Inside the library, they heard more sounds they couldn't quite describe, as the battle raged around them—a battle none of them understood, nor could name the sides of, but feared nonetheless. Natalie wondered who was using so much magic outside. She could barely feel it at the edge of her senses, as if dulled by the library somehow, but there was definitely something huge going on.

  We are out of time. Take him, and figure it out later.

  But… we can't just take him!

  We are stronger than everyone here. Of course we can.

  I don't want to hurt him.

  We may not have a choice.

  "Dad, we have to go," she said again, her voice barely above a whisper—desperate, pleading. "I just want to keep you safe."

  "It'll never be safe around you."

  Natalie could feel every tear as it streaked down her face. She'd heard those words before. They echoed right out of her memory… from years and years ago.

  He thought she was dangerous, just like her mother.

  Her dad was afraid of her.

  "I'm not—" she started, but then it was truly too late.

  A man burst around the corner of the entrance, pistol raised. He stopped dead as every face turned to look at him—eight in all, including a hawk, a wolf, and a cougar. His gun-arm trembled slightly, but he soon found his target.

  "Brian Hendricks," said Jeremy Ashe, "you're under arrest."

  Immediately, Natalie took a step, and put herself between Jeremy and her father—facing away from him. Putting him at her back, because even with what he'd just said—even with how much her heart ached and her throat was raw and her eyes burned from crying—he was still her dad.

  "No," she said firmly, throwing her arms out wide.

  Hailey emerged a moment later, coughing and panting. She too stopped at the gathering, but her eyes were locked on Natalie, while Jeremy continued to train his gun on her dad.

  "Jesus Christ…" murmured Rat-face in the corner.

  "Nobody hurts him," Natalie repeated. "I told you."

  "Ain't gonna hurt him," said Jeremy. "Just gonna arrest him."

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  "Put the gun away then."

  "Soon as he and his drop all their fuckin' weapons."

  "I already took them away," said Natalie impatiently. "Their guns are all broken now."

  "You know what that fucking thing does, right?" Jeremy asked, nodding slightly toward her dad, who still held the golem rod.

  "...Yes," said Natalie uncomfortably.

  "You know how many people he's killed, personally?" Jeremy went on. "Your dad's a murderer. A dozen times over, probably way more."

  "So am I!" Natalie shot back, her voice rising. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted everyone to leave.

  Hailey gasped, her eyes wide.

  Jeremy's pistol lowered just slightly. His eyes dipped away from Brian, looking at her, at the little girl standing between him and his prey.

  He's a hunter too… he's not gonna let go of this.

  We can beat him. All he has are human weapons. We are stronger.

  If we're fast enough…

  "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

  "I've killed people…" said Natalie, her voice thick with pain. She hated the memories, hated everything rising to the surface of her brain, but if it got them to understand—if it meant they'd let her take her dad away from everything… it was worth it. "I killed a lot of people."

  "Natalie…" said Hailey, a hand pressed to her mouth. "What are you talking about?"

  "Everything you guys said Rika did," said Natalie. "It was me. In Rallsburg and in Seattle. I killed them."

  "No," said Hailey, shaking her head, obviously stuck in disbelief. "That's not… you couldn't…"

  "Nobody else knows lightning magic." said Natalie. "Rachel and Cinza were there. Ask them. I did it."

  I'm a murderer… just like him. Is that why I'm the only one standing on this side of the room?

  He did not kill in self-defense. It is not the same thing.

  He's scared of me though… just like everybody's scared of him. It's the same thing now…

  Jeremy was staring at her, eyes wide himself. He seemed scared of her now too, which was just fitting in the end. Everybody should be scared of her. She deserved it, after all.

  A crack of lightning flashed above. It struck the lightning rod atop the turret. Blinding light illuminated the room for a brief moment. Thunder roared around them, a huge rumble that threw dust into the air.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something. The ground was rising behind the one-armed woman in the corner, out of sight from everyone else. Only she and her dad could possibly see it.

  He was trying to summon a golem.

  "No!" Natalie shouted, and threw a hand out.

  Another crack of lightning—pink as the old rain jacket she wore—and a huge flash through the room. The half-form golem disintegrated.

  Everyone in the room flinched. Jeremy's pistol was up again, quivering in midair, trained on her father. Hailey had shifted too, into a more aggressive posture, ready to leap forward.

  "Nobody hurts my dad," said Natalie again firmly, glaring at him. "He's not evil. He's just…"

  "He is a monster," said an echoing voice from nowhere.

  Natalie felt out with magic, and there she was—a wall of Nature magic moving forward, keeping Cinza invisible. Natalie threw a burst of sheer energy at them, easily overpowering the pair.

  Ruby gasped, as if Natalie had just punched her in the gut. The two of them appeared, just to the side of Jeremy. Cinza was staring at Natalie with a mix of sympathy and guilt. She spoke again, quietly, barely audible under the storm crashing against the walls of the library.

  "He is a monster, and you are not," said Cinza again… but to Natalie, it was all meaningless. The Greycloak leader had betrayed her, as so many others had before.

  Every word they spoke was just… nothing.