Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(64)



Sam made a sound like a growl and kicked the edge of my chair. I felt the vibration, but it was faraway and detached. “Does it look like I care?” she said. “Hold his damn nose and stuff it down his throat.” The girl on the other side of the bar, a dark skinned woman with multiple colors in her hair, watched us with a strange expression.

Azi studied the burger. Under his command, my finger poked at the meat, and I felt a ripple of disgust go through me. “Why?”

Sam’s skin took on a reddish hue and the muscles in her neck tightened. Sweet-tasting anger, a red haze that rolled off her in waves, made my mouth water. “Because he needs to eat!”

Just eat the f*cking thing, I said. I was locked inside my own body, punishment for killing Malphi, Azi’s mate. I couldn’t communicate with Sam, but I could still annoy the shit out of the demon. She won’t give up until you do.

It pushed me back and lifted my head to meet her gaze. The fury there was enough to rival any demon tenfold. A swell of admiration washed over me. Azi often wondered what kind of a demon Sam would have made. “So long as I continue to feed he will be nourished.”

She stood her ground, glaring like she wanted to rip me apart. I knew the contempt wasn’t for me, but I still hated seeing it. Hated what this all was doing to her. “His body needs actual food.” Leaning in close, she added, “Not other people’s bad vibes.”

We’ve been over this. Unless you want us to shrivel up, my body needs food.

Azi growled and snatched the burger from the plate. Weakness, considering recent events, could get us killed. It could get Sam killed, and strangely, the demon didn’t want that.

It stuffed the overcooked animal into my mouth, eating it in three bites. It was dry, and the texture was unpleasant. “Thank you,” she ground out, as though the words caused her physical pain. She reached around the bar to grab her coat. “Now, are you ready to go?”

I stood and, giving the plate one last glare, said, “I am.”

She led the way, weaving through the diminishing crowd of Viking employees. It was four a.m. and the club was closing. Since the demon had totaled our only ride a week ago, we had a long walk ahead of us.

Heading out the back door and into the alley next to the club, Sam pulled her coat tighter. She looked one way, and then the other. Satisfied that we were alone, she started forward. I followed, thankful that Azi remained silent.

She didn’t care for it when the demon spoke to her. She hadn’t said it, but it was obvious by the pain in her eyes every time it opened my mouth. It was my voice, the sound eerily familiar, and yet different. Azi had no desire to cause her more suffering than it already had, so the demon kept to itself unless addressed directly.

There was a chill in the air, and several blocks from the club, it began to rain, which was unfortunate. For the last block or so, something had been following us. The storm would make it harder to track the scent.

As we passed a row of shops, I picked up the scent again. This time it was closer—and definitely not human. My fingers closed around Sam’s wrist, and, without explanation, Azi dragged her into the small space between two of the buildings.

“What the hell are you—”

It covered her mouth and leaned close. For a moment, the smell of her overrode my senses and sent a powerful spark of desire to my core. One of the drawbacks to being locked in here was that with the demon in the driver’s seat, each sensation was magnified. It inhaled, savoring the sudden spike of anger, and grinned when the smallest tuft of lust seeped through.

“Be still and stay silent,” it whispered against her ear. My lips brushed the edge and a wave of longing rolled over me. I wanted to tell Sam I missed her, to let her know that I would find a way out of this. But no matter how loud I roared, she wouldn’t hear me. It was the demon’s words that came from my lips. “We are being followed.”

The alley was devoid of light, but my senses were inhuman. I saw every detail of her face, from the worried gleam in her eyes to the sudden tension in her body. She gave a slight nod and Azi removed my hand from her mouth.

Get Sammy out of there, I growled. I fought for dominance, failed, then let out an enraged yell. If anything happens to her…

“We will be fine.” The demon’s assurance was for both of us.

Movement on the street distracted it momentarily, and a large black blur flew at us from the far end of the alley. Azi pushed Sam to the ground as the hulking mass crashed into me.

Growling filled the air. The creature perched on my chest snarled, viscous black fluid oozing from between rows of jagged red teeth. I knew what it was because Azi did—a carnivus, a vicious dog-like thing from the depths of hell, used as frontline soldiers in war.

“Impossible,” Azi said, greeting the beast with a snarl of its own. It gripped the thing’s head on both sides and hefted away with as much force as my body could muster. I was far stronger than other humans, but still had limitations. Matching the strength of a full-grown carnivus was definitely one of them.

“Hey,” Sam called. The sound was followed almost immediately by a large object hurdling my way. It connected with the beast’s head, eliciting a savage howl. The pressure against Azi’s grip vanished and the carnivus whirled and charged. “Shit!” she mumbled before scattering in the opposite direction.

Get up, I snapped. That thing is going to rip her to f*cking shreds!

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