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Instead, I opened the drawer of my desk, taking out my notebook and dipping my pen in ink.
I couldn’t trace the curves of her jaw and lips with my fingers—not in this life—but on paper I could do anything I wanted.
I couldn’t love her. I didn’t know how to do such a thing anyway. But I could capture pieces of her on paper to keep with me for when she left me. After all, she wouldn’t stay. She couldn’t.
Princesses like her didn’t love demons like me.
FORTY-EIGHT
“You’ll never measure up to your brother.”
My father’s words echoed in my head as I ran my hand against the handle of my sword. My family had always praised Henrik for his accomplishments, but I had never done anything worth praising. I struggled with reading, and so my studies were useless. On top of that, my classmates found out about my alchemist uncle, and they mercilessly mocked Henrik and me until I was forced to punch them in the mouth about it.
Henrik was the one who taught me how to fight, but I never caught on to the part about honor.
And now I would possibly have to kill my own brother to learn that lesson.
“Are you sure you can do this?” Jacques asked. “If you hesitate for a single moment—”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “Everyone gets enslaved by my possessed demon brother. I picked up on it.”
“I don’t appreciate your humor.”
“I don’t appreciate your lack of it.”
We followed Esmeralda deeper into the caves, as she was the lead on this mission. I didn’t like using her as bait. If anything happened to her—
“Grab her.”
My brother’s voice echoed through the cave. At least, the remnants of his voice. There was something inhumane about it now, like his throat had been burned on the inside. He sneered as his two siren minions grabbed Esmeralda and began to drag her toward him.
Jacques grabbed my arm to stop me. He then grabbed me by the collar, dragging me to the corner of the room. He eyed the two sirens and Henrik, his eyes narrowing.
Esmeralda stayed cool, her posture straight and unafraid as she spoke directly to my demonic brother. I didn’t understand how she could be so calm. My heart was about to rip out of my chest.
She could die. And so could my brother.
I didn’t care if it was a spell or not; I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her. And my brother, could he even be saved?
“I want to offer you my body,” Esmeralda’s calm voice said loud and clear.
My mouth opened, but Jacques spoke first.
“Shit,” he cursed. “The demon can’t resist the idea of more power. And if she’s offering him her body then…”
He caught my look.
“Not sexually,” he added. “She’s offering to let him possess her.”
“You can do that?”
“All possession is at first willing.”
I jumped to my feet, but he pulled me back down.
“She said she could separate them,” he said. “Wait.”
“One of them is going to end up dead.”
