but so undeniably delicious. He wrapped his elemental touch around me, drowning me in demon. I didn’t stand a chance.
Del had never known about the other parts of my agreement with the demon dealer. It was my secret, my sin.
Allard stepped back, peeling his elemental touch away like throwing back a warm quilt, and the demon part of me let out a pitiful whimper. Anger flushed through my veins, pushing out the demon’s lust. It was his power I lusted after. That was all. Against a higher demon, I couldn’t—my demon couldn’t resist.
“Here…”
I blinked back treacherous moisture in my eyes and forced myself to look up.
Allard held out a strange little trinket. He turned his hand over and it dangled from his finger and thumb: a circle of metal, a chain, and a picture encased in plastic. I reached out without thinking and snatched it before he could change his mind. “What is it?”
“Humans call it a key ring,” he said, voice carefully level. “It was found half buried in the hotel grounds.”
I brushed my thumb over the picture of the glowing Santa Monica Ferris wheel. Why do keys need rings? The picture glittered as it caught the sunlight. It was…beautiful. I wanted to thank him but wouldn’t. When I looked up, his eyes had softened, as they often did when he presented me with bits of debris from before the Fall: tiny bottles of shells, mugs printed with I LOVE LA . Postcards were my favorite.
His small smile seemed real. It would be so easy to believe the man standing in front of me might care what I thought of his gift. But it was fake. Demons don’t do gifts.
“Add it to your collection of human detritus.” At his words, a rumbling rolled through the walls and floor. His element flexed. He wasn’t as calm as he appeared, but it wasn’t anger ruffling his power but something else, something I couldn’t read on his expertly crafted human mask. Frustration perhaps, or anticipation—whatever it was, I wet my lips and bowed my head, as was proper because I was little more than a lesser, a half blood. And just like Torrent had said, I was owned.
Joseph flung open the door. “My lord—” He hesitated, most likely sensing the strange play of elements in the room: mine, Allard’s, and the chaos energy throbbing around the coronam .
Allard turned slowly, and as he did, a deep grumbling shuddered through the floor.
“The larkwrari is breaking free,” Joseph said.
“Impossible,” Allard snarled, the roll of his voice pushing at the walls. All traces of the softness had vanished.
Joseph ducked his head, and I swallowed the urge to smile. Seeing the formidable Joseph bow his head wasn’t ever going to get old.
Allard snatched my hand and planted the stone once more in my palm alongside the key ring. “Stay here.” He fixed his glare on mine. I flinched, desperate to throw the stone away, but his dark eyes made it clear his words were to be obeyed. “Stay.”
Only when I nodded did he turn away and leave with Joseph. As soon as the door closed, I tucked the stone and key ring deep into my pocket, wiping my hand on my pants to try to brush off the itching power. My demon shifted, re-settling and fading into the deepest parts of my mind, buried once again by control.
“That was too close.” I pushed away from the window and ran my fingers through my hair, dragging it back from my face. “Don’t let him fool you, Gem.” I couldn’t trust myself around Allard. I didn’t like who he made me, what he made me, but it was a small price to pay for protection, for getting my brother back. Wasn’t it?
The stone throbbed against my hip.
I just have to find Del, and everything will be okay again. Was he out there somewhere, afraid? Or was he free? What if he’d always planned this? No, those were my own hang-ups rising.
“He wouldn’t leave me,” I told the empty room and started pacing. He might. He’d been skipping his meds. What else hadn’t he told me? There was only one reason
Del had never known about the other parts of my agreement with the demon dealer. It was my secret, my sin.
Allard stepped back, peeling his elemental touch away like throwing back a warm quilt, and the demon part of me let out a pitiful whimper. Anger flushed through my veins, pushing out the demon’s lust. It was his power I lusted after. That was all. Against a higher demon, I couldn’t—my demon couldn’t resist.
“Here…”
I blinked back treacherous moisture in my eyes and forced myself to look up.
Allard held out a strange little trinket. He turned his hand over and it dangled from his finger and thumb: a circle of metal, a chain, and a picture encased in plastic. I reached out without thinking and snatched it before he could change his mind. “What is it?”
“Humans call it a key ring,” he said, voice carefully level. “It was found half buried in the hotel grounds.”
I brushed my thumb over the picture of the glowing Santa Monica Ferris wheel. Why do keys need rings? The picture glittered as it caught the sunlight. It was…beautiful. I wanted to thank him but wouldn’t. When I looked up, his eyes had softened, as they often did when he presented me with bits of debris from before the Fall: tiny bottles of shells, mugs printed with I LOVE LA . Postcards were my favorite.
His small smile seemed real. It would be so easy to believe the man standing in front of me might care what I thought of his gift. But it was fake. Demons don’t do gifts.
“Add it to your collection of human detritus.” At his words, a rumbling rolled through the walls and floor. His element flexed. He wasn’t as calm as he appeared, but it wasn’t anger ruffling his power but something else, something I couldn’t read on his expertly crafted human mask. Frustration perhaps, or anticipation—whatever it was, I wet my lips and bowed my head, as was proper because I was little more than a lesser, a half blood. And just like Torrent had said, I was owned.
Joseph flung open the door. “My lord—” He hesitated, most likely sensing the strange play of elements in the room: mine, Allard’s, and the chaos energy throbbing around the coronam .
Allard turned slowly, and as he did, a deep grumbling shuddered through the floor.
“The larkwrari is breaking free,” Joseph said.
“Impossible,” Allard snarled, the roll of his voice pushing at the walls. All traces of the softness had vanished.
Joseph ducked his head, and I swallowed the urge to smile. Seeing the formidable Joseph bow his head wasn’t ever going to get old.
Allard snatched my hand and planted the stone once more in my palm alongside the key ring. “Stay here.” He fixed his glare on mine. I flinched, desperate to throw the stone away, but his dark eyes made it clear his words were to be obeyed. “Stay.”
Only when I nodded did he turn away and leave with Joseph. As soon as the door closed, I tucked the stone and key ring deep into my pocket, wiping my hand on my pants to try to brush off the itching power. My demon shifted, re-settling and fading into the deepest parts of my mind, buried once again by control.
“That was too close.” I pushed away from the window and ran my fingers through my hair, dragging it back from my face. “Don’t let him fool you, Gem.” I couldn’t trust myself around Allard. I didn’t like who he made me, what he made me, but it was a small price to pay for protection, for getting my brother back. Wasn’t it?
The stone throbbed against my hip.
I just have to find Del, and everything will be okay again. Was he out there somewhere, afraid? Or was he free? What if he’d always planned this? No, those were my own hang-ups rising.
“He wouldn’t leave me,” I told the empty room and started pacing. He might. He’d been skipping his meds. What else hadn’t he told me? There was only one reason
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