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Ruin pointed to the tattoo. “Well, for starters, that’s not normal.”
Shit. I dropped my hand back to the counter, but the heating of my cheeks probably gave me away. “It doesn’t matter if we did or didn’t. He’s gone, and I’m here.”
“Do you still feel him?” He ran his finger over the counter, tracing some of the tiny gold flecks within the black granite.
“I’d give anything not to feel his presence,” I blurted.
Ruin’s brows lifted. “I see.”
I just had to spit that out, didn’t I? The evil gears in the demon lord’s mind spun at this information.
“This bond might be a shifter thing, or it could be the Infernal Sol reacting with the demon part of Fane.” He leaned his hip against the counter and nibbled on his bottom lip. “I could try to break it or at least hinder the link.”
I perked up. “Really? You think you could?”
He motioned toward his chest. “I’m the high demon lord of Savannah. I have plenty of resources at my fingertips. But I’ll need something from you in return.”
My hackles rose. You couldn’t get something for nothing. “What do you want? And it better not involve anything with chains and your bed.”
His quick, wicked smile had my pulse racing. “I don’t need to bargain for that. You’ll be there soon enough.”
“Doubtful,” I muttered. “What do you want then?”
“If I help you with your bond to Fane, I want your word that you won’t try to escape anymore.”
My appetite vanished. “That’s all?”
“You’ll be free to go as soon as I get the Infernal Sol out.”
“What if you can’t get it out?” His team of alchemists and witches hadn’t been successful yet.
His startling blue eyes pierced mine, making me shiver. “Iwillget it out. And you will be alive afterward.”
Was Ruin Bacchus born with this confidence, or did he earn it over the years? How old was he anyway?
“Fine. You have my word. I’ll stay as your non-prisoner if you help break or obstruct my bond to Fane.” I didn’t really have many options. And who the hell said my word was any good? If the opportunity presented itself, I’d still make a break for it. I had no idea if Ruin would keep his promise not to kill me to get this thing out.
ChapterThree
I knewI was dreaming when I stood in the Bowden’s large kitchen with a hundred beady-eyed chicken statues glaring at me. Mrs. Bowden collected them. Soon, they’d choke every square inch of the place.
The window above the sink displayed the bright blue, cloudless sky and the warm sun beating down on the grass. Splashes and laughter echoed outside, but I wanted to stay far from that as possible. My growling stomach had eventually forced me out of my room for food. Once my toast was finished, I’d run back and hide.
A tiny crack dug into the counter on the otherwise perfect granite. When I’d first arrived, the fissure had been so minuscule most would have missed it. But it had grown larger the longer I’d been here, threatening to spiderweb and break.
Why hadn’t they fixed it? Maybe they assumed it would never spread or shatter—just like their picture-perfect facade. The Bowdens were so confident nothing could touch them.
The back door opened, and I tensed as Mr. Bowden strutted in, his hairy torso bare and the swimming drunks dripping water on the white tiles.
“There you are, Tate.” His smile had my gut clenching. “Everyone’s outside playing in the pool. Why don’t you come out?”
I shook my head and averted my gaze to the counter. “No thanks. I’m going to stay inside today.”
He tsked and jerked his hand toward the window. “Look how pretty it is outside. You don’t want to miss out. We brought out all the toys. I’m sure there’s something you’d like.”
Yeah, I’d like to stay the fuck away from him.
I crossed my arms over my chest as his stare tried to burn my clothes away. “I don’t want to swim today.”
