Embraced

by Jus Accardo

  Crashing together in midair, the demon twisted with a violent jerk and redirected the carnivus sideways, toward the wall. The thing collided with the brick, a thundering crash echoing through the small space.

  The carnivus climbed to its feet, scaly hackles rising. Azi positioned us protectively in front of Sam, bracing my body for another round. But the carnivus didn’t attack. It matched our steps—us back, it forward—but made no move to instigate more violence.

  “Get rid of it,” Azi snarled at Sam.

  She made a choking sound. “Get rid— How? Am I supposed to offer it a cookie or something? Give it a damn belly rub? You get rid of it. You’re the demon badass.”

  “You’re a Pure,” Azi fired back, my voice laced with venom. The demon’s patience was waning, but underneath that, I felt concern. The carnivus was, unlike other things, a very real threat—one that shouldn’t exist outside hell. “You are unbound. Use your energy.”

  The canine-like creature snarled and snapped its massive jaw, but still made no advance. “What’s it waiting for?” Sam gripped the back of my shirt. I felt her fingers skim my skin as they wrapped themselves around the thin fabric.

  “These are not creatures known for their intelligence. They are soldiers, bound by the commands of their masters.” However this thing came to be here, it couldn’t have been acting on its own. Azi was very familiar with them, having used the monsters in its own army. That made me an expert as well. These things had brains the size of horses.

  “It isn’t acting of its own free will,” a man said from behind the beast. He emerged from the shadows, approaching as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

  The carnivus froze, its low-throated rumble silenced.

  “Abel.” Azi pushed the word past my lips as if it left a bad taste in my mouth. “Your timing is impeccable.”

  The man gave a small bow. “Azirak. Please, call me Heckle.” He nodded to Sam as well.

  She sprang from behind me and eyed the carnivus with caution. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to find you for over a week now.”

  Heckle’s eyebrows lifted. He looked down at the carnivus, then back to her. “For?”

  Anger seeped into the air. Waves of red smoke that sent shivers of excitement through my body. “The last thing you said to me was that there was a way to separate Jax and Azi. Then poof. You dropped off the face of the planet.”

  “As I recall, it was you who said that. I never confirmed it.”

  The red smoke thickened and Sam clenched her fists tight. The demon was amused. It wanted to see what would happen if she struck Heckle. “You implied it,” she said. Her voice was deadly, and the sound of it stirred something primal in Azi. The demon took a step forward, moving closer to her.

  Heckle sighed. “As I said, Azirak would have to leave of its own accord.” He glanced toward me. “Is that a possibility?”

  A rush of images flashed before me, a swarm of pictures involving the witch, Sadie Gray—also known as Malphi, Azi’s mate. They ended with one of me, wide eyed and furious, standing over her corpse. “No,” the demon said. The tone left no room for argument. No room for forgiveness.

  “Then this conversation is moot.” Heckle folded his arms. “I have a task for you. Something suited for your particular talents.”

  “A task?” Sam balked. “Are you high? It’s your fault I have a permanent supernatural target pinned to my back. Because of you, I have to sleep with one eye open, and Jax—”

  “Enough,” Heckle said. He appeared calm, but Azi sensed an underlying storm. “You belong to me. Both of you. You each made a bargain and you will fill your end of it.”

  “I made no bargain with you,” Azi said calmly.

  “But the body you’re currently residing in did. Therefore, you are bound by Jax’s word.”

  I took satisfaction from the demon’s ire. Keep me locked away in my own body? Well, fuck you.

  Suck it up. I gave him my word. His help in exchange for service. Nothing you can do about it.

  But the demon didn’t see it that way. Fury filled me, simmering rage barely contained. My hand came up, wrapping tightly around Heckle’s neck. “You dare conspire to enslave a royal of hell?”

  Heckle was silent for a minute. He blinked once. Twice. Then with a sigh, he pried my fingers from his neck with alarming ease and reversed our positions. “Don’t push me, Azirak.” His voice still rang with the utmost calm, but the demon’s enhanced senses afforded me a glimpse deeper. Heckle was not one to be fucked with. “If you wish to remain in control, you will keep Jax’s end of the bargain.”

  “As you wish. But I will do nothing that puts myself, my clan, or the Pure in danger.”

  Then leave, I said with a snort. You being here puts Sam in danger.

  The demon ignored me, calm on the outside, but on the inside, the rage was palpable. It was barely refraining itself from lunging at Heckle.

  Heckle adjusted his shirt. “Now then. The task is simple. Recover the the Brim Stone and bring it to me.”

  “Brim Stone,” Sam repeated. “Why does that sound familiar?”

  “Because it’s the stone that enabled Malphi to tap in to the magic of the Gray family bloodline.”

  “Wait.” Sam’s eyes grew wide. “If it’s the stone Malphi had, and Malphi is dead, then who has the stone?”

  Heckle pinned her with a pitying frown.

  She blew a stray hair from her face and rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotta be shitting me…”

  “I wish I were.” He sighed. “I’m afraid a grievous oversight on my part allowed Malphi’s stone to fall into the enemy’s hands.”

  Sam’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, but Azi wasn’t interested in anything she had to say. Suspicion swelled and he focused on Heckle. “And what do you want with the stone?”

  “As you can see,” Heckle hitched a thumb over his shoulder at the carnivus. “Something is just a bit off.”

  He was right. Azi’s memories swirled, and I knew that carnivi, like most other creatures that inhabited hell, were unable to cross to this plane. At least, not on their own. “How did it come to be here?”

  “You can thank Zenak,” Heckle said. He flicked a finger at the beast, frowning. “And there’s plenty more where that came from. I’ve gotten reports from all over Harlow. Denizens of Hell have been running rampant for the last few days.”

  “And you believe this is Zenak’s doing?” My muscles tensed, my body’s natural reaction to the apprehension the demon felt. I still hadn’t gotten used to it—the way my body betrayed me by reacting to the whims and desires of another. Everything was so much stronger, amplified by the demon’s senses. “That my enemy has stolen the stone and is using it to call forth an army?”

  “I’m afraid it is now in Zenak’s possession. While one half of the stone doesn’t give the demon access to all its inherit abilities, it does give a dangerous edge. It can’t travel home, but it appears that it can call reinforcements.”

  “Wait—half?” Tendrils of worry rose from Sam’s shoulders. Her pulse increased, heartbeat racing. “He doesn’t have the whole thing?”

  Heckle shook his head. “Sadie only had half the stone. I don’t know what became of the remaining part. You’ll have to find it, though. It’s far too dangerous to leave it floating around.”

  “But if Zenak has an advantage with just half the stone, why hasn’t it come for us yet?”

  “It’s not immediately clear what Zenak’s plans are. But, knowing what we do—that it wants to destroy Azirak and take control of Sam—I believe getting to the other half of the stone before it does will benefit us all.”

  Azi bristled, and I felt a mix of anger and concern from the demon. “And the half of the stone that Zenak already possesses? What of that?”

  “Once you retrieve the stone—both halves—I will dispose of them.”

  That wasn’t going to happen. Azi had no intention of handing either half of the stone over to Heckle
.

  “Zenak has brought over the carnivi—and I assure you, there are more roaming the streets of Harlow. It is feasible that it has brought others as well. The tracker, perhaps?”

  The shift in Azi’s mood was violent. My body tensed, limbs itching to tear into something, anything. “I see,” came the demon’s deceptively calm response, just slightly deeper than my usual voice. “Then I suppose that escalates things.”

  Heckle, seemingly satisfied, gave a short nod. “In the meantime, I suggest you deal with this.” He took two steps backward, melting into the darkness. A moment later, the previously frozen carnivus leaped from the shadows.

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  Acknowledgments

  My life was a bit upside down while writing this book. My mom was diagnosed with and began treatment for stage four uterine cancer. Some of the worst days I’ve ever lived through happened during the construction of Embraced. If that sounds morbid and bleak, then let me tell you that it’s anything but. Why? Because I’m still here. My mom is still here. My books, my words, are still here. And none of that would have been possible without the amazing people in my life.

  Obviously my family was a huge part of that. My Aunts Nina and Lynn, and Kate—you are now and always will be a part of my family—were boundless in their support. My dad, who keeps thanking me when it is me who should be thanking him. One word. Mortimer. *mic drop* And Kevin. My husband. My rock. My reason for everything. You are the basis for every hero I write, because to me there is no one more heroic than you. When you look at me, you see someone who can do anything. Be anything. That kind of faith is the reason I am the person I am today.

  To my crit partner Lynn, for your priceless feedback and suggestion, and for all the times you checked in to see how we were doing. It might not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it was monumental. You are seven shades of awesome, girl. ;) And of course my agent, Nicole Resciniti, who I find myself in awe of. Your tireless enthusiasm and encouragement kept me from breaking some days.

  To all the fantastic people at Entangled who put their time and effort into putting out amazing books. A huge thank you to Keally Elliott for catching all those violently repeating words and phrases, and Heather Howland, friend and cover Goddess extraordinaire. From Ellie in publicity to my editors, the fabulous Liz Pelletier and Candace Havens, this book would be nothing more than words on a screen if you hadn’t come along and helped make it pretty.

  And to the readers… I might have created Jax and Sam, but you are the ones who gave them life. They would simply be names on a page without you. You’re all freaking Rock Stars in my book.

  And once again, to Liz, Nicole, Heather, Melanie, and Jessica, without whom this book would probably never be written. Apparently sleep is a necessary bodily function. ;)

  About the Author

  Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. When not writing, Jus can be found volunteering at the local animal shelter or indulging her passion for food. After being accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, she passed on the spot to pursue a career in writing and has never looked back. As far as she’s concerned, she has the coolest job on earth—making stuff up for a living.

  www.jusaccardo.com

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