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“When someone signs their soul over to me in exchange for something it means that, no matter where they are in the world, they owe me their compliance. They are chattel, essentially. Puppets on a string, even. If I ever tug on those strings, they have to do as I bid. Each of you, however, would not be under my control as I would only have partial rights to your soul. But you would owe me respect, loyalty, and be in my service for as long as you’re residents here.”
“Why you specifically? Why not all seven Ancients?”
“We would all have authority over the five of you, of course. But the other Ancients would not hold such rights merely because it is notthemmaking you the offer. Had another Ancient been on duty here tonight and had you accepted their offer, you would all have been intheirservice.”
She gave a slow nod of understanding.
“So … is this a price you’re all willing to pay?”
She glanced at each of her coven members. For long moments, they silently seemed to hem and haw but, eventually, one by one nodded.
Wynter turned back to Cain. “The issue here is … I don’t know if you’d actuallywantpartial ownership of my soul.”
He felt his brows flit together. “Why is that?”
She shrugged. “It’s undead.”
Cain stared at her for long seconds, taken off-guard—something that very rarely happened. He leaned forward and, careful not to spill his drink, braced his elbows on his thighs. “When did you die?”
“When I was a child. As you no doubt know, magick can do all sorts of things, even bring people back from the dead.”
“I’ve heard that those with undead souls never feel real satisfaction. Is that true?”
“Yes. It’s like there’s a … detachment there. No taste or smell or sensation fully gratifies us, so we exist in a kind of limbo. But it beats being dead.”
“Yes, I suppose it does.” He felt a slight stirring in his mind—one he hadn’t felt in so long he almost didn’t recognize it for what it was: fascination. “I’ve never touched an undead soul before.”
She double-blinked. “You can … touch souls?”
“If I’m granted partial or full rights to them, yes.”
“So if we agreed to your condition, you could touch our souls? What would that mean for us?”
“It wouldn’t allow me access to your thoughts or feelings, if that is what you’re wondering. But with one touch, I would have a general idea of your character merely because the soul is the foundation blocks of a person. Additionally, I’d know if you died.”
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Could you also cause us pain?”
He nodded. “There’s nothing more sensitive than the soul.”
“So, in essence, we’d be completely vulnerable to you?”
“Yes.” And where it concerned Wynter, the dark heart of him liked the idea of that. “You would all also wear my mark on your palm. A brand that declares you’re under my protection and in my service. Every resident is marked by whatever Ancient claims rights to their soul.”
“How do we know you really intend to give those rights back to us when we leave?”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Not even a little. No offense.”
He felt his mouth quirk. Oh, he liked this little witch. And he’d definitely have her. “None taken. You needn’t worry. I’ll be as bound to the terms of the verbal contract as you.”
“Whatexactlyare the terms?”
“There’s no fine print, Wynter. The agreement would be simple: For as long as you’re a resident of Devil’s Cradle, your soul will partially belong to me, and so you will owe me your loyalty and respect while also being in my service. In return, I will ensure you have shelter and protection from insiders or outsiders—no exceptions. The same will go for the rest of your coven if they agree.”
“Just to be clear, we’re not a coven,” said Wynter, though her thoughts were mostly centered around his ‘terms.’ She’d known the price would be hefty; she hadn’t known it would bethishigh. She’d heard that Aeons refrained from attempting to plant temporary spies here. She could now guess why.
Giving up some rights to her soul held no appeal, but neither did leaving Devil’s Cradle. Her gut told her thatthiswas where she needed to be. And it wasn’t like she couldn’t reclaim those rights. If she decided she wanted them back, she could just up and leave, couldn’t she?
