Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(50)

Though not as potent as a demon kill, the violence settled Azi enough for me to focus. Sam and I were linked. That had to mean I could find her. I just had to try.

Once I was back in the car, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Azi flashed an image of her face and my heartbeat went into overdrive. In the vision, she was bruised and bleeding, with a busted lip and a wide gash on her right cheek.

“No,” I snapped, shaking the likeness from my mind. “She’s okay. I would know if she wasn’t.”

The demon wasn’t convinced, but it settled down to let me concentrate. I’d never tried using the link between us. Up until now, it’d been more of a hassle than anything else, making me hyperaware of every detail about Sam. Her moods and emotions. Her body… I’d hated it because it rubbed my nose in the one thing I wanted but couldn’t have. Now I had to rely on it. Talk about f*cked up.

I sat behind the wheel with my eyes closed. It took a while, but I finally felt her. Felt her fear. It was just as potent as if she were sitting beside me. She was someplace dark. And cold. But other than that, I had no clue.

“Shit!” I slammed my hand against the dash, leaving a fist sized indentation. I had no way of finding her. There wouldn’t be a ransom. No one would call for a trade. They had exactly what they wanted. They held all the f*cking cards.

Azi sent more images of her, a dizzying mix of jumbled moments from over the years.

I gripped the wheel hard and closed my eyes to stop the spinning. “How,” I growled. “How the f*ck am I supposed to find her?”

Another rush of pictures came, so strong I almost puked. They went too fast to make out much detail, but I did notice a common thread. Azirak’s demons.

“They won’t help me,” I said, twisting the ignition key a little too hard. “I screwed them over by letting Chase walk away. Cheated them out of their power.”

Azi wasn’t deterred, and they kept coming. Sam. Azirak’s demons. Sam. Demons. The wheels in my head started turning. We had several common enemies in Zenak, his clan, and the angels. If I sought them out and said I wanted to gain a Pure with the intention of hunting down Zenak, they might be forgiving. They were desperate to regain their power. A few hours ago it’d been Azirak in control of my body. He’d called his clan to locate the Fakori descendant. All I had to do was keep them thinking the demon still had the wheel. The only bump in the road would be Malphi.

As if in response, Azi communicated a scene of me embracing the dark, faceless female, and then another, of Sam wrapped tightly in my arms. The feeling that came with both was the same. Need. Desire. Longing. Getting close to Malphi was risky, but I had no other choice. I had no intention of losing Sam again.

“How do I find them?”

A single picture. The Inferno.



Getting back to Harlow took forever. At least, that’s how it felt. Each second was one I wasn’t trying to find Sam. Every minute was one that they might hurt her. If anything happened, I would bring hell to their doorstep in ways they couldn’t possibly imagine.

It was almost three by the time I pulled up in front of the bar. The place was fairly empty, as usual, and the bartender—a demon I’d never seen before—gave a slight nod as I walked in.

“Heckle here?”

The bartender shook his head. “Nope.” He looked me up and down. “Out of town.”

I didn’t give a shit what the euphemism was for. I only wanted information. “I’m looking for one of Azirak’s clan.”

“Never heard of ’em,” he replied, and nodded to the liquor shelves. “What d’ya want?”

I leaned forward and inhaled. The bartender wasn’t Zenak’s. Not Azirak’s. Definitely a demon, though.

Factionless. I had no idea where the word came from, but knew without a doubt I was right. This demon was neither mine nor Chase’s.

I reached across the bar and grabbed its shirt, yanking forward. The demon dropped the bottle in its hand, the glass shattering against the edge of the counter and dumping vodka all over the floor. “I’ll say it louder, just in case you didn’t hear me the first time. I’m looking for one of Azirak’s clan.”

It wasn’t until the demon looked at me—more specifically, my eyes—that he realized who I was. His head dipped and he opened his mouth, but someone else spoke for him.

“I am of Azirak’s—”

I turned to face it.

Tall, with dirty blond hair and narrow shoulders, the newcomer curled its lip back and tensed, ready for a fight. “You!”

Time to put my game face on. I had to sell this shit good. “I have control of the body,” I said with a subtle nod. I let go of the bartender and leaned back against the bar.

It wasn’t a demon I recognized, but obviously it recognized me. “You betrayed us!”

“The human betrayed you,” I corrected, hoping Azi went along with the charade. “Who’s your leader?”

“You are,” it said angrily. The demon’s eyes narrowed as it regarded me with caution.

“I’ve been otherwise engaged. Who was in charge in my absence?”

“Ranook,” it said, almost hesitantly. I’d expected the answer to be Malphi. “Why?”

“Take me to Ranook.”

It blinked, staring at me for several more seconds. “Why would I do that?”