“Save your philosophy, demon. You and I had a perfectly legitimate deal. You failed to deliver, ergo—”
“I amnodemon, Prince.”
“Ahh, but aren’t you?” He stabbed the cigar into his ashtray, grounding it until his fingers were coated in ash. The room was hazy with smoke, and now it began to descend on us like a fog. “You’ve bargained with her life almost as many times as I have. And here you are at the final hour, once again begging me to make another deal.”
“I’ve done no such thing.”
“Then why are you here? To enjoy the many pleasures of my establishment?” He gestured toward a blackened window on the opposite wall. At his attention, the glass lost its smokey tint, clearing to provide a view into the adjacent room. A soft red glow emanated from the ground, just enough illumination to reveal the garish scene unfolding inside. It seemed to be a near-exact replica of the artwork on his walls, and though the almost-nude woman chained to the wall did not move as three male tormentors carried on, her haunted eyes told the story of her endless torture.
She couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old. Twenty at best.
“Perhaps your human vessel is craving a bargain of the, shall we say, carnal nature?” Sebastian’s eyes glinted as he drank in the sight of the woman’s brutalized body, licking his lips as one of her captors tore off the last remaining scrap of fabric covering her breasts. “Violet is a client favorite. I’m told she’s never refused a request, no matter how degrading or bizarre. Then again, she doesn’t have much of a choice. Such is the way with the Devil’s bargains.”
“You are a monster,” I whispered, unable to look away from Violet’s pained eyes. There was nothing I could do to help her. She was a demonic servant, the details of her own bargain unknown to me. Even death couldn’t save her now.
“No, I am the Prince of Hell,” Sebastian bellowed suddenly. “You would be wise to remember that before wasting my time with your pathetic pleas. I am not the hero in this story, Shadow Lord. Nor have I ever pretended otherwise. So if you’d kindly stop wasting my time, I do have other business to attend to.”
His eyes glowed the same eerie shade of red as the torture room next door, cutting through the remaining blanket of smoke and reminding meexactlywho I was dealing with.
“So be it,” I finally said, resigned. He was right—Ihadcome here looking for one last bargain, and now I would have it. “There’s no deal I wouldn’t make to save Gray’s soul from Hell’s grip.”
“I’m very glad to hear it.” At this, he snapped his fingers, and a manilla envelope appeared, thick with what could only be another contract. “The terms are rather simple, actually.”
“State them plainly, Prince. I’ve neither the time nor the interest to parse through your fine print.”
“Very well.” He set the envelope on the table before him, then stroked his goatee, gazing through the window as if he were deep in thought. As if he were actually considering the options rather than simply pausing for dramatic effect and enjoying the sick view next door.
Sebastian was no fool. He’d known full well why I’d come today, and full well the terms he’d offer. Still, I let him play his games, hoping that the day would come where his confidence would so fully blind him that someone more powerful than I would slip behind his defenses and plant the trap that would usher in his final undoing.
“I will allow you to retrieve your beloved witch’s soul and work your shadow magic to bring her back to life.”
“At what cost?”
“No more or less than our previously arranged price. The cost of your failure. An excellent bargain for you, I do declare.”
It was precisely what I expected, yet everything I most feared.
I’m so sorry, Gray.
I knew there was no room for negotiating here. Sebastian might let me bring Gray back to life, but he would not allow her to walk away from him unscathed. Not when he already had her soul in possession. He held all of the cards here, and I was out of ideas.
I had to accept. Leaving her soul to float untethered through hell was simply not an option.
“On one condition,” I said. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, and I pushed on, gesturing toward the window. “Release Violet into my possession. I… Imusthave her.”
He eyed me suspiciously for no more than a breath, then laughed, smug satisfaction distorting his already vile features. “Ah, so our fan favorite has tickled your fancy. She’s quite remarkable, I’m told.”
“You were right,” I said, trying to appear both aroused and ashamed. “My human vessel does have certain… proclivities. The longer I retain this form, the more insistent those proclivities become. I will comply with your terms, and ask only that you grant me this gift of flesh as a show of good faith.”
Still laughing, Sebastian slid the contract and a pen across the table. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
I signed quickly, and the entire envelope vanished.
“I will have Violet prepared and waiting for you in Suite 666. It’s my personal favorite.” He produced a keycard, and I took it without ceremony, sliding it into my pocket.
“Always a pleasure.” He stuck out his hand to shake, but a sudden commotion outside the conference room door interrupted our farewell. The door crashed open, and Ronan shoved his way inside, cradling Gray in his arms.
The sight of her lifeless body… I nearly gasped.
