Released (The Eternal Balance #3)(31)

I held up my hand and turned back to Van. “How about we start at the beginning. You said Sadie tried to kill you. Obviously she didn’t succeed, but how did you end up with the stone in the first place?”

Van narrowed her eyes. “You should know that I don’t have it. The stone. It’s too damn dangerous.”

I snuck a peek at Azi through the curtain of my hair, then focused on Van. I had to move this along. “We know. The problem is, what you have is only half the stone. The other—”

“You’re not slipping me intel I don’t already know. I’m the one who broke the damn thing to begin with.”

“Why break it?” Azi curled Jax’s fists tight and leaned forward. “If you stole it, then you must have understood its power. Why not take the entire thing?”

“I didn’t have much time—or choice. Sadie tried to kill me with that stone.”

“How?” Azi was losing its patience—and so was I.

Van surveyed the room. Her gaze snagged on the two women at the counter for a moment before returning to us. “I didn’t know what she was. Not at first. In fact, we grew up really close. But, I always knew Sadie was resentful. She was the first Gray in centuries to be born without her magic. It made her bitter, and as she got older, it only got worse and worse. When I was sixteen, she told me she’d found a way to tap into our line. To summon the power that should have been her birthright.”

“She intended to use the stone,” I said, understanding.

Van nodded. There was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. Sadie had tried to kill her, but like Jax loved Chase when this all started, she still loved her sister. “Why wouldn’t I believe her? I mean, it’s not like she was lying. She had found a way to get Gray family magic—it just wasn’t hers.”

“It was yours,” Azi said with a nod. There was a note of respect in his voice. Like he was proud of his demonic bitch for figuring a way around their no-abilities loophole.

“Yep. There was just one small catch. In order to be a donor, I had to die. The whole thing was a little suspicious right from the start, and about halfway through the ceremony, I realized what she was up to. We fought—it wasn’t pretty. I finally managed to crack the stone in half, grabbed what I could, and got the hell out. I ran and never looked back.”

I couldn’t imagine how she must have felt. To be betrayed by your own blood. My parents had betrayed me, giving my location to demons after I was adopted by the Merricks, but I’d never known them. The sting hadn’t been as personal as this. “And she never tried to find you?”

Van laughed. “Oh, she tried. Almost did, more times than I can count. But I made friends with some powerful people and stayed off the grid.” She fixed her gaze on me. “Speaking of, how the hell did you two shmucks find me?”

“I told you. The stone is mine. I am linked to it. I can find it anywhere.”

Van met his gaze with challenge in her eyes. “That’s a wonderful story, but like I said, I don’t have the stone.”

“It was in your possession long enough to leave an imprint.” The demon inhaled. “It left a stain. I can smell it.”

Van shuddered. “Well, that’s not creepy at all.”

The demon stood. “Enough. I want the stone. Now.”

She stood as well. “And whose magic do you want to steal?”

“I wish only to regain what is rightfully mine.”

“If it was yours, then how did Sadie end up with it?” Van asked, suspicion coloring her tone.

“Her name,” Azi said tightly, taking a step around the table, “was Malphi.” Another move, this one much more than simply menacing, but the demon only got two steps before collapsing with a growl.

It wasn’t Jax in pain, but it was still his body. I couldn’t help myself. The chair went flying as I stumbled upright and flung myself to the ground beside him. He was shaking, face red and jaw tight. “Stop! Whatever it is you’re doing, stop.”

Van came around to stand above us. There was no pity in her eyes. She was joined by the two women from the counter. “It’s not me. This is his doing. He intended to hurt me.”

I grabbed the edge of the table and hefted myself up, hoping I looked as helpless as I felt. “I’m begging you. Make it stop. This is a demon, but Jax is in there. We have no idea what this is doing to him.”

Seconds ticked by. If she didn’t do something soon, I’d be dreaming up my own version of harm. Finally, Van nodded to the woman on her left, a tall redhead with a pinched face and designer duds. She waved a hand and whispered something I couldn’t quite make out, and Azi gasped. Jax’s body went nearly limp.

“Stay down,” I said. “Because I doubt they’ll make it stop if you pull that shit again.”

Thankfully the demon listened. Azi stayed down, curling Jax’s fists tight. You didn’t have to be a demon whisperer to know the nasty things going through its head. Considered royalty where it came from, this had to be one hell of a pill for the thing to swallow, being taken down and controlled by a spell.

“Thank you,” I said to the redheaded woman. To Van, I added, “Could I please talk to you? Alone?”

She didn’t move. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it almost looked as though the women flanking her grew a little taller.