The Demon's Bargain (A Deal With a Demon #4)(16)

I’ve gone down that route before and look where I ended up. Fucked, and not in a good way. “Ramanu—”

“We won’t get distracted,” they cut in smoothly. “You have places to be, after all.”

I shouldn’t. But even as I think it, I find myself backing to the edge of the bed and sinking onto it. Ramanu comes to kneel in front of me and gently guides my legs wide. Their claws retract with a quiet snick.

“Neat trick,” I manage.

“It has its purposes.” They dip their fingers into the balm. It’s almost unbearably intimate to watch them press those fingers into me. The relief is nearly instantaneous. The balm can’t heal major wounds, but it’s great for little wear-and-tear things like rough fucking.

Ramanu lingers a little longer than strictly necessary, gently fucking me with their fingers. They sigh. “I promised, but you’re a tempting little thing, Lenora. I could play with you for eternity.”

Eternity is a whole lot longer than seven years, which I still haven’t agreed to. Will not agree to.

Pleasure starts building, but Ramanu eases their fingers out of me before it gets too overwhelming. I clench the comforter to keep from grabbing their hand and shoving it back between my legs. I’m here for a reason. I cannot forget that.

To distract myself, I blurt the first thing that comes into my mind. “Why do you have the double set of horns? Most bargainers don’t.” Not that I have a lot of direct experience with their people, but my family keeps detailed records going back generations. Great-grandmother isn’t the only one who summoned a demon; she’s just the only one who did it multiple times and left such specific notes after the fact.

Ramanu shakes their head. “Rude, aren’t you?”

I flush when I realize how that would sound if I asked a human why their body is a certain way. “Gods, I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. I’m a bitch, but I’m not usually careless.”

“It’s fine.” They smirk. “I have a double set of horns for the same reason I can see magic and emotions. My parent is a gargoyle. My mother is a bargainer demon. It makes for interesting family gatherings.” They tap the horns coming out of their eye sockets. “Bargainers have a habit of playing with a wide variety of partners, and sometimes children result from those unions. Those children often have…quirks…as a result.”

“Oh,” I say faintly.

“And you…” They lean in and inhale deeply. “One of your ancestors was brave indeed. No wonder you have access to a celestial amulet of protection. The thread of your blood is faint, but even faint, it’s nearly overpowering.”

I blink. “What are you talking about?”

“Celestial.” They grin. “Apparently that distant ancestor of yours was very loved by that god.”

I don’t know what to do with that information. It doesn’t really change anything. It’s common knowledge that humans don’t have power on their own but that they’re great conductors for others’ powers through procreating. By that understanding, it’s not out of the realm of belief that all witches have paranormal blood in their family history.

But celestial ?

Is it possible the amulet is just a protection spell and the real power comes from the celestial blood in our veins? The thought is staggering. I shake my head slowly. I can’t afford to believe it or doubt what I’ve always been told. The cost is too high for being wrong. “Even with all that, I can’t get the amulet back from Kristoff.”

“His family is more intentional with their lines.” Ramanu moves back almost reluctantly and starts to dress. I mourn the sight of their body being covered with clothing, even as I appreciate them keeping me on task.

I don’t like what it says about me that fucking is enough to derail my focus. Apparently I haven’t learned my lesson after all. I grab my dress from the ground and pull it on. A few minutes in the bathroom to fix my hair and makeup as much as possible, and then there’s nothing left to stall with.

What am I saying? I’m not stalling. I’m ready to kill this motherfucker.

Ramanu is lounging on the bed when I leave the bathroom. “Do you have a plan?”

“Kill Kristoff. Take the amulet. Not in that order.” The amulet is protecting him, which means I need to remove it first. The problem is that he won’t let me—or anyone else—get close enough to do it. “Jack’s going to try to take the amulet during the event tonight.”

“Jack,” Ramanu says slowly.

“Yes. They’re good with their hands, and I trust them to give it back to me.” Jack doesn’t need the amulet to protect them. After we decided we were better off as friends, they fell in with a werewolf who’s downright feral for them. I’m honestly surprised that Skye wasn’t hovering at their shoulder in the market earlier. She usually doesn’t let them out of her sight.

Jack doesn’t know about the amulet being the source of my family’s power, but no one knows about that. I’d like to say that wouldn’t make a difference in their helping me, but I’ve never trusted someone enough to tell them that particular secret. I’m not about to start now, when it matters the most.

Ramanu pushes slowly to their feet. “A long shot of a plan.”

Frustration flares, but I ignore it. They aren’t wrong, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to admit it. “You would say that, seeing as you want me to make a bargain with you.”