Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(48)

His eyes widened. “What—”

“The angel said she would remove the cuff if I allowed her to claim me. That she could remove the cuff.” I moved closer to him, taking comfort in his warmth. “You can get this thing off.”

“If the situation is right.” He repeated Michael’s words. A small ember of hope burned inside me. But Jax didn’t share my enthusiasm. He shook his head and took a step away from me. “Don’t forget that if I do it, Azirak gains control over you. We don’t know what will happen. You could—”

“Die?” I finished for him. “That’s going to happen anyway. At this point there’s nothing to lose.”

“Except giving a shitload of power to a demon.”

It was my turn to take a step back. A sharp pain cut through me, and I found it hard to breathe. I forced the air into my lungs and cringed. “So you’d rather watch me die?”

His expression was stricken. Good. I knew exactly how he felt. He slammed his hand down again and the car groaned in protest. “Fuck! Sammy, I didn’t mean—”

“For you to die would be a terrible waste,” a new voice said.

We spun around. Standing on the pathway was a woman I’d never seen, with long, side swept brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She wasn’t alone. With her, on either side, were two identical men, both total chrome domes, a la Mr. Clean, wearing white suits and sour expressions.

“And you are?” Jax asked, stepping between us.

“Her new master,” the woman said.

“Like hell,” he fired back. He turned to me and opened his mouth, but no sound came. He tried again, this time grabbing his throat and staggering back. It was like he couldn’t breathe.

The woman turned to me and smiled. “Do you agree to be claimed?”

Jax’s knees buckled as he fought for air. His eyes went wide, and his head shook vigorously. Seeing him like this, suffering, was enough to rip me wide open, but once I agreed, there was no coming back. Moments ago, allowing someone to claim me had seemed like my only option, but something told me these guys wouldn’t play by the rules.

I squared my shoulders and stood my ground. “No.”

The woman—angel or demon, I had no idea—didn’t expect that answer. She faltered for a moment, surprised, but finally nodded. “I see,” she said, placing an arm on the shoulder of both men beside her. “Then I suppose I will just need to convince you.”

The two men came forward. I could have tried to run, but I knew it was pointless. Angel or demon, they would be on me faster than flies on shit. They grabbed me, and as Jax finally climbed to his feet, dragged me away.



My head hurt, a needle-like jabbing pricking my skull from the inside out. I opened my eyes, but there was only darkness. The air was musty. A basement or cave. There was mildew, too. I was allergic and my nose itched something fierce. My last few hours on Earth and I was going to spend them in an allergen induced haze.

I brought my hand up to scratch, but nothing happened. I was restrained. My hands and my feet. Huh. I’d only been tied up a couple of times before this. Both those activities had been more than fun. It was less interesting when done out of the bedroom.

I managed to wiggle my fingers, which was good since pins and needles had set in. I’d been out awhile. My legs were asleep and my neck ached.

Jax. He would have been fine after we left, right? Been able to breathe?

I flexed my foot and twisted my ankle. The ground was gravely, like loose rock and pebble or something. I could have tried calling out, but the chances of someone other than one of my captors being within hearing distance was probably one in a billion.

Tugging and twisting, I yanked hard on my restraints. Whatever they were made of, they were smooth and cold—not metal, but just as strong. Breaking them wasn’t an option.

“While it amuses me to watch you struggle, it wastes time,” a woman’s voice said from the darkness.

Light flooded the room, and when my eyes finally adjusted, she was settling in a chair a few feet in front of me. I’d been right. We were in some kind of basement. Boxes covered in dust, shelves with old books, nothing special or out of the ordinary. Nothing useful.

“The house belonged to the Kendal family,” she said, tapping her head. “I can hear your thoughts.” She frowned, watching me intently. After a few moments, she sighed. “Yes. They’re dead. Regrettably it was our only choice.”

“Of course it was,” I said drily.

She leaned forward, elbows balanced on her knees. “Do you agree to be claimed?”

I stared at her. “Seriously? Why would my answer have changed between now and the last time you asked?”

She sighed. “Do you know what you are?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what hell could do with you? The damage and pain they could inflict?”

“Oh,” I said, flashing her a concerned frown. “I get it now. You’re worried about humanity. Is that right?”

She looked insulted. “I am a child of God.”

Well, that answered the angel or demon question. “If you’re an angel, where are your wings?”

A burst of wind rolled over me, and with a loud whooshing, the angel’s wings unfurled. Beautifully colored, in vivid hues of blue and green, they filled half the room.