Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(14)

Sadie stepped over to one of the dark spots on the carpet and nudged it with the toe of her shoe. “Protection against what?”

“Demons.” I pulled back the tarp covering the corpses.

If Sadie was surprised or sickened, she didn’t show it. She studied the pile of bodies with nothing more than clinical interest, then shrugged. “Well, warding might be a problem.”

“Problem? Why?” I snapped. Azi’s patience—and mine with it—was wearing thin.

Sadie flicked a red-tipped finger in my direction. “Because you’re technically a demon?”

Shit. I hadn’t thought about that.

“Obviously it matters?” Sam asked tightly. A wave of contempt rushed through the link.

“It does unless he plans on moving out.” Sadie pulled the tarp back over the bodies and placed both hands on her hips. She glared at Sam. “If I ward it against demons, Jax won’t be able to come in. So, unless you’d like him to move in with me…”

“Pass.” The turbulence in her voice went right through me. She pulled her hair back into a tail, eyes following the witch wherever she went. “If you can’t ward the place, then what do we do?”

Sadie shrugged. “Not a thing. Not here, anyway.”

“If there’s no way to keep them out, then we can’t stay.” I turned away. The red haze bleeding into the air trailed behind Sam as she moved, like a snake waiting to strike. If Sadie wasn’t careful, she was going to pounce. Azi shifted, excited. The prospect of violence was even more alluring than her anger. “Not willing to risk it.”

For a minute, I was sure she’d argue. She knew damn well the it I didn’t want to risk was her. Reluctantly though, she sighed and held up her wrist. The metal bracelet glinted in the light. “What about this? Can you do anything about it?”

An expression of pure horror slipped across Sadie’s face. She grabbed Sam’s wrist and wrenched her arm closer, nearly pulling her over. “Where did you get this?”

“Why?” I was beside them in an instant. The markings on the cuff gave a flash. “Do you know what it is?”

“It’s a Fakori Cuff,” Sadie said. “Known in darker circles as a demon’s cuff.”

Sam looked like she was about to deck the witch, so I stepped between them. If there was a chance she could remove the thing, then it was best not to piss her off.

“What do you know about it?” I repeated.

Sadie sighed. “Fakori was said to be an alchemist, having imbued a number of bracelets with powerful curses of demonic nature.”

“Curses of demonic nature?” Sam asked. She looked a little pale. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing good. Each cuff does something different.” Sadie’s eyes were trained on Sam, full of awe. “That thing is humming.” She took Sam’s hand again and ran her pointer finger along the underside of her wrist. Closing her eyes, her lips began to move. Chanting. Every few seconds, her brow furrowed, like she was concentrating extra hard.

After a moment, Sam gasped and tried to pull away, but Sadie wouldn’t let go. Her grip tightened, knuckles going white as the symbols along the metal glowed bright red. A second later, the witch let out a scream and shot backward across the room.

“What did you do?” I asked, going to help her off the floor.

Sadie grimaced as she struggled to her feet. “Not even going to ask if I’m okay?”

“Nope.” I didn’t have time for her dramatics. When she’d bargained for the link between us, she’d essentially forced me to do something against my will, taking advantage of our bad situation. I wasn’t about to pity her for it. “Don’t care.”

She bristled, then shrugged it off. “Honesty. That’s sexy.”

Sam made a fist again then flexed her fingers. “I’m guessing the unplanned display of acrobatics means you can’t take this thing off.”

“That thing isn’t coming off unless the person who put it there takes it off.” Sadie sank onto the couch—the end not covered in blood splatter—wincing with every move. “It might help to tell me where you got it.”

“Someone bad,” I said.

She thought about it for a minute before flashing Sam a grin. With a waggle of her fingers in my direction, she said, “Well then, in my professional opinion, you’re well and truly f*cked.”

I was on my feet and dragging her off the couch by the front of her shirt in a half beat of her heart. “You’re going to fix this,” I snarled.

As unflappable as ever, Sadie simply shook her head. “Sorry, baby. There’s nothing I can do. Only the one who put it on her can remove it. Dead or alive.”

“Dead or alive?” Sam’s colors swirled, still muddied and thick.

“There’s a rumor that if a person places a demon cuff, its power is tied to them. If you kill them, it might release Sam as well. In the meantime, I might be able to track it.”

“Track it?” Sam was fidgeting, clenching her hands and digging her fingers into her palms. She glared at Sadie. The look made me think she was having a flash of her own. Possibly of beating the witch to a bloody pulp.

“All magic leaves a trace—even alchemy. The bad person who put it there may not be an alchemist, but the power will leave its mark. A good witch”—she winked—“and I am good—can possibly track the source. Maybe you can use your own special brand of persuasion to get them to remove it.”