The Demon's Bargain (A Deal With a Demon #4)(30)

“Ramanu, what are you doing? Stop!”

“Cut your palm and press it to the mark. Say, ‘I bind you, Ramanu.’” When she keeps sputtering, I lean down until our faces are even. “I will not let you die, Lenora. Don’t ask me to stand by and allow it to happen.”

She curses. “I’m releasing you the second the tournament is over. And you’d better not get hurt, or I’m going to whoop your ass.” She smacks her hand against the point of my horn and then presses her bleeding palm to the mark. “I bind you, Ramanu.”

The effect is instantaneous. Lenora blazes bright in front of me, as if someone shone a spotlight on her from over my shoulder. She really is beautiful, my witch. She drops her hand, looking sick. “Come back to me. Safely. Please.”

It’s not really a command, but the magic of the binding wraps around me and presses close all the same. “I will.”

Behind me, a multitone voice cuts through the chaos of the crowd. “The tournament will begin shortly. To put your name forward, simply raise your hand.”

I lift my hand and almost immediately feel a light telepathic touch. It takes my name and little else. Around me, quiet falls aside from the shift of others raising their hands. I can’t detect Kristoff; there are too many people here to pick him out after only meeting him once. If he’s not here, this will all be for nothing.

The multitone voice speaks again, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. “Now we begin.” There’s no discussion of the rules or the stakes. I can appreciate that, at least in different circumstances. They call out two names, and then it’s time to begin.

The first fight is between a shifter and a witch, and it’s over almost before it begins. The witch casts a nasty little spell that turns the top half of the werewolf’s body around like a top. I hear their spine snap from here. “Is that what you did to Skye?”

“I wasn’t quite so…showy,” Lenora murmurs. All her focus is on the ring as two more people are called and then two more. Some of the fights last a very long time; some, only seconds.

In the most recent fight, the loser had to be carried from the ring. Later, I’ll be impressed that Lenora won this bloody, violent tournament on her own at only nineteen. Right now, I’m too damned relieved that I’m competing in her place.

“Ramanu and Charlie.”

I start to step into the ring but stop when Lenora grabs my hand. She squeezes it hard. “Win. No matter what it takes. Come back to me.”

The power of the command sizzles through me. I had already planned on doing exactly that, but it’s still disconcerting in the extreme to have magic enforcing her words.

I enter the ring and take stock of my opponent. They’re a large demon, but not one from my realm. Unfamiliar isn’t good, but I didn’t get to where I am simply by politicking and running my mouth. The bargainer territory might have changed under Azazel’s rule, but he wasn’t in charge when I was born, and my parents wanted to ensure I survived her court. I haven’t let that skill set fade since. I’m not as big as other bargainers, though, so my skills depend on my speed and agility. That will serve me here against spellcasters.

Best to get this over quickly and conserve my energy. Kristoff won’t be an easy opponent.

The fight begins unceremoniously. The demon charges me, head down and arms spread. They obviously intend to wrap me in a bear hug and break me like a twig. The ring isn’t big enough to dodge to either side, and I don’t have time to be fancy. Their superior height works in my favor.

At the last moment, I duck out of the way then surge up, impaling them on my horns. I grab their thighs and use their speed as leverage to toss them over my head and into the barrier. It breaks with a shattering sound, and they fly into the crowd.

“Ramanu wins.”





Chapter 13





Lenora





The fight is over so quickly, I’m still trying to process what happened when Ramanu returns to me. There’s blood dripping down their horns, but they don’t seem to notice it. They simply slide their hand into mine and turn to face the circle.

Three fights later and I haven’t figured out what to say. Kristoff hasn’t stepped into the ring yet, but as the winner from last year, he’ll be seeded in the second round. “Ramanu, I—”

“Trust me.”

Ironic that they’re telling me to trust them when they just bound themself to me. My magic might be flickering like candlelight in a storm, but I can feel the bond between us, a live wire of dangerous possibility. Ramanu is smart and savvy and has lived far too long to give me this power. It’s so easily abused. There’s absolutely no guarantee that I’ll hand it back once they’ve retrieved the amulet for me.

Kristoff wouldn’t.

Many of the witches I know would give their right arm to have a demon bound to them. It’s power beyond what most humans can imagine, and if it means being unscrupulous on a level even I don’t dally in, there are plenty who wouldn’t blink at the moral implications.

Ramanu…trusts me.

I haven’t done a single thing to encourage that trust, and yet they’ve put their life and power in my hands. They haven’t even asked for anything in return, didn’t bargain and whittle away at the power I can command through them. They simply handed it over.