Soul Enslaved (Sons of Wrath Book 3) (56 page)

“Gavin … Sabelle was …” A tear streamed down her cheek, and Nola quickly wiped it away. “She was with child.”

Gavin pushed past the lump of dryness at the back of his throat. “Was?” 

“Since y’all weren’t bonded … they … destroyed the baby.”

“Baby?” Like a wrecking ball’d slammed into his chest, Gavin couldn’t breathe.

The word echoed inside his head.
Destroyed. Destroyed
. So absolute. No mistaking its meaning.

Rubbing a hand at his chest did little to abate the ache in his heart or the tendrils of numbness spreading to his limbs.

Tears in Nola’s eyes caught the light, as she nodded and whispered, “Your son.”

My son
. He wanted to say the word aloud. Decide which emotion would get the best of him between fear, surprise and excitement—the confusion he might’ve felt in those first moments, if Sabelle had stood before him, telling him the news of her pregnancy.

He couldn’t, though. A single emotion outweighed all others—disbelief. The kind of arresting grief that made the room spin out of control. 

Invisible fingers of ice slithered up his spine and cinched the back of his neck, like a reprimanding grip. He slid from the chair to his knees and clutched his skull, tucking his head to calm the frantic breaths that escaped him.
No, no, no.

He’d grown up a bastard, the son of a bastard. Probably would’ve made his son a bastard child. But
his
son. A life
he’d
created. With Sabelle.

“I was supposed to choose. No one said a word to me. I was supposed to choose! Fuck, Nola! I’d have chosen myself!” The words blasted inside his ears, over the swishing of blood and the heat beating beneath his skin.

A son. His child.

No.

Never would he have chosen to put Sabelle through the pain, nor placed his unborn son in the merciless clutches of those sadistic bastards who, undoubtedly, got some cruel joy out of taking an innocent life.

Curling into himself, he unleashed the unholy fury within him, his curses ripping from his chest.

Fury for Sabelle, for not being there to spare her the pain. For his murdered son.

Fury for the cock-suckers who’d taken the choice away, tore it right out of his hands.

His bellow reverberated off the walls. Muscles quaking, he punched his fist through the wall behind his desk. Twisting around, he hooked his finger beneath the handle of his desk drawer, yanked it free, and hurled it through the window. Glass shattered and spilled to the floor, raining sharp tines. As he stood, he swiped all the papers strewn across his desk and crushed a glass snifter in his palm.

Down, down, he fell. Into darkness. All consuming misery clutched his stomach, until at last, it abated to silence.

He’d failed. He’d failed Sabelle.

Hands on his thighs, breaths heaving, he didn’t bother to look at Nola. “Take me. Take me to her.”

“I’m afraid—”

“I have to see her.” He straightened his stance despite his jittering muscles. “Please, Nola.”

“If we get caught …” She shook her head and waved a hand in the air. “Ah. I’m too old for this shit, anyway.” Wiping tears from her cheeks, she rose up from the chair and drew a circle into the floor, placed her hand inside, and spoke a chant.

Once the center began undulating with a blast of heat, she and Gavin slipped inside.

***

Beyond the glass, Sabelle lay trembling on the white bed, curled into herself against her restraints. Even through a blur of tears, Gavin took note of every wound. Blood stained all four of her wrists where she’d struggled against her binds. Her body appeared pale, almost thinner. Fragile.

Blackness rose from the very depths of his soul, flames rocketed through his veins, and fury clutched his stomach. His hands balled into fists, needing to punch something. The glass that separated them. The walls that kept her caged. The faces of the rotten pricks who’d caused her pain.

Trembles jarred his body, as the rage and misery threatened to pull him into madness. By gods, he’d sever every head, every hand that’d touched her. Every fucking one of them would die.

Gavin pressed his hand against the window.
Sabelle.

More tears welled in his eyes. How badly he wanted to lift her from the bed and hold her. Crush her against him and keep her safe.

“I’ll give you a moment.” Nola whispered, patting him on the back.

Only the sound of her fading footsteps told him she’d walked away, as Gavin kept his stare locked on Sabelle. Her limbs tugged as a scream, muffled by the glass, tore free and ripped through his heart.

Pain and agony battled in his gut, as he placed his forehead to the glass. The breath escaped him, like water trapped in his lungs, drowning him from the inside.

“I know you think you’re alone in there,” Gavin said, as his mind quieted a little. “But you’re not. I’m here.” He cleared his throat at the tickle urging him to lose it. “I know I can’t fix this. But in the dark, in your pain, I’m here with you.”

She stilled on the bed, and the way her eyes stared off, as if they no longer had anything to focus on, and her body shook, brought tears to Gavin’s eyes. One would think she’d come down from her tantrum and had settled. He knew better, though. If Sabelle stilled, it could only mean her heart had given up. Whatever glimmer of hope that shone in her eyes, had dulled into acceptance.

She’d surrendered the fight.

What seemed like only seconds passed before Nola returned. “We have to leave, Gavin. It’s not safe. If they see you, you’ll be sent back to Obsidius.”

“I can’t leave her.”

“You don’t have a choice. You’re off the radar. Once they find you, you’ll be re-imprisoned. There’s nothing you can do for her locked up.”

“What will happen to her?”

“She’ll no doubt choose death rather than send her children to the underworld orphanage. I will keep the children where they are. It won’t be easy for them, but it’ll be safe, and they’ll be well-cared for.” Her lip quivered. “But those poor babies do love their momma. So much. It’s a rare succubus who can put her children first. We’re all born selfish. Only the ones who allow others to touch their souls are truly deserving of motherhood. And Sabelle is about as golden as they come.”

Gavin steeled his muscles. “I’ll make her my tazschla. No one will touch her.”

“You make a public declaration of bonding with a succubus, and you might as well sign your death warrant. It’d be a slap in the royal court’s face, and an even bigger slap to your father’s. You know you’re fated to take your father’s place in Orcosia. Every supe looking to take his crown will be after you. I don’t need Cefirina on my ass for this. She’d never forgive me, if I got you locked up again.” She placed her hands on her hips with a
humph
. “’Sides that, they’d never grant you Eradis, anyway. Not unless she was a Basiliaj. You’re expected to spread your royal seed.”

“I’ll be facing a second trial for death. There’s a chance I won’t be taking my father’s place at all.”

Nola’s eyes softened to sadness. “And what death would that be for Sabelle? You’re the first male she’s ever come close to loving, Gavin.”

The thought twisted Gavin’s stomach, as he gave one last look back to Sabelle. At his life, love and everything he wanted, lying helpless, in pain and hopeless.

“I just wish that deal with Cash had gone down. She’d be free and y’all could’ve lived happily ever after.” Nola’s murmured words tightened his muscles.

A thought struck Gavin’s head like a sledgehammer to the brain. Urgency speared his gut, his eyes widening with a sudden glimmer of hope, and he spun around to face Nola. “I have an idea!”

“What?”

Gavin gripped Nola’s arms. “Arrange a meeting with Aeguza.”

“When?”

“First light. My office at the casino. Tell him to bring a Scribe. I have to make a quick call.”

“I wish I knew what you were up to, Gavin.” She shook her head with the slightest smile. “But I’ll trust it’s better than anything I’ve come up with, which would put both of us in Obsidius. I’ll do my best.” The old woman reached inside her pocket and pulled out the charm bracelet Griffin had given Sabelle. “Guards gave this to me when they admitted her.” She placed it in Gavin’s hand. “For luck.”

“Nola … do you know the nature of this bracelet?” He flipped the charm over to the Aegis inscription.

“An angel’s pendant. To ward off evil.”

“Spells?” Gavin asked.

“Anything cast in black magic.”

CHAPTER 28

Gavin leaned across the stacks of papers on his office desk and shook Cash’s hand, who he’d called to the meeting. “Cassius, I’d like you to meet Aeguza and his scribe, Paolo.” He nodded to the two males, who’d been patiently waiting for the pimp to arrive.

“Cash. My name is Cash.” Taking an empty seat, the pimp gave two sharp nods at the officials, decked out in robes. The square-jawed male, himself, wore his black hair in a Mohawk above a face toned a medium olive. Decked out in an electric blue button down and black leather pants, he looked a prime example of his kind. “What’s this about?”

“A marker. As you can see, I’m in the business of collecting debts.” The scribe typed furiously on his laptop, as Gavin spoke.

“What debt?”

“Sabelle hired me to watch her back while she went undercover for you. Ring a bell?”

Cash glanced over at the Scribe and shifted in his seat. “I was aware of no such arrangement.”

“You didn’t have to be aware of it. But the fact is, she is unable to pay what she owes me, due to her sudden imprisonment. Her pimp, Jeven, would make a substandard trade in this case. And so I’m coming to you to settle payment. As it was your mission. You made the deal with Sabelle.”

“Whoa, whoa. You’re talking about an enslavement arrangement. I don’t owe you anything.”

Gavin rested his elbows on the desk. “I snuffed the lycan, just as
you
hired Sabelle to do.”

Cash entwined his fingers. “You watched her back,
as
you were hired to do.”

Easing back into his chair, Gavin directed his attention toward the high lord. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Aeguza, but what exactly
are
the laws on enslavement?”

“No slave is required to take a life on behalf of the slaver.”

Gavin shrugged. “There you have it.”

Cash’s face pinched to a frown. “So, what is owed?”

“Non-payment is one soul,” Gavin answered in a flat tone.

Brows raised, Cash sat forward. “Excuse me?”

“Your soul,” Gavin repeated, keeping his face stoic. “I’m happy to show you the agreement.” A total bluff, but Cash’s renewed frown told Gavin he’d bought it. “A standard trade in all my vengeance contracts.”

“You’re asking me to
willingly
hand over my life, to fulfill a contract I had nothing to do with?”

Gavin stroked his chin. “Yes.”

“And if I don’t?” Cash shot a glance toward Aeguza.

“Aeguza is here to escort you to Obsidius. Of course, if it’s not a debt you wish to pay, there is another option.”

“Which is …” Cash spoke past gritted teeth.

“Release Sabelle from her obligation to you, and I will seek
her
out for payment.”

Cash cast a second glance over at Aeguza, his frown deepening when the high lord shrugged. His jaw ticced. “It is a rare circumstance when a succubus is released from a pimp.”

“It’s a rare circumstance when I have to chase after a bad debt, but I suppose that’s the life of a business man.”

“Fine. Consider it done.” Cash braced his hands on the arms of the chair as if preparing to leave.

“Ahhh. Wish I could take your word for it. But I’m afraid I’ll need that in writing.” Gavin lifted the papers beside him. “Paperwork. I’ve taken the liberty of drafting the contract. I’ll just need your signature on a few pages.”

Cash’s eyes widened, as Gavin tossed the stack in front of him and handed him a pen. “This is … uncommon.”

Gavin steepled his fingertips and reclined his chair. “Perhaps, in your world of lying and cheating. In my world, it’s business.”

With a huff, Cash lifted the pen. “Where do I sign?”

“First and third pages.” Gavin tapped his fingers against one another. “In layman’s terms, you are agreeing to release Sabelle and her children from her debt.”

“I never agreed to her children.”

“A formality.” The look on Cash’s face, lip twisted in disgust, damn near broke Gavin’s attempt to remain impassive. “All debts are passed on to the children, if they cannot be paid by the client. As a district pimp, you will be held responsible, if they, too, cannot afford the debt. Should you refuse payment, once you’re released from prison, you will be sent back with each subsequent generation until it’s paid in full.” Gavin leveled a deadpan stare. “Or we can say fuck this, and I can take your soul, right here, right now.”

“No.” Cash leaned forward, and Gavin smiled as the Scribe clicked away at the keys.

Once the papers were signed, Gavin signaled Cash to wait a moment, set a copy on the desk, and handed the stack to Aeguza.

Reaching for the papers, Aeguza pushed up from the chair. “I will add this to the public records file. Thank you for calling this meeting, Gavin.”

“Thank you for meeting with us, my Lord.” Gavin shook both Aeguza and Paolo’s hands. “As always, a pleasure.”

Aeguza bowed, and both males exited the office, leaving Gavin and Cash staring each other down.

The happy shit disappeared, and Gavin turned business again. “I have something that might interest you.”

“I doubt it.”

Gavin raised a brow. “Your Black Book?”

“How?”

“I have my sources. I’d thought about turning it over to the council. But I’m afraid I trust their members less than I trust you.”

Cash’s fingers splayed. “So, why not keep it yourself?”

“That’s a good question. And I thought about doing just that. But that’s not how alliances are made. I’m simply giving back what belongs to you.” Gavin had no intentions of telling Cash what he’d learned from Marrick.

Easing back into the chair, Cash tipped his head. “You don’t trust the law, do you?”