Released (The Eternal Balance #3)(3)

“It isn’t acting of its own free will,” a man said from behind the beast. He emerged from the shadows, approaching as though he didn’t have a care in the world. He plucked what looked like a peanut from the small brown paper bag in his hand, tossed it into the air, and caught it between his teeth before chomping down.

The carnivus froze, its low-throated rumble silenced mid-growl.

“Abel.” Azi pushed the word past my lips as if it left a bad taste in my mouth. “Your timing is impeccable.”

The man gave a small bow, then nodded a greeting over my shoulder to Sam. “Azirak. Please, call me Heckle.”

Sam sprang from behind my body and pushed past, eyeing the suddenly immobile carnivus with caution. Red tinted the air around her shoulders as she tightened her fists. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to find you for over a week now.”

Heckle’s eyebrows lifted. He glanced down at the carnivus, then back to her before popping another peanut into his mouth. “For?”

The waves of red smoke spiraled upward and sent shivers of excitement through my body. The demon’s metaphorical mouth was watering—and so was mine. “The last thing you said to me was that there was a way to separate Jax and Azi. Then poof. You dropped off the face of the planet.”

“As I recall, it was you who said that. I never confirmed it.”

The red smoke thickened, and Sam clenched her fists even tighter. The demon was amused. It wanted to see what would happen if she laid one on Heckle. I had to admit, I was interested, too. Sam was a fireball. She’d give the cocky shit a run for his money.

“You implied it,” she said. Her voice was deadly, and the sound of it stirred something primal in Azi. The demon took a step closer to her.

Heckle sighed. “As I said, Azirak would have to leave of its own accord.” He glanced toward me. “Is that a possibility?”

A rush of images flashed before me. A swarm of pictures involving the witch Sadie Gray—also known as Malphi, Azi’s intended mate. They ended with the memory of me, wide-eyed and furious, standing over her bleeding corpse. “No,” the demon said. The tone left no room for argument. No room for forgiveness. I’d killed the demoness to save Sam, and in doing so had lost control of my body to the demon.

“Then this conversation is moot.” Heckle folded his arms. “I have a task for you. Something suited for your particular talents.”

“A task?” Sam balked. “Are you high? It’s your fault I have a permanent supernatural target pinned to my back. Because of you, I have to sleep with one eye open, and Jax—”

“Enough,” Heckle said. He appeared calm, but Azi sensed an underlying storm. “You belong to me. Both of you. You each made a bargain, and you will fulfill your end of it.”

“I made no bargain with you,” Azi said calmly.

“But the body you’re currently residing in did. Therefore, you are bound by Jax’s word.”

I took satisfaction from the demon’s ire. Keep me locked away in my own body? Well, f*ck you then.

Suck it up. I gave him my word. His help in exchange for my service. Nothing you can do about it.

But the demon didn’t see it that way. Fury filled me, a barely contained simmering rage. My hand came up and wrapped tight around Heckle’s neck. “You dare conspire to enslave a royal of hell?”

Heckle was silent for a minute. He blinked once. Twice. Then, with a sigh, he pried my grip from his neck with alarming ease and had our positions reversed. “Don’t push me, Azirak.” His voice still rang with the utmost calm, but the demon’s enhanced senses afforded me a glimpse of something deeper. Heckle was not one to be f*cked with. Under his mellow exterior lay unparalleled raw power. “If you wish to remain in control, you will keep Jax’s end of the bargain.”

“As you wish. But I will do nothing that puts myself, my clan, or the Pure in danger.”

Then leave. You being here puts Sam in danger.

The demon ignored me, calm on the outside, but on the inside, the rage was palpable. It was barely able to refrain from lunging at Heckle again.

Heckle adjusted his shirt. “Now then. The task is simple. Recover the Brim Stone and bring it to me.”

“Brim Stone,” Sam repeated. She tapped the side of her chin and chewed on the corner of her lip, while at the same time stealing a glance at the still-frozen carnivus. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“Because it’s the stone that enabled Malphi to tap in to the Gray line’s magic.”

“Wait.” Sam’s eyes grew wide. “If it’s the stone Malphi had, and Malphi is dead, then who has the stone?”

Heckle pinned her with a pitying frown.

Sonofabitch…

She blew a stray hair from her face and rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotta be shitting me…”

“I wish I were.” He sighed. “I’m afraid a grievous oversight on my part allowed Malphi’s stone to fall into the enemy’s hands.”

Sam’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, but Azi wasn’t interested in anything she had to say. Suspicion swelled, and the demon focused on Heckle. “And what do you want with the stone?”

“As you can see…” Heckle hitched a thumb over his shoulder at the carnivus. “Something is just a bit off.”