by RJ Blain
“You had no choice in what Asfour tried to do to you, Kanika. My mistakes with Caitlin were all my own.”
While I thought wallowing was beneath him, I patted his chest and gave him another kiss. “Think about it this way. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have met me.”
His eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Take a page out of my book, Mr. Stewart. Thank her the next time you see her. If she had loved you, she wouldn’t have treated you like she did.”
“And what about you?”
I’d never told anyone I’d loved them before. Some days, I didn’t think myself capable of the emotion. Still, I had an answer for him, although I doubted he’d appreciate it. “I figure love isn’t a destination. It’s a journey.” I hesitated, as my next words would condemn me, although I wasn’t sure what the outcome of my condemnation would be. “I’m picking you as my best bet on making it work. Any man willing to put his soul on the line for eternity is worth fighting for, even if the trip gets bumpy on the way. I don’t believe in love at first sight. Hell, I’m not sure I even believe in love, period. But, I do believe when two people want something bad enough, good things can happen.”
I left him to think about it, aware of his gaze on me when I headed into the bathroom for a much-needed soak. There’d be time for regret and worry later, after I put my money where my mouth was.
With luck, I wouldn’t learn first-hand if it was better to love and lose than to never have loved at all.
I had always believed marriage to be a complex, annoying affair involving a great deal of paperwork. Within ten minutes of arriving at the courthouse, we had a document declaring our legal status as husband and wife. The name change form threw me for a loop, but Malcolm claimed the sheet for himself.
“A lot of women change their names, but I’ve been trying to escape mine most of my life, so if you don’t mind, I think I’ll steal yours.”
“If you spell it wrong, he might show up.”
Malcolm’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Spell it for me, please.”
We truly had too much in common. It took less than five minutes to claim him, name and all, as mine. “If I had to choose, I’d take Mephistopheles, too. Your family is infested with assholes.”
“While I wish I could argue, I can’t. In the next few weeks, there’ll be a lot of paperwork we need to fill out. I’ll set you up with a DBA so we can continue my Montgomery operations; some of my clients wouldn’t like invoking the devil’s name as part of daily business. It’ll also give us some privacy.”
“You won’t hear a single complaint out of me.”
“I’m also assuming you’ll want to continue your mercenary work.”
I shrugged. “Probably, although I suppose I won’t be drifting much anymore.”
“If you get the urge to roam, I can take my work with me.”
I truly didn’t deserve Malcolm’s selflessness. “I can work around that.” I gestured at the certificate and the accompanying paperwork. “Is this really it?”
“That’s it. You’re officially my life.”
“I think you mean wife, Malcolm.”
His smile, which was far too genuine to ever count as a smirk or anything other than heartfelt, promised I was wrong although he didn’t correct me. I definitely hadn’t done anything to deserve that from anyone. I flushed, locking my gaze onto the paperwork declaring our legal partnership.
The realization Asfour could have done the same robbed me of breath, and my blood drained out of my head and pooled in my feet. A courthouse and twenty minutes—or a licensed minister and several witnesses—could have made me a man’s property. If the witnesses colluded and claimed I had signed willingly, everything would have been different. I gulped. “What happens if we want a divorce?”
Malcolm sucked in a breath, and then he narrowed his eyes. “Are you thinking about Asfour?”
I jerked my head in a nod.
“I’ve looked into it already, for the same reasons you’re thinking of. I wanted to know what I was getting into if I caved and married Caitlin. Six months to a year of separation before finalization is required, and if he had a prenuptial, which he would have, he’d likely include clauses to make divorce difficult to process—and leave you without anything when it was said and done.”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“You’re fine, Kanika. Even if he attempts to draw up a fraudulent marriage contract, you’re safe. It won’t stick. All you need to do is request an angel to confirm you hadn’t married him. You can also confirm that you were forced to run away from home to protect yourself. That would allow you to pursue damages against him. Confirming your willing marriage to me will also solidify your position, too.”
Scowling, I planted my hands on my hips. “As what? A gold digger?”
In the gold digging department, I’d made off with the motherlode marrying Malcolm Stewart.
Instead of being insulted as I expected, he laughed. “Hardly. I’m fairly certain your adoptive father is far wealthier than I am. That makes me the gold digger.”
“Oh.” I supposed it technically did.
I’d have to spend some time mulling over that sharp left turn in my life.
“Fortunately for both of us, I’m far more interested in the woman than the money. In the interest of disclosure, Caitlin did want to do this exact same thing to me so I couldn’t escape her, and she had come armed with a prenup, one that benefitted only her.”
“For the record, this is a completely fucked up situation.”
“It’s unfortunately common. It’s a bit of a trend. Couples get a court marriage, give it a year or two to see if their relationship is going to work, then they spend the ridiculous amount of money on a proper wedding. So, we’re doing things the wise and cautious way, although our lack of a prenuptial will likely have some turning their noses up at us.”
“Huh. I had no idea.”
After getting into an argument with the clerk over it, Malcolm filled out the name change form, received a confirmation so he could update his driver’s license and other paperwork, and guided me out of the courthouse. “I’d like to start the actual wedding plans sooner than later. While the Stewart clan will not be invited, I have a lot of business colleagues and friends who I’d like to have at our wedding. I know you’re not going to have a large guest list, but I know some people who would love to become friends with you for no reason other than you’re different, interesting, smart as hell, and honest to a fault.”
“What a ringing endorsement.”
Malcolm smiled. “To me, there’s none better.”
If he kept sweet-talking me like he was, I’d have to reconsider the order for the rest of my day and bump the seduction up a few places on my to-do list. Then again, I was wise to save the best for last.
“I’m all right with starting any planning needed after we’ve dealt with the Wishing Well situation.”
“Agreed. The intel on Savannah being a hot-bed of death seems spot on, and the brimstone levels here are smothering. Regular humans might end up incapacitated. Demons and devils call it smothered, angels tend to call it suppression.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ll be like you, sick from the smell and devilish influences. It’s usually not an issue since devils rarely congregate. Demons don’t inspire the same sort of reaction.”
Huh. I’d have to find out how Malcolm had come across such good information later. “Is there some reason the humans haven’t moved away?”
“Yes. They can’t at this stage. If you put enough devils in the same place, their miasma makes humans incapable of exercising their free will. Those who could leave have. Angels can counter it, and the higher-level devils can redirect or contain their miasma. That’s why you didn’t notice anything with the devil. He was actively working to contain his miasma. Won’t stop the brimstone stench, but I bet he could if he wanted to. He is the devil, after all.”
I frowned at the thought of what
could happen in a populace lacking their free will. “If Wishing Well is here, would they be able to take advantage of that miasma to make bargains?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I’d guess so.”
While disappointed, both with his lack of certainty and the possibility Wishing Well was taking advantage of the miasma to coerce people out of their souls, I considered my options. Only one route would get me the answers I needed without fail. Grabbing my phone, I called the devil.
“It’s like you only call me when you want something, cupcake.”
“Like? It’s true. I have a couple of questions for you.”
“Shoot.”
“How many devils would it take to overwhelm a city’s population?”
“Depends on the devil, cupcake. If it’s me, one. In a worst-case scenario, it would take the three devils beneath me working together to pull it off, depending on the population in question. If you’re looking at the lesser devils of average strength, you’re looking at closer to a hundred.”
“How likely is it your top three devils would gang up together to do it?”
“Did my naughty little girl go to Georgia?”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe.”
“Atlanta, Savannah, or Augusta? All three have miasma fields at current.”
“Savannah.”
“Seventy-five are mine, but they’re weak—too weak for the level in the area.”
“How many aren’t yours?”
“Two.”
That didn’t sound good at all. “Two of your top devils have gone rogue in Savannah? Come on, Satin. Don’t tell me you coerced me into this shit job to clean up your damned mess.”
“They’re angling for your job, cupcake. That’s what devils do. Until they violate a bargain, they’re as innocent as devils get, and I have to follow the rules.”
I sighed. Of course the devil had to follow the rules. The devil may have left the heavens to bat on the side of evil, but evil was relative, and at heart, however twisted it was, Satin had been born an angel.
Sometimes, when I looked for it, it showed.
My first step would be finding out how I could resolve the internal problems before eliminating Wishing Well. “Can devils be killed?”
“Of course. They aren’t me. It’s so tiresome reclaiming a devil’s seed and regrowing it. I suppose I’ll do it if I must. You’re really going to go kill my devils, aren’t you?”
Between Malcolm and Satin, did I even need to have children? I figured children had nothing on their ability to whine. “If you didn’t want to regrow their seeds, you shouldn’t have let them do whatever they want then, Satin. You reap what you sow, and it’s not my fault you got lazy.”
“You’re so very cruel.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive. So. These two devils can be killed, correct?”
“They’ll provide a challenge for you and your Stewart male, I’m sure. When you do kill them, if you’re going to mail them to me, at least use a refrigerated truck. Rotting devils have a rather strong and unique aroma.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s also true. Anyway, don’t worry yourself too much about the humans. They’re remarkably resilient, and they’ll go back to normal within a week of the miasma field dissipating.”
“Unless Wishing Well bargains for their souls while they’re under its influence,” I snapped.
“Ah, but the miasma suppresses ambition, cupcake. It’s a chicken and egg situation. Wishing Well might be able to talk a few of them into making a bad decision, they might get a few extra souls, but it won’t work well for them. The bargains made will lack strength, and if they don’t fulfill those bargains, I’m free to act.”
However much I disliked it, I understood the tactic. “You’re setting them up.”
“That’s the idea. I also have no proof they’re the devils behind Wishing Well. They’re using vessels, which is making it difficult to confirm guilt.”
I hated being so damned ignorant about devils and demons, especially when I was stuck neck deep in their affairs. “Vessels?”
“Anyone who makes bargains on behalf of a devil is a vessel. The vessel is in a contract with the devil. While demons often serve as vessels, humans can become vessels as well. They’re using vessels to cover their tracks. It’s rather clever, really. Since I follow the rules, they have a few more options open to them. It’s a raw deal, but I have to work around it.”
“You’re the universe’s most lawful bad guy, aren’t you?”
“Why does everyone think I’m the bad guy? Just because I turn people I don’t like inside out sometimes doesn’t mean I’m bad. Well, I do trick people into making unfavorable bargains for their souls. I suppose that is a little bad. It’s tough being me.”
I bet it was. Shaking my head over Satin’s antics, I asked, “If I were to ask for angels, how many would it take to counter the miasma in Savannah?”
“Why would you want to? I brought in extra devils to make certain the miasma fields were strong enough to prevent Wishing Well from making good bargains. All removing the miasma field will do is put more souls at risk. If you bring in angels, Wishing Well will regain their ability to bargain with mortals.”
“There’s something to be said for free will. If our goal is to help the victims after the bargains have been made, then we need to catch Wishing Well in the act.”
Satin sighed. “I chose a troublesome child. Your concern for your fellow mortals is disgustingly endearing, but it’s more complicated than catching them in the act. If they can make new bargains, the numbers of undead will rise. That’s not a problem easily solved. If the miasma fields fail, Wishing Well will be able to create tens upon thousands of new undead—and stronger undead. Undead happen, but it’s like angels, devils, and demons; there’s a rhyme and reason to it. That’s no longer the case.”
“What sort of bargain would be needed to help Wishing Well’s victims?”
The long moment of silence didn’t bode well for the men and women murdered for their souls. “The ones who could do it don’t bargain, cupcake. Sorry.”
“Angels, then?”
“Correct.”
“Do those brothers of yours have a phone number or some civilized way to reach them?” I snarled. After browbeating the devil, how hard could it be to knock some sense into a pair of archangels?
“I’ll have them call you.”
“Can’t they just drop in?”
“Sure, they could, but your Stewart male won’t like it.”
I frowned. “Will it kill him?”
“No, of course not.”
“He’s a big, manly man. I’m sure he can handle himself.”
“Go somewhere private. I’ll ask if they’re free, and if so, I’ll tell them to find you in twenty minutes.”
“Call me back if they’re not free.”
“Will do.” The devil hung up.
“You’re planning something,” my new husband accused. “What are you planning? When you plan things, disasters happen.”
I couldn’t blame him, since lately, that did tend to be the result. “I’m not planning anything yet. I need to ask two angels a question.”
“Why angels? They’re so…”
“Creepy?”
“World-endingly dangerous.”
Why me? “Do I need to send you to our room until I’m done talking to them?”
“There’s no chance in hell am I leaving you alone with a bunch of damned angels.”
However amusing it might be to argue the finer points of angels, their inability to be damned and retain their rank as an angel, and Malcolm’s possessiveness, I settled with rolling my eyes and laughing. “You’re just going to have to play nice with the angels. We need to find a private place to meet them in twenty minutes.”
“I know just the place. Follow me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Scraggly grass encroached on the pristine sands far enough away from the popular beaches to
offer the illusion of privacy—and escape the stench of decay and brimstone for a while. Malcolm smiled and pointed at the ridge above us. “The foot path is on the other side, and few like this spot. It’s just not as pretty as near the pier or boardwalk.”
People were strange. I appreciated the wild, untouched ocean and the natural jetty blocking my view of civilization. “It’s plenty pretty.”
“There’s a nice rock that way some couples enjoy if they don’t mind possibly putting on a show.” Staring off into the distance, Malcolm sighed. “That’s how I found out what sort of woman Caitlin really was.”
I grimaced. “This isn’t a place you like, is it?”
“This is one of my favorite places in the world. She never found out that was the night I learned the truth about her. No, I’m grateful for this quiet stretch of beach. I wouldn’t have said no the first time she tried to rope me into marrying her if not for that rock. I found freedom here.”
Huh. Obviously, I had found someone who viewed his cup as half full with a twist. “And a hefty amount of resentment to go with it. How do you know I’m not the same way?”
On second thought, I probably should have asked that question before marrying him.
Malcolm lifted his arm and displayed his master bracelet. “This helped. Mostly, I watched you. While you were recovering in Minnesota, I talked to you. Now, that’s an unfair advantage since you don’t remember it, but to be fair, I hoped you would. When I was shot and fed my magic to you, I felt it all. You really don’t do things in half measure, do you? You’re a lot like the devil, you know.”
“I am not!”
He grinned. “But you are. When you give your word, you mean it. That’s what I first admired about you.”
“And here I thought it was my legs and ass.”
“Those are two very potent weapons in your arsenal. And I don’t just like them, I love them. Yes, your legs and ass caught my attention, but you held it. You were so determined to protect me from my family, fearing treachery you couldn’t confirm. Some men don’t like that, but I do. It says a lot about your character.”
“So does ambushing you using my legs and ass as bait, shooting you with a dart, and kidnapping you. Now look at me.”
