Released (Eternal Balance) by Jus Accardo Page A

across Jax’s face. “I could show you pleasure the likes of which you cannot imagine. Things far more decadent than anything you would experience with him.”
    While I had to admit I was intrigued—because, seriously, who the hell wouldn’t be—it changed nothing. “No.”
    Expression darkening, it grabbed my chin and squeezed. “No one denies me what I want.”
    “Maybe that was the case in your past lives.” I couldn’t keep the venom from my voice. “But not this one. Not with Jax still in there. He wouldn’t let you do it. That was him, right ? For a second, he seized control.”
    Azi released my face and pulled back a few inches. “His feelings for you give him remarkable strength. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    “So, you’ve never seen love?”
    “My past humans have loved.” There was a wistful expression on Jax’s face. “But human emotions are fettered by ulterior motives. They are selfish and dark.” The demon turned to me. “But his love is unlike anything I have experienced in the past. He is tainted, yet he loves unconditionally. There is nothing he would not sacrifice for you. No line he would not cross.”
    I held my breath, unable to speak. This wasn’t new information. I knew how Jax felt about me. It was the same way I felt about him. But it was so strange to listen to the demon deconstruct it. Azi made it sound like magic, a fairy tale that didn’t exist inside reality.
    “I wonder,” it said, letting go of the wall completely. “What would you be willing to do for him?”
    I squared my shoulders and looked directly into Jax’s eyes. “I would do anything for him.”
    Jax’s features softened. Azi held out his hand, and I hesitated a minute before taking it and allowing the demon to pull me away from the chair. “Then you need to concentrate.” It pulled a knife from Jax’s back pocket, and when I cringed away, it said, “Fear not, Samantha Merrick. I will not harm you.”
    It dragged the blade across the palm of Jax’s hand, and a moment later, a thin line of red welled up.
    “Take his hand,” it commanded, extending Jax’s arm. “It is my Brim Stone. Given to me in the moment of my creation by Lord Lucifer. My essence lives in the human’s blood. I believe it will help you focus on what we seek.”
    I hesitated. I’d never fully trusted Azi, but after seizing control of Jax’s body, what little trust I’d felt diminished even more. Still, our goal was technically the same. It didn’t want to die—and I didn’t want Jax to die. We were on the same side. For now.
    With a deep breath, I took Jax’s hand. His body temperature was much cooler since Azi took the wheel. I cursed myself for not noticing earlier. “Okay. Now what?”
    “Close your eyes.” The demon tightened its grip on my hand. “Concentrate on the blood. Feel the stain on your hands. The warmth of it seeping into you. Now,” it said, voice deepening. “Picture the stone.”
    I kept my eyes closed even though I was pretty sure this was a waste of time. “How can I picture the stone? I’ve never seen it.”
    “You don’t need to have seen it, Sammy. I—”
    My eyes flew open. “Don’t.” Without too much thought, I gave the demon a good, hard shove. “ Don’t call me that.”
    Jax’s brows knitted together and the right corner of his upper lip lifted just a hair. “Very well. I thought it would make you feel—”
    “Well, it doesn’t.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed—probably tighter than I needed to, but definitely not hard enough to cause it pain like I’d hoped—and closed my eyes. “Let’s get this done.”
    “Picture the stone,” it said again. “Its smooth surface like glass. Its fire pulsing with life. With power. Reach out to its core, the power within caressing every fiber of your being. Picture…”
    I knew Azi was still speaking, but its words drifted farther and farther away until all I could hear was a faint hum. I focused on the sound, chasing it