Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(42)

“Can’t say I blame him,” I mumbled, taking a step away. My voice wobbled and I fought to maintain control over the emotions raging inside me—everything from the most profound terror to unparalleled rage over his admission. “I’m fairly annoyed, too.”

The movement was quick. One moment the demon was standing in front of me, the next it was behind me, the fingers of Jax’s hand wound tight around a chunk of my hair. “I believe you misunderstand,” it whispered at my ear. Warm breath tickled my neck. “I will not trade Malphi’s life for yours, and I will not trade your life for Malphi’s.”

I wanted to move away. Unfortunately, the iron grip held me securely in place. Jax’s lips skimmed the side of my neck, then worked their way across my cheek. The demon let out a contented sigh. “I will not see either of you perish.”

Okay. Not what I’d expected, but still not hopeful. “It’s not going to work that way.” I held up my wrist and gave it a good shake. “This needs to come off. The only way that’s going to happen is if Chase gets what he wants. So, yeah. One of us has to die.”

Azi leaned a little closer. “Possibly not.”

I didn’t want to get my hopes up—I was talking to a demon after all—but I couldn’t help it. “What does that mean?”

It pulled away and turned me around, and with a grin that looked so misplaced on Jax’s face said, “There is a chance someone else can remove the Fakori cuff.”

I snorted. We’d heard that before. “Michael said Jax or I could remove it under the right circumstance, but we have no idea what the hell those are. If that’s what you’re talking about, then I’m all ears.”

“A descendant of the creator may also remove the cuff.”

“A descendant?” I repeated. “Of Fakori?”

“Yes,” was all it said.

“Well, tell me where to find him and give Jax back the steering wheel. The clock is ticking.”

“I have a condition, Samantha Merrick.”

Ding, ding ding. There it is. “The answer is no.”

“I have not asked yet.” It was eerie the way the demon stood there just watching me, his only movement the slightest flutter of Jax’s eyelids.

“I already know what you want. The same thing Chase does. The same thing the angels do.” I leaned closer, pinning him with what I hoped was my best intimidating glare. “The same thing your demonic bitch wants.”

“Your power, you mean.”

I folded my arms and shook my head. “Not going to happen.”

“While your power would please my clan and enable my victory, it is not what I ask.”

That surprised me. “What then?”

“Until the cuff is removed, I retain complete control over the human’s body.”





Chapter Seventeen


Jax/Azirak

“Not a chance,” Sam cried. She took a menacing step forward, then hesitated and moved back several feet. “It’s not gonna happen.”

I opened my mouth to protest—no f*cking way was I riding shotgun in my own damn body—but of course no sound came. The demon was amused by my anger, though. I felt it.

“Come to terms with the inevitable,” it said. “This is your only option.”

I realized the demon wasn’t talking to Sam. It was addressing me. And it had a point. Without offing Malphi, Chase wouldn’t remove the cuff—and that was assuming the bastard kept his word at all. And Azi had already announced it wouldn’t let me kill its mate. Letting Sam die was out of the question. Since my biggest obstacle was technically living in the same body as me, this was the only path.

Fine. You get control, but only until you do what needs to be done. And so help me, you hurt her in any way, I’ll take us both out.

The demon chuckled. “My human agrees.”

“Bullshit,” Sam spat. “I’m just supposed to believe you? Jax would never let you take over.”

“He knows that your survival will only be possible through cooperation.”

“Sounds like blackmail to me.”

More amusement from Azirak. It held out my hand to Sam. “I am allowing him to remain conscious. He will have the ability to…keep an eye on things.”

Sam hesitated then after a moment sighed. A spark of sad acceptance in her eyes made me think she felt guilty, and I wanted to set her straight. Giving the demon control was like sacrificing a piece of myself. A small part of me that, up until now, had been mine alone, untainted by the thing that lived inside me. What I wanted her to know was that I didn’t care. It was worth it to me.

She was worth it.



Sam had been behind the wheel for almost two hours. Her shoulders were beginning to slump, and her eyes kept drooping. She needs to rest, I said to Azi. Make her pull over and you drive.

Azi shifted my body toward her. “Pull over,” it demanded.

When she didn’t respond, a wave of anger erupted, and the demon latched on to the wheel, yanking it hard to the right. Sam screamed as the car jerked hard sideways. She slammed the breaks, bringing the vehicle to an uneven stop on the side of the highway.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I commanded you to pull over,” it said.