Released (The Eternal Balance #3)(34)

I wanted to argue, but the truth was, it was right. I sensed it. It was like I’d gone days without eating or sleeping. There was a heaviness in me, the kind that came from mental and physical exhaustion. “Sorry, shithead. If you think it’s going to be that easy to get rid of me, think again.”

The demon sighed. Its form solidified for a second—just long enough to give me a peek at my own shadowy face—before reverting back to smoke. “I take no pleasure in your pain, Jax.”

“I’m not in pain.” It was a lie and we both knew it. The demon felt what I felt, just like I felt what it felt. It’d started earlier this morning. A slight tremor in my gut. The intensity had been slowly increasing. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

“I wish that were true. Contrary to what you might think, I will miss you when you perish. I do not wish to be rid of you. If there was a way to stop it, to keep this from happening and spare her the pain—”

Fucker. I’d never wanted to hit anything as bad as I did right then. “Maybe we should focus on the stone? On keeping Sam safe?”

“Agreed.”

“You don’t trust the witch.”

“Of course not. Witches are not to be trusted.”

“Sadie was a witch,” I said with a sneer.

A rush of anger, followed by the smallest burst of sadness. “Then I suppose it was appropriate that Malphi was born into the body. She was not to be trusted, either.”

I balled my fists tight and held my breath for a moment before blowing out slowly. “If Malphi was so untrustworthy, why the f*ck am I being punished for taking the bitch out?”

The demon’s anger spiked. Its shadowy form shot forward but stopped abruptly, inches from my face. “Mind your tone, human.” It let the threat hang before backing down and retreating to the other side of the small room. “It is true that Malphi was rash and unpredictable. She had betrayed me in many ways through the years. But, as I said, she was mine. You cannot take what belongs to a demon and not pay the price.”

“What about Sam,” I countered. “This is killing her. What is she paying for?”

“Sadly, Samantha Merrick suffers because of the connection between you. It has nothing to do with me locking you away.”

“The hell it doesn’t!”

The demon sighed. “I told you, it would have happened anyway. There is not enough space in this body for both of us indefinitely. It is regrettably unavoidable. You will fade.” It leaned a little closer. “If I were merciful, I would destroy you now instead of letting you linger, but I will not. That is your punishment.”

Azi was in for a surprise if it thought I was going down without a fight—and it did. I felt its conviction with every pump of the heart within my own body. With every word. I didn’t know if it was something I could fight, but I’d be damned if I didn’t try. Still, I couldn’t rule out the possibility all together. It wasn’t just me I had to worry about. “And let’s say you’re right. That I do fade. What happens to Sam?”

“I will watch over her for as long as she stays neutral.”

“Neutral? What the f*ck does that mean?”

I couldn’t see the details of its face, but I got the impression that the demon was frowning. “If there is a chance she could be used against me…”

“What? What happens if someone tries to use her against you?”

Azi turned to me, and it was my own face, so much clearer through the shadows than it had been, that frowned back at me. “Please pray that doesn’t occur.”





Chapter Sixteen


Sam


The first thing I was aware of when I woke was a horrible kink in my back. Van had given me the couch to sleep on, and as far as furniture went, it was the least comfortable place I’d ever crashed. Springs poked up through the worn cushions, and the smell emanating from the fabric vaguely reminded me of wet dog and stale cigarettes.

But while the abused muscles and less-than-pleasant scent were disturbing, the dream I’d been having more than made up for that. Jax and I had been on a beach, and things had just started to get interesting. God. The things that boy could do with his hands…

Unfortunately, along with the increasing pain in my back, I got the distinct impression someone was watching me. I forced my eyes open and met a familiar pair of gray peepers.

“What the—” I scrambled back and smacked up against a barrier—the arm of the couch.

“You were dreaming,” Azi said. It watched me for a moment before leaning forward again, this time coming so close that Jax’s lips nearly touched mine. It inhaled deeply and smiled. “I wonder,” it whispered, Jax’s voice low and seductive. “What were you dreaming about?”

“I—” It wasn’t Jax hovering close enough to smell—to taste—but it was his body. And his body had always wreaked havoc on my central nervous system. My heart pounded, about a million miles a minute, and my throat was suddenly dry as dust.

“As I said before… I could help, you know.” The sparkle of mischief in its eyes combined with Jax’s airy, playfully seductive tone, blotted out everything. “Scratch the itch you can’t quite get to.”

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. That wasn’t to say I was soundless. A small whimper escaped, and it was obvious Azi found it amusing.