Cinder licked her lips and nodded, her fiery energy cooling to a simmer. “I suppose.”
The seer crossed her arms. “Make your request and leave. I have a succubus on her way for a prenatal exam.”
“Hecate,” I said.
“No.” Cinder held up her arm and gestured to my mark. “Undo this. I get that you had to forge the bond to keep us alive, but now you can reverse it. I can’t be married to him. I refuse to be his bride, his soulmate…his anything. I’d rather dig my eyes out with an ice cream scoop.”
A strange pang formed in my chest at her words. Was I really that revolting? Did she not share any of the attraction I felt to her?
I furrowed my brow. Attraction or no, Cinder was right. This union had to be dissolved. I had two more stacks of ashmarks in my pockets. If my witch wanted to free herself from me, who was I to stand in her way? I could pay for Hecate’s location.
The seer laughed, half-symphony, half-cacophony. “Only Hera herself can annul a soul bond, and good luck convincing her. She rarely intervenes where fate is involved, and she never makes the journey to Hell.”
“But this was forced,” Cinder said.
“It would not have taken hold if there wasn’t at least a small shred of love between you.”
Cinder barked a laugh. “Love? I’ve known the man all of five minutes, and he’s been on my nerves every second of it. Can you believe this?” She looked at me, expecting me to confirm the absurdity of the idea.
I could not. “Love might not be the right word, but I cannot deny I feel something akin to fondness.”
She crossed her arms. “Well, it’s one-sided then.”
“Are you certain you don’t have the power to reverse the union? At least the second half of it?” I tugged a stack of ashmarks from my pocket. “For a price, of course.”
The seer licked her lips as she eyed the cash. “As much as I would love to take your money, I cannot undo it.”
“Show us Hecate then.” I returned the bills to my pocket.
“No, that’s a waste of money,” Cinder said. “I can scry for her myself. Give me the grimoire he paid you with last time, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Deals in the Underworld are binding.” The seer strolled to a bookshelf and ran her fingers over the grimoire’s spine. “The book belongs to me now.”
“But it’s been in my family for decades.” Cinder turned on her persuasive magic, her energy shifting, her aura taking on a regal hue as she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Surely a being of your power could scan the pages and take in all its secrets. You won’t need to reference it again, so what’s the point in keeping it?”
The seer’s resolve wavered. She nipped her bottom lip between her teeth and reached for the book, hooking her finger over the top and pulling it from the shelf. Resting her right hand atop the cover, she stroked the embossed fire sigil before flicking her gaze to Cinder.
“Nice try, but as I said, deals in Hell are truly binding.” She returned the book to the top shelf. “And before you ask for Hecate again, I have scried and searched every day since she disappeared. If I knew where she was, I’d have talked her into returning centuries ago. Lucifer has been as ornery as a hellcat with a bur in its ass since she left him.”
“I noticed,” I said. “He blames me.”
With the women’s tempers settled, I returned to my chair and peered into the cauldron. Green and brown crushed herbs floated atop a clear liquid, appearing as mundane as a peasant’s stew.
“Of course he does.” The seer sat next to me. “The loss of the amulet was Hecate’s last straw. Goddess forbid he take responsibility for everything else that led up to her departure.”
“And now there’s a price on both our heads.” Cinder joined us at the table. “Can you show me where my parents are? They’re the reason I came here in the first place.”
“Have you not scried for them?” The seer waved her hand over the cauldron. “You seemed certain you could locate Hecate with your magic. Why not your parents?”
“I haven’t exactly had the time…or the supplies.” She gave me a pointed look.
After Lucifer’s game of cat and mouse at dinner, being hunted by those who should be my subjects, and a sudden soul bond with a witch who both intrigued and infuriated me, I had forgotten why this entire ordeal had begun.
“Finding your parents is the least of our concerns. Seer, if you can’t find Hecate, at least show me where the amulet is.”
“No, I need to find my parents.” Cinder glared at me. “I’m the one who overpaid for your life.”
“You overpaid with my money.”
