Embraced (Eternal Balance) (19 page)

Chapter Thirty

Sam

M
y eyelids were leaden, and despite the pressure at my throat and weightless feeling beneath my feet, I couldn’t force them open. There was a change in the room. I felt something shift, and it was that transition that enabled me to finally open my eyes.

I was alive. The demon cuff lay in two pieces on the floor to my right. The only reminder was what resembled a burn scar where it had rested against my skin.

I’d been claimed. Not by heaven or hell, but by earth. By myself. I hadn’t known what to expect, or if it would even work, but it surprised me that I didn’t feel any different. There was no power surging through my body. No otherworldly thoughts in my head. I was simply me. Sam Merrick. The same girl who always forgot to turn off the lights and never filled the gas tank until the car was on fumes. A visionless slacker with no career goals and no cash.

But I was alive. And so was Jax.

Jax.

I turned to see him sitting a few feet away, Sadie Gray’s body cradled in his lap. He watched her for a moment, his expression sad, then lifted his gaze to meet mine. I could no longer feel him. The link, however I’d created it in the first place, was gone.

“Malphi is dead,” he announced. His voice was strange. Deeper and just a little bit broken, which made no sense.

Why would he care if she was dead? Upon closer inspection, I noticed his eyes kept flickering. Gray. Black. Gray. Black. I counted five switches before it stopped, irises settling on the color of midnight.

“It is only fair that he goes with her.”

A wave of icy fear rolled over me. “He?”

“Your human ended this life for her. I may not have the ability to end his without bringing about my own demise, but I can lock his essence away.”

“You—”

Azirak moved Sadie’s body aside, gently setting it on the carpet before standing. “Retribution. Payment. A life for a life.”

“No,” I cried, and scrambled upright. Tears burned my eyes. “If you can’t take his life, then take mine. Let him go.”

It was Jax’s face looking down on me, but the expression of pity was foreign. “His affection makes it impossible for me to act against you—and I have no desire to see you physically harmed. Your power has been claimed, but you can still be an asset.”

The words sent an entirely new kind of chill dancing along my spine. “Only the person who claimed my power can use it. Since that’s me, I’m betting you’re shit out of luck,” I snapped. Anger burned hot. “What’s to stop me from making you give him back?” I advanced several steps. “If my power is the most sought after thing in heaven and hell, then I’ll just
make
you return him to me.”

Azirak laughed. “Any harm done to me will be done to him. Attempt to make me relinquish control and you will destroy this body, and the human along with me. Choose your actions with care.”

“He speaks the truth,” a new voice said. I whirled to the doorway where Heckle stood watching us. “Jax is gone.”

“
You!
” I roared. “You lied to us. Tricked us.” The sound of his voice, the look on his face—everything about Heckle incited my fury. I started for him, eager to test that destruction theory, but froze halfway across the room.

“Careful, Sam,” he said. “While you now have an unprecedented edge, there are still some things that remain untouchable.”

I took a deep breath. Azirak bowed once to me, then turned and bowed to Heckle. Without a word, it slipped through the door, leaving us alone.

“Fix this,” I spat. “Do something to help Jax.”

“There is nothing I can do. His punishment brings balance for your life.”

My legs grew rubbery, and with a sob, I collapsed to the floor. This wasn’t happening. He couldn’t be gone.

“I warned you that the bond would end in tragedy. Because of his tie to you, he was able to overcome Azirak’s hold long enough to kill Malphi.”

“The alternative was for me to die,” I bit back. “How the fuck is that any better?”

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe one of you was fated to die?”

“But no one died,” I said. Jax was my past. He was my present, and goddammit, he was my future. I had no intention of giving up on him. My previous experience proved that even death wasn’t final…and Jax wasn’t dead. He was still in there, with Azirak. “Jax is technically still alive.”

Heckle cocked a brow, but didn’t answer.

No. “There’s a way to fix this. An alternate path to take.”

More silence.

Heckle frowned. His expression was a mix of certainty and bleak resignation. “There’s always an alternate path to take, Sam. But as I’ve said before, some road blocks require a sacrifice to remove.”

Sacrifice? I’d already lost everything. What the hell else was there? “Tell me,” I said, climbing to my feet again. “Tell me how to get him back.”

He didn’t look like he wanted to tell me, but he had to know I’d never let it go. Not when Jax was at stake. After a long moment—one of the longest of my life—Heckle sighed. “The only way for him to come back now is for Azirak to allow it. The demon must leave him willingly.”

“Leave him?” I swallowed my surprise. “As in, there’s a way to separate them?”

Heckle smiled. Then he turned on his heel and, without a word, walked out the door.

Keep reading for a preview of
Released
, book 3 in the Eternal Balance series

Chapter One

Azirak/Jax

S
he hadn’t left my side in days. Sam Merrick, the girl with fury in her eyes and unrelenting determination in her soul.

I could hear her heartbeat from across the room. As she approached, a noxious scent filled the air, followed by a plate thrust into my face. “Eat it,” she demanded.

Azirak took it from her and placed it on the bar in front of me. Human food was offensive to the demon living inside me. The one currently in control of my body. It survived on the darker side of human emotion—not cheeseburgers. “No. It has an unpleasant odor.”

I couldn’t really argue. Food at the Viking wasn’t fit for human—or demon—consumption.

Sam made a sound like a growl and kicked the edge of my chair. I felt the vibration, but it was faraway and detached. “Does it look like I care?” she said. “Hold his damn nose and stuff it down his throat.” The girl on the other side of the bar, a dark skinned woman with multiple colors in her hair, watched us with a strange expression.

Azi studied the burger. Under his command, my finger poked at the meat, and I felt a ripple of disgust go through me. “Why?”

Sam’s skin took on a reddish hue and the muscles in her neck tightened. Sweet-tasting anger, a red haze that rolled off her in waves, made my mouth water. “Because he needs to eat!”

Just eat the fucking thing,
I said. I was locked inside my own body, punishment for killing Malphi, Azi’s mate. I couldn’t communicate with Sam, but I could still annoy the shit out of the demon.
She won’t give up until you do.

It pushed me back and lifted my head to meet her gaze. The fury there was enough to rival any demon tenfold. A swell of admiration washed over me. Azi often wondered what kind of a demon Sam would have made. “So long as I continue to feed he will be nourished.”

She stood her ground, glaring like she wanted to rip me apart. I knew the contempt wasn’t for me, but I still hated seeing it. Hated what this all was doing to her. “His body needs actual
food
.” Leaning in close, she added, “Not other people’s bad vibes.”

We’ve been over this. Unless you want us to shrivel up, my body needs food.

Azi growled and snatched the burger from the plate. Weakness, considering recent events, could get us killed. It could get Sam killed, and strangely, the demon didn’t want that.

It stuffed the overcooked animal into my mouth, eating it in three bites. It was dry, and the texture was unpleasant. “Thank you,” she ground out, as though the words caused her physical pain. She reached around the bar to grab her coat. “Now, are you ready to go?”

I stood and, giving the plate one last glare, said, “I am.”

She led the way, weaving through the diminishing crowd of Viking employees. It was four a.m. and the club was closing. Since the demon had totaled our only ride a week ago, we had a long walk ahead of us.

Heading out the back door and into the alley next to the club, Sam pulled her coat tighter. She looked one way, and then the other. Satisfied that we were alone, she started forward. I followed, thankful that Azi remained silent.

She didn’t care for it when the demon spoke to her. She hadn’t said it, but it was obvious by the pain in her eyes every time it opened my mouth. It was my voice, the sound eerily familiar, and yet different. Azi had no desire to cause her more suffering than it already had, so the demon kept to itself unless addressed directly.

There was a chill in the air, and several blocks from the club, it began to rain, which was unfortunate. For the last block or so, something had been following us. The storm would make it harder to track the scent.

As we passed a row of shops, I picked up the scent again. This time it was closer—and definitely not human. My fingers closed around Sam’s wrist, and, without explanation, Azi dragged her into the small space between two of the buildings.

“What the hell are you—”

It covered her mouth and leaned close. For a moment, the smell of her overrode my senses and sent a powerful spark of desire to my core. One of the drawbacks to being locked in here was that with the demon in the driver’s seat, each sensation was magnified. It inhaled, savoring the sudden spike of anger, and grinned when the smallest tuft of lust seeped through.

“Be still and stay silent,” it whispered against her ear. My lips brushed the edge and a wave of longing rolled over me. I wanted to tell Sam I missed her, to let her know that I would find a way out of this. But no matter how loud I roared, she wouldn’t hear me. It was the demon’s words that came from my lips. “We are being followed.”

The alley was devoid of light, but my senses were inhuman. I saw every detail of her face, from the worried gleam in her eyes to the sudden tension in her body. She gave a slight nod and Azi removed my hand from her mouth.

Get Sammy out of there,
I growled. I fought for dominance, failed, then let out an enraged yell.
If anything happens to her…

“We will be fine.” The demon’s assurance was for both of us.

Movement on the street distracted it momentarily, and a large black blur flew at us from the far end of the alley. Azi pushed Sam to the ground as the hulking mass crashed into me.

Growling filled the air. The creature perched on my chest snarled, viscous black fluid oozing from between rows of jagged red teeth. I knew what it was because Azi did—a carnivus, a vicious dog-like thing from the depths of hell, used as frontline soldiers in war.

“Impossible,” Azi said, greeting the beast with a snarl of its own. It gripped the thing’s head on both sides and hefted away with as much force as my body could muster. I was far stronger than other humans, but still had limitations. Matching the strength of a full-grown carnivus was definitely one of them.

“Hey,” Sam called. The sound was followed almost immediately by a large object hurdling my way. It connected with the beast’s head, eliciting a savage howl. The pressure against Azi’s grip vanished and the carnivus whirled and charged. “Shit!” she mumbled before scattering in the opposite direction.

Get up,
I snapped.
That thing is going to rip her to fucking shreds!

Azi leaped to my feet and sprang into action. A rush of fury poured from the demon and my body soared over the charging beast and landed in a graceful crouch a few feet in front of Sam. Whirling, it faced the charging bastard just as the thing pounced.

Crashing together in midair, the demon twisted with a violent jerk and redirected the carnivus sideways, toward the wall. The thing collided with the brick, a thundering crash echoing through the small space.

The carnivus climbed to its feet, scaly hackles rising. Azi positioned us protectively in front of Sam, bracing my body for another round. But the carnivus didn’t attack. It matched our steps—us back, it forward—but made no move to instigate more violence.

“Get rid of it,” Azi snarled at Sam.

She made a choking sound. “Get rid— How? Am I supposed to offer it a cookie or something? Give it a damn belly rub? You get rid of it.
You’re
the demon badass.”

“You’re a Pure,” Azi fired back, my voice laced with venom. The demon’s patience was waning, but underneath that, I felt concern. The carnivus was, unlike other things, a very real threat—one that shouldn’t exist outside hell. “You are unbound. Use your energy.”

The canine-like creature snarled and snapped its massive jaw, but still made no advance. “What’s it waiting for?” Sam gripped the back of my shirt. I felt her fingers skim my skin as they wrapped themselves around the thin fabric.

“These are not creatures known for their intelligence. They are soldiers, bound by the commands of their masters.” However this thing came to be here, it couldn’t have been acting on its own. Azi was very familiar with them, having used the monsters in its own army. That made me an expert as well. These things had brains the size of horses.

“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.

The carnivus froze, its low-throated rumble silenced.

“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. “Azirak. Please, call me Heckle.” He nodded to Sam as well.

She sprang from behind me and eyed the carnivus with caution. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to find you for over a week now.”

Heckle’s eyebrows lifted. He looked down at the carnivus, then back to her. “For?”

Anger seeped into the air. Waves of red smoke that sent shivers of excitement through my body. “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 tight. The demon was amused. It wanted to see what would happen if she struck Heckle. “You implied it,” she said. Her voice was deadly, and the sound of it stirred something primal in Azi. The demon took a step forward, moving 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 mate. They ended with one of me, wide eyed and furious, standing over her corpse. “No,” the demon said. The tone left no room for argument. No room for forgiveness.

“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 fill 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, fuck you.

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

But the demon didn’t see it that way. Fury filled me, simmering rage barely contained. My hand came up, wrapping tightly 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 fingers from his neck with alarming ease and reversed our positions. “Don’t push me, Azirak.” His voice still rang with the utmost calm, but the demon’s enhanced senses afforded me a glimpse deeper. Heckle was not one to be fucked with. “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,
I said with a snort.
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 refraining itself from lunging at Heckle.

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

“Brim Stone,” Sam repeated. “Why does that sound familiar?”

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

“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.

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 he 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.”

He was right. Azi’s memories swirled, and I knew that carnivi, like most other creatures that inhabited hell, were unable to cross to this plane. At least, not on their own. “How did it come to be here?”

“You can thank Zenak,” Heckle said. He flicked a finger at the beast, frowning. “And there’s plenty more where that came from. I’ve gotten reports from all over Harlow. Denizens of Hell have been running rampant for the last few days.”

“And you believe this is Zenak’s doing?” My muscles tensed, my body’s natural reaction to the apprehension the demon felt. I still hadn’t gotten used to it—the way my body betrayed me by reacting to the whims and desires of another. Everything was so much stronger, amplified by the demon’s senses. “That my enemy has stolen the stone and is using it to call forth an army?”

“I’m afraid it is now in Zenak’s possession. While one half of the stone doesn’t give the demon access to all its inherit abilities, it does give a dangerous edge. It can’t travel home, but it appears that it can call reinforcements.”

“Wait—half?” Tendrils of worry rose from Sam’s shoulders. Her pulse increased, heartbeat racing. “He doesn’t have the whole thing?”

Heckle shook his head. “Sadie only had half the stone. I don’t know what became of the remaining part. You’ll have to find it, though. It’s far too dangerous to leave it floating around.”

“But if Zenak has an advantage with just half the stone, why hasn’t it come for us yet?”

“It’s not immediately clear what Zenak’s plans are. But, knowing what we do—that it wants to destroy Azirak and take control of Sam—I believe getting to the other half of the stone before it does will benefit us all.”

Azi bristled, and I felt a mix of anger and concern from the demon. “And the half of the stone that Zenak already possesses? What of that?”