At least I was no longer lying on my bathroom floor.
“I’m sorry, you know. That he killed Agates.” Pischiel slumped in one of the chairs by my fire, letting his head fall back as his eyes closed. Questioning all your life choiceswaslikely exhausting.
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Sorry.”
He lifted his head and opened his eyes. “Yes. I remember when he was first imprisoned, you know. The underking allowed him visitors at first, before he learned that those visitors were part of a network of spies and rebels. Still, your father had his ear to the ground.”
I didn’t doubt that. I turned and stared out the window, my body numb as Pischiel continued to talk.
“Lucifer made a mistake executing your father,” he said. “Strategically, it was smarter to leave him alive and allow his enemies to believe that, if Samael failed to take the throne, Agates could one day be a much more benevolent king. By snuffing out that hope…”
“He created a martyr,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“Yes.”
My father had wanted me to join his rebellion. To stoke the embers of rage into a full-scale wildfire.
I turned to Pischiel. “You can’t live in both worlds,” I told him. “You helped me free those slaves. You kept your mouth shut about Gloria. You’ve been sneaking around this palace almost as much as I have. But you need to make a decision. Are you with us, or are you still choosing Lucifer?”
He opened his mouth, and I glowered at him. “I’m serious, Pischiel. Either shit or get off the pot.”
His mouth twitched. “Charming. As usual.” He sighed, getting to his feet. “I made my decision. It’s why I came here to talk to you.”
My breath stilled in my chest. I didn’twantto have to kill Pischiel one day.
“I need a guarantee,” he told me.
“What kind of guarantee?”
“The kind that means your bondmate won’t kill me, even after he learns of everything I’ve done.”
I opened my mouth, and he shook his head. “Your assurance isn’t enough, Danica. You may love him, may think that you’ve seen the worst of him, but you forget—I’ve been alive for almost as long as he has. I’ve seen what happens to those he considers his enemies. And none ofthosepeople got to touch his bondmate while he was prevented from doing the same. If you think Samael is going to be rational about this, you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”
He stepped forward, clamping his hands around my upper arms. “ThinkDanica. If he makes it down here, think about just how rational he’ll be. He may not want to upset you, may even regret killing me a few seconds later, but I’ll be just as dead.”
I wanted to deny it, but… each time I saw Samael in our dreams, I could see just how much it was costing him to be apart from me while I was in danger. He tried to hide it from me, but being unable to rescue me until we had all our ducks in a row… it waskillinghim.
Pischiel was right. Samael would get his full powers back. And his fury would know no end.
“What is it you want, Pischiel?”
“I want a bond.”
I stared at him. “Expand on that little thought.”
“Samael bonded many of his demons to him directly. They pledged their allegiance when they traveled through the portal.”
“Yes.”
“The bond goes two ways. Those who bond with a high demon owe him their lives. But that bond also means he will fight for their lives when necessary. And he won’t kill them unless they betray him.”
“A bond is forever,” I said. “Are you sure about this?”
He nodded, and I ran it through in my mind. “There’s only one problem with this little plan. I’m not a high demon.”
