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That kind of outburst was clearly not the type a timid soul like Calianna was used to allowing. She panted as she continued to glare at the fallen demon. The emotions were still tearing through her with so much strength that I expected to see red dots painting our vision. How she managed to bring such a wild rage back under control, I had no clue.
Lazarus’ steps slowed, the Nephilim on the other side of the bound man. His light brown eyes locked on us. Although there was a hint of amusement lurking within those pale irises, his energy seemed to shift entirely. “Do you want to free yourself from the ties keeping you bound to the family, Calianna?”
Her breathing hitched. “Y-Yes.”
An eyebrow rose. “Do you really want to be free of them?” he challenged.
My head rose slightly, almost as if Calianna was bringing up a defiant jaw — just like I did with Asher. “Of course I do,” she hissed. When he released a stifled noise, the irritation seemed to grow within her. “Are you doubting me, Lazarus?”
“Not at all, love.” He strayed toward her, taking great care to avoid the small puddle of blood Xaide had spat. That grin seemed to grow as he reached into his back pocket and tugged a folded pocket knife free. He flicked the blade out and dangled it in front of her by the handle. “No one gets to stay here without proving their loyalty. Warming my bed does not excuse you from that. So I want you…” He angled his body slightly to give her a full view of the bound demon. “...to show me how badly you want this freedom that you crave. No ties to your family…the bloodline…the name…your brother. If you want to sever all those ties, you will bind yourself to me the same way everyone else has.”
It was clear by the look in his eye that he expected Calianna to immediately grab the blade from him and go to work on Xaide until he was appeased. The fact that she hesitated seemed to bring an icy edge peeking out from beneath the surface.
“There are no free rides to the kingdom I am going to build, Calianna.” Lazarus’ voice was low, masking any of the emotion lurking within. He brought the weapon closer. “If you want to join us as the rest of the world burns so we can rebuild everything from the ashes, you will slice into him until he is ready to give us what we want to know.”
Xaide spat blood again, this time causing it to scatter on the filthy wall ahead of him. “If this is how you attempt to recruit the ignorant souls to take on the crown, then you must not have an army at your beck and call like you claim. No one swears loyalty by taking a blade for you.”
The Nephilim chuckled, turning his head slightly so that he could peer back at the demon. “Oh, they’re not on the receiving end. There’s absolutely no point wasting my time attempting to convince you to see things my way. I know most of you tie your loyalty deep within the demon lords, as well as that pathetic prince of yours. Now you, my dear…” His eyes swung back toward Calianna. “There’s a chance of redemption for you. Swear your loyalty to me by spilling his blood.”
Every part of me expected for the prince’s sister to back away and refuse to accept the blade. Yet it quickly became clear that the weariness I felt was just my own. Calianna reached out, finally taking the blade from him. She tightened her grip on the handle until it fit comfortably in her hand. “How much should I cut?”
Those lips curled into an icy smile. “As much as your heart desires, my addictive little demon.” He gripped us by the shoulders, encouraging us over to Xaide before she could get cold feet and bolt. A hard squeeze was all he gave before he released us.
The choice was clear: either Calianna drew blood to prove herself to the Nephilim or she would end up in hot water real fast.
I was beginning to fear that she wouldn’t move fast enough to earn his approval, especially when Lazarus’ mood seemed on the edge already. Yet, she surprised me by dipping into all those memories that seemed to have driven her from home. It wasn’t long until there was enough of a searing heat tearing through her veins that she finally started for Xaide.
That sudden change within her seemed to have caught the demon’s attention to where his brown eyes honed in on her. There was only a weary energy lurking within his aura to expose the belief that Asher’s sister had finally been convinced to go against her own blood. Yet the tension haunting those muscles couldn’t be tied to the fear of pain. He was preparing himself for the inevitable.
“Start the recording,” Lazarus spoke so softly that his command didn’t catch Calianna’s attention.
With Calianna’s attention now fixed on Xaide, I was forced to depend on the quiet shuffling and a click for me to comprehend the fae had jumped to obey. The excitement came off him in waves and made my nausea a thousand times worse. He loved the idea of recording Xaide’s torture.
I don’t want to do this. I could feel my own body quivering as Calianna knelt beside him. Even the slight adjustment of the weapon bringing the light above us reflecting directly into my eyes couldn’t make it dissipate. The horrible sensation haunting me only got worse when she gathered enough courage to drag the blade along the demon’s cheek.
Xaide clenched his teeth, sucking in a sharp breath. “Are you that willing to betray your own flesh and blood?” he hissed. “You still have a chance to leave, Calianna. Go back home. Beg for forgiveness from the Council.”
I could feel our eyes misting as the endless rage started to give away to other emotions: agony and sorrow. “I can’t,” she whispered. “All that waits for me back in Italy is a death sentence.”
When she shifted the blade to start cutting in another direction, he jerked his head back in a feeble attempt to put an end to the pain. Still, there were no noises of pain being squeezed from his lips beyond the hisses and low guttural growls. He didn’t attempt to speak again until she finally pulled the weapon away. “Asher is not your father,” he managed through clenched teeth. “There is still a chance for you to go back home.”
“For what?” Calianna’s voice started to shake. “For him to toss me into the dungeons beneath the manor and throw away the key? He’ll leave me there until I rot away, Xaide. Why would he bother to keep an eye on my punishment when he has such a unique pussy waiting for him here in the States?”
Rage trickled into my veins. Why is everyone so fascinated with talking about my pussy? I was over it, so done that I was ready to return to the real world and suffer the aftermath of this agony. Relentless nausea and a shitty hangover was still far better than dealing with the insults.
I just didn’t realize that my own emotions were starting to merge with hers until she turned the weapon in her hand. “Out of sight… Out of his fucking mind!”
Calianna brought the dagger down with so much force, managing to sink it into his shoulder, that it prevented Xaide from remaining quiet. He jolted back with a howl of pain.
Lazarus drifted back into view with a low chuckle. His eyes were fixed on the blood already pooling from the wound. “Do you feel that, love? That’s the sweet sensation of your freedom in your hands. No more taking orders from the rest of your family. No more being bound by laws that predate your birth. You are free of your brother.”
Now that the Nephilim was springing tempting promises in her face, Calianna seemed to accept the blood covering her hands. She snapped the dagger back only to sink it right back into the demon’s shoulder. As he roared in agony, she screamed, “I will not be owned! I am not property to be sold off and bear the heirs of a man I don’t even love! I am still a fucking person!”
The hot and sticky liquid coated her hand. Every time she pulled the weapon free, blood droplets were flung into our face. She was too caught up in her own rage to really notice, but there was nothing to keep it from processing in my mind. My stomach churned as it trickled down our cheek, coming far too close to our mouth for comfort. Hell, the next time she pulled back, one did end up hitting our tongue.
No! I don’t want to do this! Panic seeped into my veins. I was desperate to break away from this just so I wasn’t forced to endure any more of it. The frantic emotions seemed to grow within me until I felt like I was thrashing around in a skin that didn’t belong to me. “I don’t want to do this!”
I could barely even register that those words had actually left Calianna’s mouth — or the fact that Lazarus’ goon was quick to end the recording as soon as it hit the air. One blink was all it took for the bloody scene before me to quickly change. Our body was pinned against the pavement beside Xaide with a hand coiled around our throat. It didn’t even seem to matter to Lazarus that the demon was gushing enough blood to where the pool was on the verge of soaking into our clothes.
