Damn the witch and her infernal blood magic.
If she had not bound us together, I would snap her neck and be done with her. Perhaps, when she agreed to revoke her spell, I would. “We must dissolve this connection. Release ourselves from this bond.”
“No.” Her nostrils flared again, a look of determination tightening her eyes. “I released you from prison. You owe me.”
“Hmm.” I admired her tenacity. Her fearlessness now that she had recovered from her initial shock. “What is it you desire?”
She inclined her chin. “I want you to give me safe passage to Hell, help me find my parents, and send us back home.”
I allowed my gaze to flow over her face, taking in her delicate features and plump, pink lips. “That’s three wishes. I am no djinn.”
“Then just take me there. I’ll do the rest.”
I laughed dryly and released her. “No.”
“Why not? It’s a fair trade.”
“No, it is not.” I turned and strode toward the trees.
“Hey!” She followed. “Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you.” Magic infused each word she spoke. I could feel it caressing my skin, attempting to seep into my mind. She possessed the power of persuasion, the ability to speak with enough finesse and a subtle charm to convince a lesser demon the tarpits were a prime vacation spot.
But I was a Prince of Hell. Her silver tongue had no influence over me. Blood magic, on the other hand…
I stopped and closed my eyes, the magical bond between us making me unable to leave her alone. “I will not take you to Hell.”
“Why not?” She circled around to stand in front of me.
“Because I would have to go with you, and it is a place to which I cannot yet return.” Not without Hecate’s amulet and my brothers’ skulls.
“Why can’t you?”
“Because I would face the wrath of both Lucifer and Hecate, and that would be a fate worse than the darkest prison imaginable.” If I returned empty-handed, Lucifer would fillet me alive, torture me for eons before shredding my soul into oblivion. Hecate would not be so kind.
She pursed her lips, her eyes calculating. “These marks…” She ran her finger over the sigil on her arm, and the sensation of warm velvet sliding over my skin made my entire body shudder with her touch.
“What about them?” I said through clenched teeth, trying not to reveal the effect it had on me.
“What exactly do they mean?”
I let out a slow breath. “They mean we’re connected. As long as we bear them, we are one.”
“One how?” She slid her hands down her hips, cocking her head.
“The tether. Do you not feel it?”
“I feel something, but I don’t know what it is. Tell me.” She inched closer.
I growled low in my throat, loath to say it aloud. “Our souls are bound. Over time, if you refuse to remove the bond, it will be difficult to tell where yours ends and mine begins.”
She grimaced. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“Neither do I, which is why we must remove it now.”
She drummed her fingers on her thighs and narrowed her eyes. “Take me to Hell, and I’ll do it.”
“I will not.”
She huffed and then shrugged. “Okay then. If you’re not going to help me, I’ll have to vanquish you.”
