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“Asmodeus,” Vindictia’s voice was the crackling sound of stubbornness. “Prince of depravity… my sister chose well.” Her voice broke as she planted a hand on the ground and rolled onto her back. “Don’t be so blinded by the weakness thrust onto you without your permission. This woman… she’s nothing but a tool I used to pull you from a place I could not reach. You do not love her. You can’t. She is here because here is where I needed her to be. The key is within her because that is where I could reach it.”
My heart skipped a beat in my chest. No… mine was still beating. A constant anxious thrum but beside it, something stronger paused and hitched. Like I had two hearts inside me trying to sync their tempo.
Asmodeus laughed. “I hope you believe with everything that you cling to now that is the truth. Because that would mean that through your will you joined me with the one person who could be your undoing. My wife. My love. My mate.”
Her laughter paused and her lips pressed thin. The haunting glow in her eyes flickered as she stared up at us. “A mate. Do you really think there is such a thing for a beast who can’t be trusted with his own heart? She is not yours.”
“No. But I am hers.” He rested his chin on my head as he stepped back from the witch. “And you are finished.”
“No. Magic like mine is never just finished.” She shook her head, each shake a jerk that took far too much effort. Pushing herself up to her hands and knees, she crawled across the crumbling floor to the top of the open well. The runes on her face flickered as she glanced over her shoulder and threw herself down into the void.
I watched her disappear before I slumped against Asmodeus and surrendered to my exhaustion.
* * *
My cheek felt the warm embrace of the sun shining through my window. My hands stretched up, burrowing under my pillows as the brush of my sheets soothed my tired skin. My toes stretched out as far as they could as I released a slow groan.
Eyes open, I peeked around my bedroom. The curtains were slightly open. Just enough to let the sun leave a lit path from the window onto my pillow. I held my hand up, letting the sun illuminate my skin and shine through my fingers as I smiled slowly.
“That has to be the weirdest week of my life.” Well… going onto day ten if I was really counting. I think. Was it Sunday? No… I was kidnapped on Sunday so maybe today was Monday. Or Tuesday? Time flies when you’re fighting for your life. “We’re going to cut back on the wine, Eden.”
Four was clearly the limit.
Or five.
How many was it before I summoned myself a husband again? Six?
The smell of my kiwi conditioner filled my nose as I scratched my head and shoved my duvet off. I inhaled deeply, a moan slipping free from my lips when the scent of oxtail and rice filled the air.
My stomach rumbled.
I was on my feet before I was fully awake. My cream lounge pants hit the floor around my feet as I grabbed the matching light sweater from the end of the bed and quickly put it on. Saliva pooled in my mouth as I ripped open the door and took the stairs two at a time.
“Well, you know you’re wrong, Olivia. If I even hear about you doing some nonsense like this ever again I’mma tan your ass, you hear me?” Gran’s voice broke through the murmur of conversations being had all at once and clattering silverware.
“Yes, ma’am. In my defence, I never thought anything like this was even possible,” she defended but the effort was light at best.
“That’s why you don’t mess with things you don’t understand!” Imani added.
“I don’t know. I think it was kind of fun,” Sarika’s quiet voice rendered everyone else speechless.
“Are you out of your damn mind?” Imani yelled.
I peered around the corner where everyone sat around my dining room table. Gran busied herself setting serving bowls in the centre while Alicia set place settings. All eyes were on Sarika as she shrugged before she cast a glance at a woman who sat across from her. I could only see the back of her head but my mouth gaped at the horns.
Another demon. Who the hell was married to this one?
The thought was one I quickly shook away, knowing I wasn’t ready for another demonic adventure where we faced adversaries we didn’t know existed. I would need coffee before I even thought about just who this one might have a vendetta with.
My arms lifted and I looked over the flawless skin of my arms. All signs of being held by the witch completely gone.
“You know what, I may not have liked all the fighting and being thrown all over god’s green earth, but I would be a fool to say I wasn’t happy for Olivia and the book she brought here. Without it, I don’t know how much time I would have left.” Abuela touched a light hand to Olivia’s shoulder.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Imani asked.
“It means mind your business,” Alicia joked.
Imani held up her hands in surrender before she let out a long sigh and set her gaze on Asmodeus. “As far as demons go, I guess we could have summoned one far worse than Asmodeus to be Eden’s husband.” She still sounded entirely too wary. “Though I’m still not happy about all those sweaty, sleepless nights. I know that was you!”
