Page 40 of Caught in the Devil’s Hand

“How can anyone live there?”

“There are spots of land that can support buildings, and some game to hunt or trap. Most locals are in self-imposed exile, and they do not like visitors, especially ones who seduce the only unattached female.”

He winced remembering their escape from the young woman’s room into the pitch-black night. Rosuke had been right on his heels as they’d tramped through the mud with absolutely no light to show the way. They had been lucky their horses could hear their whistles and were able to come to their aid.

“So you and Rosuke were there together?” she asked, voice tight.

“Are you all right? You sound upset,” he said, looking down at her, but her face wasn’t at the right angle for him to see her expression.

Shumei squeezed her eyes shut, angry at the pang of jealousy she felt from hearing about one of his past lovers. She didn’t even like him. Well, that wasn’t true. She had come to like him. He wasn’t what he had seemed to be, and she wanted to help him. He had once been human, after all. Worse, he’d been forced to become exactly what he’d fought against.

So perhaps she was jealous of his previous lovers, but she was also envious of how much he’d seen and experienced while she’d been stuck in a tiny village for twenty years. She wanted to travel, to have adventure. She wanted to see the endless expanse of swamp, to see the city of tree houses in Stillwood. She wanted to see the heat waves rising from the Black Sands—at a safe distance, of course.

“You’ve been to so many places,” she eventually replied. “The farthest I’ve been is the next village over. I wish to see what you’ve seen, to experience it. The world feels so much bigger when I’m with you, and I want to embrace it.”

“You can have your wish, Shumei,” he said, tilting her head up to look at him. “End our deal, and I will be glad to take you wherever you wish.”

Her lips parted at his generous offer, but she knew she couldn’t leave—at least, not yet. She had learned something extraordinary with her last visit to the witch, and if Majo had stashed a spell book in that locked case…

“You haven’t asked me about the kiss I received yesterday,” she said. He showed no outward reaction to her blatant dodge. She knew he had felt the kiss on his lips when it had happened, that he would know the witch had not only kissed her this time but had also touched her breasts.

“I was preoccupied with taking off your clothes,” he admitted, and she wasn’t quite sure if he was joking.

“I asked her about the Incubus Curse.” He stiffened beneath her, verifying the name of the spell that had turned him into a demon.

“You let her kiss and touch you just to learn about my curse?”

“Yesterday, I removed what I assume was some sort of spell the witch had cast on the village leader’s wife—”

“And you performed magic in front of a blondie?” he asked, incredulous. She lifted her head. “Why haven’t you been banished from the village yet?”

“Because I saved her life and because it could happen again, so she promised to keep my secret, but that’s not the point.” She pressed close. “If I could break Majo’s spell when I’ve had no training, then perhaps I can dissolve your curse,” she said fervently. “I asked the witch about it, and she said there was a counter-ritual to unmake the curse.”

“She knows about me? By the dueling gods, Shumei, you risked yourself in front of the village leader’s wife, and now this—”

“I asked in the vaguest way I could think of. I would not let our secret be known to anyone I don’t trust. And I don’t trust her, but she has knowledge I need.”

“You could have asked me, Shumei. I only have the limited kind of magic granted to a sex demon, but I still know everything I learned in the Dark Court. I do not want you to let that woman near you. She is dangerous,” he said vehemently, sitting up. She sat up as well.

“What would I have to trade with you to get answers to my questions?” she asked flippantly. “You already have my body, and I have no money. The last payment you could ask is one I will not give.” She spoke firmly, pulling her dress toward her to cover her nudity. She was tired of being naked during their fights.

“I would not ask for any payment,” he scoffed. “I didn’t think I would, but I enjoy speaking of my time in the Dark Court. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences with you despite how those experiences came to be possible. But you didn’t trust me enough to even ask if I would answer your questions. Did I not tell you about the history of the way things used to be before magic was maligned? Did I not tell you my sordid history, even the things I’m deeply ashamed of?”

He sounded hurt, and she realized that being the only person he’d talked to about his past was a rarity she hadn’t even recognized. Likely none of his previous lovers had even known about his human past. He had trusted her with something painful, and she had too readily hinted at his possible existence to Majo.

Vallen couldn’t hide his pain in that moment. By her own admission, and even knowing Majo practiced destructive magic, Shumei had gone to the witch for a way to be rid of him. Breaking his curse had been merely secondary.

He wasn’t sure why he should be bothered by it, though. Why wouldn’t she seek the advice of someone she knew to break her bonds with a demon? He should have been gladdened to know he may finally be free of his curse, but to know she was trying to escape him? That rankled.

“Did you not discuss your transformation with Rosuke?” Shumei answered his question with her own. Though he hadn’t seemed to notice her staring yet again at his naked lap, she forced herself to focus on his face.

“Losing our magic that night… Even now, talking about it is painful,” he said, shaking his head and closing his eyes. “That warm weight you feel inside was torn out of me. We were all screaming. I thought I was being gutted. How could I talk about that with Rosuke? How could I dig it up, knowing the memory would hurt him?”

Tears stung the backs of her eyelids, and she almost crawled into his lap. She had already formed an attachment to the solid lump of warmth in her belly, and the thought of it being violent ripped out made her want to wrap her arms around her stomach.

“Tell me about him?” she asked.

“Rosuke?” He turned quiet as he stared at nothing. His expression softened. “He’s my best friend. I was an only child, so he’s the brother I never had. I trust him with my life.”