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“Involved? No. Suffering the presence of? Yes. It’ll be your job to protect her. Whatever she needs, you do. Her life has been tethered to mine, so you’ll ensure she doesn’t kill us while I’m away.” Asmo pauses, his eyes rolling up at the ceiling for a moment before he taps a finger in the air. “Climbing trees in particular will be off limits.”
“Tethered?”It takes me a moment to realize that I didn’t just think the question but snapped it out loud.
“How else did you think our deal would work? You die, I die, and vice versa.” Asmo closes the distance between us in leisure, hands in his pockets like he owns the very ground he walks on, though I suppose he does. My ears twitch as I glare daggers into him, my frown deepening when his sensual lips curve into a wicked smile.
“Now, now…” he coos, tipping his head to the side. “Don’t be angry, Starlight. It was the insurance policy we both needed, yes? The moment we can trust each other, we’ll break our deal. And considering who’s more likely to die in this scenario, I’d say you got the better end of it.”
Heat floods through me, burning my face, making my ears feel like they’re on fire, and I storm across the hall, eating up the ground in seconds until I can poke a finger at his chest. “You tricked me.”
“I did no such thing. If I had, I’d admit and gloat about it with pride. You would’ve known the moment you agreed to what I had asked of you.”
I don’t waste a moment to think about what I’m doing. I simply plant my hands against his solid chest and push with every ounce of strength my body possesses. However, he doesn’t move an inch. The sheer force sends me falling backward, and before I can hit the ground, he’s yanked me toward him by my wrists.
“Careful. You don’t heal like I do. Your head smacks that marble and we’re both done for.” His eyes are dark, the amber rings almost nonexistent as he glares down at me. “I’m beginning to regret this.”
“You’re despicable. Am I to be trapped in this fucking house too?”
“You’re free to come and go as you please, though I wouldn’t. At least not until you learn how to properly defend yourself first. And until our deal is broken, you’ll need to take someone with you if you intend to cross the wall. Griffin won’t be able to, so unfortunately, you’ll be stuck with me if you want to adventure.” He rights me, and though he lets my wrists go, he makes no effort to move away. I’ve never seen someone look so menacing, yet touch so gentle as he swoops a chunk of my hair behind my ear. The timbre of his voice drops an octave as he leans a bit closer, and my breath catches in my lungs, my dream flooding every sense. “There are creatures in the woods surrounding this keep who thoroughly enjoy feasting on pretty things.”
My spine goes bone straight and his lips curve. Chuckling beneath his breath, he turns to Griffin, the muscles of his throat flexing. I have the oddest urge to kiss him there, to feel his pulse under my lips, to hear the moan such an action might elicit.
“Griffin would surely get you both killed for beauty alone,” he adds.
Griffin snorts, and though I can’t see him, I can feel his eyes roll. “Very funny.”
“Break the deal. I’ll leave now,” I say, dragging Asmo’s attention back to me.
“Not a chance, Starlight. You’re stuck with me. I’m just starting to have fun with you.”
“Break. It.” I seethe, and when his grin pulls wider, I jerk that little itty bitty dagger out of its sheath on my hip and hold the sparking blade to my throat. “Break it or we both die.”
He drags in a deep steading breath, but his eyes flare, flickering between man and demon. “You and I both know you’re bluffing. If you so much as draw blood, I could force you to drop that blade with a flick of my wrist. So go ahead, try me.”
I’m not sure what to do. Honestly, I hadn’t thought this through. I thought he’d value his life enough to end the deal between us if I threatened it, but clearly, that was a terrible assumption.
I lower the blade, the fight leaving me in seconds.
He pinches my chin, smiling down at me with a feigned sense of affection. “Look at you… learning already.”
“Fuck you, demon prick. Find someone else.”
“Well, that’s an odd way to be propositioned, but bring me flowers and I might.”
I tear my eyes away from his in defeat, and he takes a step back. “Now, I’d consider taking a bath if I were you.” He returns to his grimoire, thumbing through the pages of scrawled text and drawings.
“Excuse me?” Those two words drip poison stronger than anything his blades are laced with and I grip his arm, spinning him around to face me.
“I’m sorry, let me try that again.” He plucks my fingers from his arm one by one.“Bathe.As you’ve so blatantly reminded me, I’m a demon. And putting your lust on display might as well bean invitation to do as I please. So, go to your room and take care of whatever you need to as long as you're quiet, because I’d rather not be privy to yourneedswhile we dine.” Choosing to not give me a chance to reply, he snaps my fingers and the darkness and light spools around me until I drop in a heap of flailing limbs straight into a bathtub, filled with steaming water.
Worse, I don’t need to look down to know there’s not a shred of clothing on my body. They’re gone, lost to the ether, and the warmth caresses every inch of me.
“Asshole…”
13
Valeria
Griffin is slouched inhis chair, idly spinning a silver fork between his fingers, the last rays of dust bathing the dining room in a warm glow. His azure eyes, twinkling with mischief an hour ago, are now thin slits, an air of annoyance clinging to him as he stares absently across the room.
