“A piece of my soul,” he began.
The heat in the room increased noticeably.
“Yes,” purred the demon from its smoky hiding place.
The spicy scent in the smoke tickled Ivan’s throat. He clearedit. “And in exchange, you aid me in strengthening my hold in New York.”
“Done,” the demon said quickly.
“And the contract isn’t complete until…” Ivan paused. He didn’t want to say this part. Hated the weakness it revealed. But he didn’t have a choice, did he? “Until myself and my family are safe.”
“That’s two demands,” the demon pointed out, nothing in its voice giving away how it felt about that.
“The two are intertwined.”
A husky laugh rang out. “All right, then. I, Nix of the Demon Realm, will aid Ivan Kozlov”—Ivan startled, although he kept his reaction from showing. He’d never told the demon his last name—“in strengthening his hold in New Yorkandensure his and his family’s continued safety, in exchange for a piece of his immortal soul.” The column of smoke shifted and swirled, still revealing nothing. “Place your hand inside the smoke, Ivan.”
Ivan walked around his desk with careful steps and stuck his arm into the column. He hissed at a sharp pinch of his wrist.
Had he just beenbitten?
Sascha had skipped that part of his explanation.
Whatever monster lay inside the smoke held Ivan’s wrist a moment longer, its thumb brushing against his skin. Ivan suppressed a shiver, wondering if another bite was coming.
And then he was released.
Ivan stepped back, trying to keep his composure as the smoke finally began to dissipate. But it was surprisingly difficult to contain the giddiness that was bubbling up inside him. What other Mafia boss in New York could claim to hold a demon under their thumb?
Not one.
Ivan would finally be allowed a moment to recoup. To act instead of react. Tobreathe. To—
Ivan blinked as the last of the smoke cleared. He stared at the demon it revealed.
What in the ever-lovingfuck?
This demon wasn’t any bigger than Sascha’s seven-foot monstrosity—he wasn’t even any bigger than Ivan. He’d be shorter, in fact, if not for the red horns curving out of his head.
It was…wrong. All wrong. This demon didn’t look like a warrior. He looked like…like…
He looked like astripper.
Or whatever the demon equivalent was. All cheekbones and plush lips and miles of leg. His skin was lavender, his eyes a glowing purple. He was wearing leather pants and a sheer shirt that revealed a chest tattoo and what were clearly barbells in his nipples. He had the longest, lushest hair Ivan had ever seen on a man, wavy and red and pulled into a high ponytail, revealing pointed ears.
And was that atailswishing out from behind his legs?
The demon grinned, flashing sharp teeth, the only appropriately vicious thing about him. “Hello, Vanya,” he purred, using the diminutive of Ivan’s name.
And why the fuck was the demon’s voice higher? What had happened to the deep rumble in the smoke?
At Ivan’s continued silence, the demon’s grin grew even wider. “Cat got your tongue?” He sashayed closer, and that strange spicy scent enveloped Ivan again. “Want me to loosen it for you?”
2
Nix
Dear Ivan was staring at Nix, his mouth gaping open like a fish. Poor baby. Had he really thought he was summoning a warrior demon like Kai?
