a light brush against my skin as I start up the stairs. I spin around and stare into the face of my master. A primal scream, my scream, splits the silence.
    I can’t be contained. My human forms drops to the ground in a heap. Black bat-like wings unfurl to their full span. My body, nothing more than muscle and flesh stretched too-thin over bone, rises to its full stature. My eyes are the only part of my humanity to remain.
    The Beast is awake.
    Another howl pierces the night air. “Yield to me!” Azza bellows.
    He towers over me, black wings and claws that match my own extended, gnashing the space between us with his sharp fangs. He expects submission. Demands it.
    My fury blinds me—anger, shame and memories too difficult to forget. I ram my shoulder into my master, ripping my claws through his skin.
    “Yield, Disciple. Now!” Azza growls. He wraps his spindly talons around my throat and squeezes.
    My strength fails as I gasp for air. Too much grief. Too much shame. I’m weaker than I should be. Weaker than I’ve ever been. Why?
    I tighten my neck against his grip. My muscles tremble, and still I refuse to submit.
    A feral snarl escapes his lips. A reminder.
    I cannot win.
    “You must feed.” Azza releases his hold, sending me to the ground. “After which, I expect you to make amends to me.”
    Never a good thing.
    I remember the last time I was forced to make a deal with Azza. That choice cost me my life. What will he expect from me this time?
    My soul?
    Worse?
    “Now, go. Feed. Tomorrow we will deal with your feelings for this girl. If that is what she truly is.”
    I watch as Azza and the dark creatures fade into shadow. Slipping back into my discarded body I walk home, defeated.
    And hungry.

 
    Chapter 10 - Remembrance
     
    Aydan
     
    I jam the key into the lock of my apartment, unable to think of anything but Elle. My home, nothing more than a studio, feels even smaller tonight. The walls close in as my mind continues to spin. Every feeling I’d abandoned, every moment I’d locked deep inside has been released by