If you remember nothing else, Tariq, remember this.

  Tariq dropped into his staggered stance and took a steady breath, the last thing his father ever told him about fighting echoing clearly in his mind.

  The only unfair fight is the fight you lose. The only people who care about fairness are the ones pushing up daisies.

  Wyatt barked and snarled, the sound carrying through the courtyard as the wolves surged forward at his command. The world slowed.

  The wolves’ movements dragged as if they were fighting through water, their snarls stretching unnaturally long as Tariq charged straight into them. He brought his right knee up and drove it into the first wolf’s jaw. It yelped once before dissolving into a loose pile of dirt beneath him.

  Something clamped down on his left calf. Sharp pain flared.

  It’ll heal, Tariq thought, trusting what he’d already seen his body do.

  He didn’t stop. He tore through the wolves as if they were made of paper—punching, grabbing, crushing skulls in his grip. He used his entire body as a weapon, just as his father had always insisted.

  Tariq turned as another wolf leapt at him—only for Wyatt’s glowing red eyes to tear through it an instant later. Wyatt slammed into him, the impact sending them both flying backward through the building’s outer wall.

  Pain exploded through Tariq’s ribs as they shattered again. He gritted his teeth and ignored it as they hit the floor, rolling across broken debris before skidding to a stop. Wyatt ended up on top of him.

  Wyatt raised his claws.

  Tariq brought his right arm up and punched him as hard as he could in the side.

  A shockwave ripped outward. Wyatt was launched through another wall, crashing into the adjacent room. Tariq was already moving. He got to his feet and chased him through the hole, recognizing the space as a lecture hall as he ran.

  Without slowing, Tariq grabbed one of the seats bolted to the floor and ripped it free as he continued into the hallway beyond. He caught Wyatt just as he was getting back to his feet and swung the chair around, hurling it forward.

  It smashed into Wyatt’s snout, snapping his head back and sending him stumbling. Tariq didn’t waste the opening. He rushed forward, grabbed Wyatt by the fur on his chest, lifted him, and slammed him down hard. He followed it by bringing his foot up and kicking Wyatt’s head, sending him skidding down the hallway.

  Not enough.

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  Tariq ran after him and seized one of the heavy benches lining the corridor. Metal groaned before snapping free as he tore it loose. At the far end of the hallway, the wolves Wyatt had created poured through a doorway, charging toward him as Wyatt struggled back to his feet.

  Tariq swung the bench and released it in a spinning throw, sending it whirling through the air like a massive blade. It tore through the oncoming wolves, shredding most of them into dirt before crashing to the ground.

  The ceiling above suddenly caved in.

  Zora and another woman crashed through it, locked in combat. Tariq kept charging forward as the woman landed atop Zora, black tentacles surging outward and wrapping around her.

  Tariq reached out, grabbed the woman by the head, and felt her soft skull compress under his grip before he hurled her down the hallway toward Wyatt.

  “Ugh, it keeps hopping from body to fucking body, Tariq,” Zora groaned as she pushed herself to her feet beside him.

  From where they stood, Tariq could hear Wyatt and the woman speaking to each other.

  “They’re going to team up,” Tariq said.

  “Whoa… your eyes, Tariq,” Zora breathed.

  Before he could respond, Wyatt surged down the hallway on all fours, the woman close behind him.

  “I’m ending this now,” Tariq said as he stepped forward. The lights above them began to flicker.

  Zora started to say something, but the world slowed again.

  Tariq dashed forward and caught Wyatt by the throat mid-charge. Wyatt howled in pain, swinging wildly as Tariq felt his fur burn away beneath his grip.

  Another scream rang out behind him.

  Tariq turned his head just in time to see black tentacles surging toward him—but they never reached him. Inches from his skin, they turned to dust and vanished.

  Wyatt clawed desperately at him, but irritation flared in Tariq’s chest. He tightened his grip until he felt Wyatt’s neck snap. His neck disintegrating in his grip and his body and head fell separately to the floor.

  Tariq turned to face the woman. Her eyes were wide as she slowly backed away.

  “You—what are you?” she screamed.

  Tariq didn’t answer. There was no point.

  Her body exploded into a mass of writhing black tentacles as it tried to escape, filling the hallway with twisting shadows. Tariq watched carefully. There was a core somewhere in there—something solid.

  His eyes locked onto a small, unmoving mass.

  That was it.

  Tariq dashed forward, reached into the chaos, and grabbed it. He wrapped his hand around the core and yanked. It tore free with a piercing screech before dissolving in his grip.

  The tentacles collapsed into nothing, fading away until the hallway was empty once more.

  The lights overhead popped, showering him in sparks.

  “T… you good?” Zora asked softly from behind him.

  A rush of emotions hit Tariq as he stared down at his hands. There was no blood—but they felt heavy. His hands began to shake.

  I didn’t have a choice… I…

  His gaze drifted to Wyatt’s body, his severed head lying several feet away.

  His heart hammered.

  Wyatt didn’t deserve to die like this.

  I just killed two people… I killed them.

  A hand rested on his shoulder.

  “Hey. Calm down. It’s okay, T,” Zora said gently. “Abemi was piloting dead bodies, and Wyatt was… well, only you know what he was doing.”

  Tariq nodded slowly. “Yeah…”

  Zora sighed. “What was that back there? You were like a completely different person. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Tariq swallowed. His thoughts churned, irritation still simmering beneath everything else.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I’m fine.”

  Footsteps echoed faintly from outside.

  Tariq snapped his head up. There was someone coming—and they had a heartbeat.

  “Who’s there?” he shouted.

  “I-it’s Sasha,” a small voice squeaked back.

  Tariq heard Zora’s heartbeat spike as they exchanged a look.

  Tariq nodded. “Wait for her come to us,” he said. “We’ll make our decision then.”