Embraced (Eternal Balance)

by Jus Accardo

  “Prove myself?” I slid from the car, tightening my fists against the urge to pummel them against the demon’s face. Azi communicated another image, this one of my hands around Ranook’s neck. I felt its skin beneath my fingers, the bones giving under the pressure. Its eyes bulged and it tried to speak. I squeezed harder. The scene ended, leaving me raw. If it didn’t have something I needed, I would end the demon right now, taking immense pleasure in feeding from every last ounce of pain and fear as its essence faded. “You dare question my motives.”

  “If you would follow me, I will explain.”

  I slammed the door closed and followed Ranook up a long, twisting path toward an expansive Victorian house. A large porch, decorated in wicker furniture, wrapped around the impeccably kept home. Innocent. Peaceful, even. But one deep breath told me it was anything but. This was no human domicile. It was inhabited by demons.

  Ranook pushed through the door with me on its heels. The inside of the house was like the outside. Innocuous and unassuming. A familiar scent hung in the air, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t place it. “Where is Malphi?”

  “I told you,” Ranook said. “You’ll need to prove yourself. Malphi has been in hiding for safety reasons. Most of the others don’t know that she’s here.”

  What little patience I had was waning. “You’re telling me Malphi is afraid of our clan?”

  “Most of our clan is…angry with your mate. They distrust her motives.” An image flashed through my mind. It was shadowed and impossible to make out the details, but I felt the emotion behind it—an overwhelming sense of anger and betrayal. “And it’s no secret that Zenak wants her dead. She’s been a constant threat to him in every one of her human incarnations.” The demon chuckled. “She’s killed him several times, you know. They have something of a history…”

  “What do you mean, a history?”

  “Your full memory will come back in time. With each human life you inhabit, it always does, but maybe this will help you.” Ranook gestured to the floral disaster of a couch in the center of the room. “Malphi was presented to Zenak, chosen to be his mate by the Lord Lucifer. Unfortunately, she had already set her sights on you.”

  I sat, and the demon took the chair across from me. “Continue,” I said.

  “Before our exile, before the great war, you instructed her to go to him under the guise of acceptance. She was to kill him before their union was consummated and return to you.”

  “And did she?” I almost said it, but caught myself in time.

  Ranook shrugged. A sly smile tugged at the corners of its lips. “She tried, but failed. Their union was consummated—by consent or force, it is unclear. You didn’t care though. You wanted her back and so you took her.”

  “I stole her from Zenak.”

  The demon leaned back, kicking its feet onto the table. “I suppose you could say that Malphi is hell’s own Helen of Troy.”

  “That’s what started the war between our clans?”

  “In part, yes. The two clans were always at odds, but not until Malphi was there such violence. It took the equivalent of two hundred Earth years to reacquire your love. During that time, Zenak was not…kind to her, fostering her hatred for him. Several times, after being born back to Earth, she has sought him out and ended his life before consummating her union with you. Unconsummated, Malphi was not a royal—”

  “And by spilling Zenak’s blood, was unable to end the exile,” I finished, understanding. Azi stirred, furious at the memory, yet the affection it felt for Malphi was palatable. The potency of the feelings should have scared me. I needed to kill the demoness to save Sam, yet I found comfort in the affection. Familiarity and warmth.

  “Yes,” Ranook said. “You were understandably upset by her actions. Unlike this incarnation, your only goal was to restore your clan to its former glory. She made it impossible, and so you had to wait. Then when you were reborn, you and our enemy ended up in the body of twins…”

  “Do not question my intentions,” I warned, unnerved by the ferocity of my voice. It was Azi, and yet it was me as well. I was furious that he hinted at disloyalty. “I will see us restored, kings among sheep, as it should be.” The words were meant to placate Ranook, a string of lies with only one intention. Saving Sam. Yet something about them rang with truth. “Get on with it. What does Malphi need me to do to prove myself?”

  Ranook’s grin widened. “In time, my lord. In time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sam

  They’d finally given it a rest and gone back upstairs, but not without promising to return. Next time, the angel said before closing the door at the top of the stairs, they were going to start removing limbs. It wasn’t my body they needed intact.

  That was kind of hard to ignore.

  A tremor rippled through me, and I bit back a sob. Crying wouldn’t do any good, yet the tears welled up, slipping down my cheeks and leaving molten trails of desperation.

  I closed my eyes and pictured Jax’s face—sharp lines and stormy gray eyes that held the promise of danger, and just the smallest hint of vulnerability. Eyes I wanted desperately to see again.

  My entire body ached, a throbbing pain that had nothing to do with the angel’s attempt at getting me to consent. The demon cuff squeezed against my skin, sending a painful reminder of the ticking clock. With each hour, the frequency with which it contracted increased, and it made me wonder how bad it would get before it all ended. Would the pain be debilitating? Would I beg for death? Being confined to an obscure basement, stuck with the angels, didn’t leave much wiggle room. But maybe this was better. Jax might want to kill Malphi to satisfy Chase’s bargain, but Azi would never let him.

  I bit back a gasp as another wave of pain came. The hinges of the door at the top of the stairs groaned open, letting a beam of light wash over the steps. A moment later, the wooden steps groaned beneath someone’s weight.

  “Have you come to your senses?” the female angel who’d brought me here asked. She was with another, a new male. He was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a cruel grin. “We have no wish to cause you pain, Samantha. If you do not allow me to claim you, the demon cuff will end your life. What a waste that will be.”

  “Then let me go,” I tried. “Give me a fighting chance to get this thing off.”

  She frowned. It almost looked genuine. “If I could, I most certainly would. But to allow hell to obtain you would be devastating.”

  “Then we’re all in luck,” I said as another ripple of pain radiated. “That won’t happen. I have no intention of letting myself be used for evil.” I fixed my gaze on her. “Or your so-called good.”

  She sighed and shook her head, stepping to the side. The grim set of her lips screamed of irritation, but worse than that, determination. “I’ve tried to persuade you with methods that, while mentally disturbing, did not cause you any real harm. I’m afraid you leave me no choice.”

  The male angel stepped forward, towering over me. I didn’t like the look in his eyes. Part excitement and part anger—equally dangerous. His movements were too quick to follow. His hand whipped around, a blur of motion followed by a world-rocking blow. My head snapped sideways, the room exploding until all that remained was a collection of shapeless, colored blobs and distorted sound.

  When my vision cleared, I stretched my jaw, cringing when it went snap-crackle-pop. I’d been a trouble maker as a kid. Jax and I had gotten into more tight spots than I cared to admit, but I’d never been in a fight. I’d never taken an actual blow.

  I tasted fresh blood, the metallic tang of it turning my stomach. The angel lifted a finger, rubbing it across my bottom lip, then lifting it to his own. “Consent to be claimed.”

  I spat out a mouthful of blood, making sure to get his shoes, and said, “Nope.”

  It was exactly what he wanted to hear. The spark of excitement in his eyes bloomed into an all-out four-alarm fire. He reached for me, hand curling into the material of my shirt, and hefted m
e off the seat. “Do you think this a game, human?”

  “What I think,” I said with as much courage as I could muster, “is that you’re full of shit. You need my consent to get my power—which I’m not giving. You can try to scare me into it, but it’s bullshit. If you were willing to kill me, you’d have done it already.”

  “You’re correct. To waste your full potential would be criminal. I have no intention of killing you. But there are so many things on this earth that are far worse than death.” He laughed and leaned in close. “Trust me. You will consent.”

  It was his voice, much more than the threat itself, that chilled me from the inside out. It held the promise of agony.

  He lifted me higher, lips curving upward. “I believe it’s time—”

  “Mishca! Falel! Get—” The sentence cut off, followed by the sounds of chaos. A continuous stream of breaking glass and muffled screams sounded from the floor above us until it finally reached the door.

  Four sets of feet slowly descended the stairs, in no particular hurry. Falel set me down, but didn’t let go, and Mishca hissed at the newcomers. “Unclean,” she spat. “You dare trespass on our ground?”

  “You have something that belongs to us,” one of the party crashers said. I tilted my head to the right, trying to ignore the not-so-subtle swimming in my brain at the movement, and saw the newcomers were demons.

  “You will not take the Pure. I will spare your life if you leave now.”

  The quintet of demons laughed in unison. The tallest of them stepped to the front, hands on his hips and eyes fixed on me. “How about this: if you hand over the Pure, we will spare your lives.”

  “I’ve got a third option,” I interjected as all heads swiveled in my direction. “Let me go, and I’ll spare all your lives.”

  The demons thought it was hysterical—which I tried not to take personally—while the two angels remained deadpan. Mishca grabbed my wrist and wrenched me from Falel. “Come closer and we will kill her.”

  I tensed as she pulled out a wicked looking blade. The handle glowed an eerie purple and gave off a vibration I felt from head to toe. She jerked me sideways, wrapping an arm under my chin, and rested the blade against my throat. All the air left the room. The blade was warmer than you’d expect metal to be, like it’d been sitting next to a toasty fire—not that it made me feel better. I had no desire to have my throat slit by metal of any temperature.

  The tall demon in front chuckled. If he was concerned, it didn’t show. “You will not kill the Pure. You desire her power as much as we do. And we both know you can’t have it unless she gives it to you willingly. To do that, she must be alive.”

  Falel stepped in front of us, pulling out his own freaky purple pig sticker. “If it means keeping it from you, we will gladly sacrifice her energy.”

  The demon shrugged and took a step back, folding his arms and flashing a smug grin. “Then by all means, proceed.”

  I bit down hard in the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out as the blade pierced my skin. A trickle of blood trailed down my neck, and my heart pounded. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. No one moved. Heaven against hell. Evil verses eviler. And me, stuck in the middle of it all. God, if there was one, sure had a fucked up sense of humor.

  Falel acted first. He propelled himself forward, crashing into the group of demons like a bowling ball headed for the perfect strike. They scattered and the room erupted in battle. Mishca screamed, a string of syllables I didn’t understand. She jerked me backward and launched herself into the fray to join her partner.

  As the two groups clashed, I inched to the left, trying to find a clear path to the stairs. But every time I made a move, the battle would overflow, sealing me in. Bodies flew, so did curses, and the entire house seemed to shake. It was impossible to cut a path through the swath of destruction they carved.

  Considering it was five against two, Mishca and Falel held their own. Falel took down two demons, his blade dripping with blood and gore. He stopped for a moment to take a triumphant breath, then rushed to help Mishca, but he was too focused on her. He was taken down by a blade through the back of his head, dealt by the tallest demon. His body fell to the ground, eyes frozen in surprise, the sound of it lost to the chaos.

  Upon seeing her comrade fall, Mishca let out an otherworldly howl. She’d taken out one of the demons on her own, but was now caught, restrained by one at each arm.

  “You should have retreated when we offered you the chance, angel.” The tall demon gave a dark laugh. It placed a hand on either side of her head and pushed her to her knees.

  They were going to kill her, but there was nothing I could do. Not that she would have deserved my help anyway, after everything she did to me. With the battle all but over, and the remaining demons focused on Mishca, I eased out of my safe corner and inched toward the staircase. I didn’t even make it three steps.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” The tall one growled. He towered over me, lips pulled back to reveal a toothy grin. “We’re here to rescue you.”

  “Really,” I said, chancing a sideways glance at Mishca and the other demon. She was still on her knees, with the demon’s hand around her neck. I took a step away. “And who’s going to save me from you?”

  His hand shot out and closed around my upper arm, clamping down with brutal force. I bit back a gasp. “Lord Azirak sent us.”

  Great. The demonic cavalry. Except I was pretty sure they were anything but. If they were, in fact, Azirak’s demons, then they were acting on their own. That, or…

  Acid bubbled up in my stomach and I swallowed back a rush of bile. What if Azirak had sent them? Did that mean Jax found Malphi? That she’d gotten to him?

  “My name is Karak.” The demon gave a slight bow and winked. His grip around my arm tightened as he dragged me toward the stairs. “Come. Your presence is needed elsewhere.”

  As we reached the middle of the stairs, there was a brutal whooshing sound. Mishca’s blade, brandished by the last remaining demon, sliced through the air. A sick sound, muffled and wet, followed by a thud. The angel’s head hit the concrete, eyes open and mouth frozen in a silent scream.

  As Karak finished dragging me up the steps, I choked back a mouthful of vomit, knowing that moment would stay with me for the rest of my life.

  However long that might be.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jax

  An hour. Sixty fucking minutes. That’s how long we’d sat there, just staring at each other. “My patience is officially gone,” I growled, finally standing. “If there’s something you need me to do, get on with it then take me to Malphi.”

  Ranook opened its mouth, then closed it. A disturbing grin followed. It cocked its head, seemingly listening to something. I focused and heard it too. A car door in the driveway.

  “The wait is over,” the demon said, standing. Four strides and it was at the door. A second later, the entryway burst open.

  There was a commotion followed by a small form stumbling over the threshold. Sam. Two other demons followed, forcing her inside and to the floor at my feet. The sight of her, helpless on the floor and in such a submissive position caused my demon to bristle with excitement. I felt it, an exhilarating awareness of the power just within its grasp. While it turned my stomach, I had no choice other than to go with it. “Kneel in our lord’s presence!”

  The scent of blood filled the air. Hers. Nothing fatal. The wounds were superficial. But someone had hurt her. Caused her pain. A part of me knew I should be enraged. That I should be swinging blindly at anything that moved in an attempt to make them all pay. But I wasn’t. I didn’t. The rage was there, bubbling and potent and barely contained, but my breathing was even. My pulse in check.

  “Samantha Merrick,” I said, dropping down so that we were eye to eye. Moving felt strange. It was me, yet it wasn’t. I was in control, and yet I was helpless. Both the marionette and the puppeteer at the same time.

  To prove to myself that I would be able t
o do what needed to be done, I stood. Making a fist, I punched outward, clocking the nearest demon—a tall, blond fucker with beady eyes and a crooked nose. He went down hard, surprised, as I rounded on the second. A single blow to the center of his neck sent him sprawling back, choking for air.

  That’s how it all went in my mind. In reality, I hadn’t touched a soul. I was still kneeling in front of Sam, watching her with concern and unparalleled hunger.

  “They have done you harm.” My voice was cold. Clinical. My arms reached for her. Even though it wasn’t me—she had to know that—when she cringed away, it stung. Azi was unaffected, though. It pushed forward, slipping my arms beneath her legs and behind her head, lifting her from the floor. “Do not worry. We will make them pay,” it said, laying her on the couch.

  Tense, Sam looked around the room, her gaze landing on each demon in turn. The two that brought her in, then Ranook, finally settling on me. “Jax,” she said. There was a spark of fear in her eyes. It killed me to see, but at the same time, sent a ripple of excitement surging through my system. With a deep breath, I tasted it. Sweet. Seductive. A spike of gray wafted from her shoulders, lingering in the air for a moment before dissipating. “I want to talk to Jax.”

  I wanted to tell her that she was talking to me, to give her a sign that this was all an act, part of my master plan. But I wasn’t sure I believed it. Control kept oscillating. One second it was me, the next it was the demon, the change so eerily seamless that I could no longer tell who was in control at any given moment.

  “What’s the hold up?” the smaller of the two demons that had come in with Sam snarled. “Claim the bitch and let’s get this moving.” It flexed the fingers on its right hand and flashed a predatory grin. “I want to stretch my legs.”

  My body was across the room in a flash. I had the offender against the wall, suspended in midair by my fists, all in a single beat of the human heart. “You will contain yourself or I will break you in half.”