“Good girl,” Wolf murmurs. He still hasn’t taken his hand from my sundress, his middle finger idly tracing my nipple.
A few feet in front of us, in the middle of the room, the shadows gather. They seem to gain weight and height in a way normal shadows most definitely donotdo. A masculine voice emerges, deep and as decadent as dark chocolate. “It’s been a long time, Wolf.”
“You always were one for theatrics.” Wolf leans back, taking me with him, and crosses his ankle over his knee. “I’m not one of your pretty, desperate women. You don’t have to do the whole song and dance with me.”
“And yet you have a pretty woman with you.” The darkness fades slowly, revealing a man. Except he’d only be mistaken as a normal man if someone didn’t have an ounce of self-preservation or a single instinct to their name. Light brown skin, dark hair and eyes, a face so perfect it’s actually a little eerie to look at. He catches me staring and smiles.
I flinch. Yes, he might be pretty, but he’s easily the most dangerous being I’ve ever come across. And that’s saying something considering the men currently sharing my bed.
The demon doesn’t move, but he seems closer all the same. “Or not a woman at all.” He inhales slowly and his smile widens. “Seraph. Wolf, things truly are never boring when you’re involved.”
“What can I say? I’m a gift.”
“You are.” The demon studies me. It feels like he’s crawling around inside my skin. “I thought you smarter than getting snagged by a seraph bond.”
Wolf shrugs. He finally takes his hand from my breast and moves it to my shoulder. A reminder to stay in place. “Can you blame me?”
“With this pretty package?” The demon shrugs. “I understand, even if I wouldn’t make the same misstep.”
Wolf laughs, his high and wild cackle. “Liar. We both know there’s one pretty little thing that’s turned you into a teddy bear. How are things going on that front, Azazel?”
Just like that, the easiness is gone from the demon’s face. “Watch your tongue, vampire. You amuse me, so I come when you call. The moment you stop amusing me, I’ll rip your bones from your body, one by one. I’d like to see you heal fromthat.”
“Yes, yes, consider me cowed.” Wolf waves that away. “Can you do anything about a seraph bond?”
Azazel goes back to studying me. “If I may?”
“By all means.” Wolf answers before I can do it myself.
That’s all the warning I get before he’s in front of me, pressing a cold hand to the center of my chest, right where I feel the bond the strongest. It’s not a welcome touch, but he’s hardly being untoward. At least on the surface. Beneath the surface is another thing entirely. I can feel his power course into me, thick and smooth. It leaves a prickly taste on the back of my tongue and I flinch.
Azazel moves back slowly, expression contemplative. “I can break it.”
“Really?” I don’t mean to speak, but I honestly didn’t think he’d be able to.
He flashes me a smile that’s all charm and no little amount of threat. “Human religion might be more fiction than truth, but they weren’t wrong on this one subject. Demons and seraphim are natural enemies, and our powers reflect that. I can dig out a seraph bond.”
Wolf narrows his eyes. “Would that mean seraphs can negate demon deals?”
“Careful, vampire. You’re playing with fire again.”
“Silly me.” Wolf tucks me more firmly against his side. “Let’s hear it. All the nitty gritty details.”
Azazel is still studying me. “It’s not likely to kill the vampires involved, though that’s always a possible side effect.” He shrugs. “I like you, Wolf, so the cost is my normal rate. Seven years of service.”
I open my mouth, but Wolf beats me there. “We’ll consider it. You’ll have the answer within a week.”
“Normally, there’s little rush, but I have a pressing engagement in ten days.” He gives that dangerous smile again. “Having a seraph on the auction block would be quite the feather in my cap. The others would love it.”
“You’ll have the answer within the week,” Wolf repeats, an edge in his voice.
“So be it.” Azazel shrugs and then he gone, disappearing in a surge of shadows. It takes several long minutes before all remnants of his power dissipate as well.
Only then does Wolf release me and sigh. “Well, that’s a dead end.”
“What? Seven years isn’t that long.” Even if I’m not immortal—something I still need to investigate—I’m going to live significantly longer than a human would. Seven years is nothing if it means breaking the bond.
“Here’s a hint, love. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.” Wolf leans his head against the back of the couch and closes his eyes. “Azazel says seven years, but he’s not talking about in the mortal realm. He’s talking about in the demon realm. That might mean a few seconds gone here, or it might be a few hundred years. There’s no way to tell, and he’ll lie if you ask him. The way the realms interact when it comes to time passing is one of the few things Azazel’s deals can’t control.”