Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(21)

Heckle came to stand in front of me. His somber expression, the way his brows knitted together to form a deep V, made me edgy. “I take it Azirak isn’t happy about the target?”

There was only one reason Azirak wouldn’t be happy about the target. “Malphi is from Azi’s faction, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. The demon you’re after is Azirak’s second in command.” Heckle paused. “Its…intended.”

Sam frowned. “Intended what?”

“Fuck.” The walls felt like they were closing in. Another series of flashes, this time involving the dark female figure I’d seen back at the house. My skin prickled, nerve endings igniting like the sun. The breath shot from my lungs. “Malphi is Azirak’s mate, isn’t it?”

Heckle only shrugged. “I told you there were complications…”





Chapter Eight


Sam


“What about the cuff?” I sucked in a breath, refusing to meet Jax’s stare. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me, and despite the buzzy feeling of anger still simmering beneath the surface, I wanted to reach out and touch him. If I could just feel his skin beneath my fingers, everything would be all right. “You don’t think Azi will let us kill Malphi?”

Heckle frowned. “To be honest, I’m not sure.”

“That’s not helpful,” I ground out, taking another deep breath. The urge to lunge forward and shake Heckle until he gave us something useful was almost overwhelming. Was this how Jax felt all the time, walking around with a storm brewing just beneath the surface? How the hell did he do it?

Jax clenched his fists. “We need to find Malphi and get Chase to remove the cuff. If that means beheading the demon, then so be it. Do you have any suggestions on where we should start?”

“That’s easier said than done, I’m afraid. Demon pairings are strong. It’s ingrained in their nature. Even ones that haven’t been consummated yet. I have doubts that Azirak will allow you to kill Malphi—and I am betting Chase knows that. This is a win for him either way. If you fail, he can use the cuff to bargain for Sam’s power. If you succeed, then he doesn’t have Malphi to deal with.”

I shifted, pulling the sleeves of my shirt down over my fingertips. There was a sudden chill in the air. “Why is he so worried about Malphi?”

“She is the mate of his sworn enemy. A motivated one, at that. Jax has already refused to kill Chase once. Malphi will not suffer the same attack of conscience. As long as Jax remains in control of Azi, its mate is the greatest threat to Zenak.”

I didn’t like the expression on Jax’s face. His eyes had glassed over, lips hitched up just a hair. I’d seen it a hundred times, each time the demon communicated with him. After a moment he blinked, jaw clenched tight. “We need to get the cuff off on our own.”

“Azi?” I tried to keep the fear from my voice, but I failed. Whatever it was that the demon had shown him, it’d shaken Jax.

“I’m worried Heckle is right,” he snarled. There was frustration in his eyes, but also the smallest hint of doubt. Of defeat. If Azi truly wanted to prevent us from harming its mate, we’d have a fight on our hands. And if it came down to either me or Malphi, I didn’t think I could say with one hundred percent certainty that I would win. “It—we need another option.”

“I can offer one possibility, but the chance is slim,” Heckle said. “There’s a man in the Hunter’s Trail Mountains, at the top of the highest peak. He might be able to help you.”

“Why?” Jax asked. “Who is he?”

“The Archangel Michael.”

“The Archangel Michael lives on top of Hunter’s Trail?”

I didn’t want to feel hope. Hope was dangerous. It could lift you high then send you plummeting at breakneck speed. Hope could shatter you beyond recovery. Still, I couldn’t help it. A small bit seeped in. Or, maybe it came from Jax. I couldn’t tell anymore what was mine and what was his.

“He can get the cuff off?” Jax asked, coming to stand beside me. It took all my reserve not to slip my hand into his. “I thought only Chase—or his death—could remove it.”

Heckle stepped away from the car and brushed both hands down the front of his jacket, a completely human gesture. “I truly don’t know. This situation is fairly complex, as Pures are extremely rare. An activated Pure walking the earth is unprecedented. One linked to a demon royal… We’re swimming in uncharted waters here. We don’t know how the cuff will react. Chase has the upper hand here, I’m afraid. If Michael has no solution to offer, then you won’t have a choice if you want to save Sam. You will have to kill Malphi and hope Chase keeps his word.”

“I’m not a royal of hell,” Jax snarled. A rush of anger rippled through him, and by default, into me. “And if it comes down to it, I will kill Malphi. No one, no thing, will stop me.” I had a feeling Jax was talking more to Azi than to us.

Heckle frowned, then glared like he could see through my skull. “I know Azirak cares for Sam, but do not underestimate the ties it has to Malphi.” He didn’t have to worry about that. The demon and I had shared a few moments, but I had no delusions that the demon would choose me over its mate. It sounded risky, but going to Michael seemed like a more solid bet.