We’d ended up in some sort of massive cave, the ruins of what looked like an ancient temple crumbling to my right. A full Grecian column lay on its side at the foot of an obsidian staircase, the others standing at only half their original heights, their remains lying in pieces around them. A stream of lava flowed up ahead, steaming and curving this way and that as it meandered by, disappearing beneath an arch in the wall.
“I freed you from your prison.” I jogged behind him, keeping my gaze trained on his muscular back. “You have to find my parents.”
He continued his pace, not bothering to turn around. “Even if I did owe you a favor, I brought you to Hell. My debt would be paid.”
“Technically, I brought you.” My foot slipped on the uneven ground, and my ankle twisted, searing, sharp pain shooting through my entire foot and making me yelp. Son of a bitch! Why was every little ache amplified in this place?
He stopped and whirled toward me, his gaze locking on my injured ankle. His mask of fury slipped for half a nanosecond, his expression morphing to concern…or maybe it was pity. Either way, he recovered quickly and returned to glaring lasers.
“You are correct, witch. You vanquished me. You forfeited any debt I owed the moment your dagger pierced my heart.”
“My name is Cinder.” I rotated my ankle, working out the stiffness. The movement only intensified the pain.
“Your name is meaningless. You have condemned me, used me to weaken the veil, and created instability in both our worlds. Have you any idea the damage you have done?”
“That wasn’t my intention.” I slipped off my backpack and lowered to the ground, rummaging through it to find my healing salve. I had to get this pain under control so I could bargain with him. So far, my negotiation skills were spaghetti, he the wall. Nothing would stick. “What do you want, then? What can I do?”
“Unravel the binding spell. Remove our marks so I never have to see your face again.”
“What’s wrong with my face? It’s prettier than yours.” I slipped off my shoe and sock and spread the balm over my skin. The swelling subsided almost instantly, but that was the last of the enchanted medicine. Any more injuries, and I was on my own.
Discord let out a deep, rumbly growl, and I peered up at him as I pulled on my sock. He stood over seven feet tall, with dark greenish-gray skin and a wide nose. Thick horns grew from the center of his head, sloping downward before curling up like an African buffalo. His eyes glowed a deep green, and taut muscles rippled down his chest and stomach, leading to powerful legs, and…
Did I mention he was naked? Holy mother of magic, was he.
My tongue slipped out to moisten my lips of its own volition. The heat made me do it. I swear the hot and bothered feeling I couldn’t seem to shake came from the intensity of the atmosphere and not the naked demon standing before me.
I forced my gaze to his eyes and slipped on my shoe. “If you want the marks gone so badly, why don’t you remove them?”
“If I could, we would not be having this conversation.” He narrowed his eyes. “You used blood magic to create the bond. Only you can remove it.”
“Find my parents and send us home, and I will.” I stood, testing my weight on my ankle. It was angry, but the pain was manageable now.
He stomped toward me, and I did my best not to stare at his junk. Hey, it was swinging side to side like a pendulum, begging me to look. Give a girl a break.
“Witches are liars.” He grabbed the front of my shirt in his fist.
My pulse took off in a sprint, as it should with a giant creature from Hell threatening me, but his accusation struck a nerve. Against my better judgment, I just had to poke the demonic bear.
“Careful. I only packed one more shirt.” I slapped his hand. He didn’t let me go, so I inclined my chin. “Light witches aren’t liars.”
The green in his irises undulated like lava. “You said you’d remove the marks if I brought you to Hell. Here we are, yet you still refuse.”
I grabbed his fingers, trying to pry his hand from my shirt. “Again, I brought you. If you would just listen?—”
He snarled and released my shirt, gripping me just below my jaw and digging his thumb and finger into the tender muscles beneath my ears. Stars wavered in my vision, the amplified pain threatening to make me pass out, so I did what any reasonable thirty-year-old woman would do in a situation like this.
I grabbed him by the balls and squeezed.
When he didn’t yelp or loosen his grip on my neck, I twisted them hard. Then harder.
His jaw tensed with an audible click of his teeth, the tendons in his neck tightening as he relaxed his grip and released me. With the freedom of movement at my disposal, I lowered my shoulder and twisted even harder, digging in with all the strength I had as I tugged a knife from my thigh holster.
“Touch me again and I’ll castrate you.” I pressed the tip of my blade against the delicate skin of his sack.
He slowly raised both hands. “Understood.”
I let him go and took two steps backward, just to be safe. His dick had the nerve to twitch, and a ghost of a grin crossed his lips before he composed himself. The bastard.
