Then what does it want because I have nothing else to offer?
“But I do have a proposition, Rapunzel of Rygard.”
My initial instinct shoutsnoinside my mind, but curiosity overrules reason.
“Two truths to free your precious Quinn,” the demon hisses, with its breath reeking of rotting flesh.
Excitement and confusion clash on the heels of revulsion. The demon trails its claw down my right cheek and across the curve of my jawline to my exposed collarbone that peeks from above the yellow blanket. Vomit flows up my throat, but I swallow it with my scream. The demon smirks at me, obviously enjoying my fear. Is this how it was for Quinn when he bartered away his soul? Was he as helpless?
Afraid?
Desperate?
“Yes, and more.”
Oh, God…
“God has no part in this transaction.”
I faced this beast the day I saved Quinn’s life. That terror comes back in a violent wave that threatens to drown me. But the demon’s hold prevents me from sinking under the tide. It keeps my eyes wide open, focused on its hideous face, black eyes, and razored teeth.
“He has…lost his appeal.”The demon is angry. As if Quinn cheated him.“But a bargain was made.”It leans in too close. Its foul breath makes my eyes water. Or am I crying over the possibility of Quinn’s redemption?“Two truths freely confessed and sealed in blood. Coerce him, and I’ll rip out his intestines and shove them down your throat.”
I’d nod if I could. Drop to my knees and scream my acquiescence. But I can’t. Instead, I think it so loudly I’m surprised Wren doesn’t wake from the force of my thoughts.
Wren.
I attempt to turn my head to check to see if the demon hasn’t harmed him.
Again, it reads my mind and cackles as if dealing with a fool.“Your dear Wren sleeps peacefully at your side, Rapunzel of Rygard.”
My gratitude for Wren’s safety and the joy that this creature is giving Quinn a second chance both die swift deaths because I remember a bitter lesson life has taught me.
Nothing comes without a price.
The demon tilts its head, and I cringe when those claws come dangerously back toward my face. I even squeeze my eyes shut, but they fly open when he runs them through my hair.“A single strand. That’s my price.”
One strand of my hair?
This must be demon trickery.
“No trick, future queen of Rygard. I do not play fast and loose with bargains.”Its mouth curls into a sneer as it lifts a lock of my hair. I don’t want it touching me. It’s…vulgar. And it must know I don’t want its hands on any part of me because those malevolent eyes bore into me with such hubris. Such challenge. It knows I won’t deny it anything, not with the fate of Quinn’s soul hanging in the balance.
The demon wraps the golden strands around its gnarled fingers.“One taste is what I desire in exchange for freeing Quinn Redgrave’s soul.”
“Agree or no?”
Agree!
Of course, I agree. I agree a hundred times over and would give up so much more.
My acceptance is barely a finished thought when, with the flick of a finger, the demon seizes his prize. His release of my body is instant. I suck in a hard breath, quiet, mindful not to wake Wren. I exhale on a trembling breath and squeeze my eyes closed, with agony flowing through me in blinding waves.
I choke back my sob because, my God, severing even one length of hair feels like the hack of a limb. The demon towers over me, and when I crack open my eyes, I see it relishing my pain—absorbingit. It licks its lips with a red, forked tongue like my agony is its favorite flavor. And while I fight not to writhe lest I wake Wren, the demon tucks that strand into its mouth, its eyes rolling back in their sockets.
Finally, the creature smiles at me, a gross, perverted form of a grin, and releases a groan that rumbles from deep within its chest. It even has the audacity to cup between its legs, rubbing itself with sucking in ecstasy.
Wren stirs beside me, but the demon, with the word.“Hush,”returns him to his deep sleep. Then to me, it says,“Your innocence is divine. A worthy exchange. Our bargain is complete. Two truths, freely offered, sealed in blood. Upon completion, I shall relinquish Quinn Redgrave’s soul and return it to him. The terms of our pact fulfilled.”
