He was temptation incarnate, and I was helpless against his influence.
I could only stare as he stepped closer, eliminating the space between us without breaking eye contact. Relief like I’d never known washed over me in a crashing wave, but mixed emotions quickly surfaced right after.
I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.
“What have you done?” I asked, my voice threatening to crack. “I’m supposed to be in the labyrinth. I didn’t ask to come back to the castle.”
“I know,” he said gently, offering me his hand. “Everything will make sense soon.”
“Soon?” I asked, staring down at his outstretched fingers. My skin was burning to touch him, even just his gloved hand, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything until I knew he hadn’t betrayed me. “I want the truthnow, Belial. Why are you doing this? The Lord of Bones is going to show up any minute. We need to go. If he catches us…”
Belial grabbed my chin gently between his fingers, successfully silencing me. I stared up into his eyes for a long moment, caught in their web of sincerity.
“As many times as I’ve saved your life, you should have more faith in me,” he said shortly. He leaned forward, and the scent of ripe berries made my head light again.
“Faith,” I muttered, thoughts swimming. “You’re a demon.”
“And yet…” He traced a finger along my jawline. Goosebumps exploded over my skin, despite the heat sinking through me. “You gave your soul to me. I’d say that requires a fair bit of faith, don’t you?”
Shit. He had me there.
“But the Lord—”
“Dance with me, Rayven,” he interrupted. His gaze dropped to his outstretched hand, silently urging me to take it. “Please, give me this.”
Chapter Four
Rayven
Part of me wantedto deny Belial’s request—now was not the time for dancing. But for the short time I’d known him, I hadn’t been any good at resisting him, especially when he had that dark gleam in his eye.
So, I took his hand, and he pulled me against him hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
I caught my breath, staring up into his stunning gray eyes as he began to lead us in a slow waltz. “Belial, please,” I said, keeping my voice low as he spun me around. “We have to run. There’s still time for us to get away.”
“I can’t do that.” He shook his head, and his hand on my back dipped lower to grab my waist.
“Why not?”
He didn’t answer at first, leading me around the dance floor with all the poise of a king until we were good and lost among the crowd. I could feel eyes swinging in our direction, but they were a blur, barely a second thought as Belial’s gaze bore into me from the holes of his mask, demanding every shred of my attention.
Part of me never wanted this moment to end, to dance with Belial forever and forget about everything else, but another part of me knew we needed to get the fuck out of here.
“Running will do no good, little treasure,” he said, dipping his head to whisper in my ear. “Even if you found your way back to the exit, you couldn’t leave. You gave me your soul. This is where you belong. Here, with me.”
The music changed to a slightly faster, more ominous pace, but I hardly noticed. Belial and I continued to dance slowly as couples whirled past at a dizzying speed.
I clung to his words, ignoring the ache that formed in my chest as he spoke. I wanted to believe everything he said, but I couldn’t shake the feeling deep in my marrow that something was incredibly off. My fear of the King of Limbo loomed in the back of my mind, casting a shadow over my excitement for the future.
My future as Belial’s mate.
The Lord of Bones would surely kill the ferryman when he arrived and learned I’d given my soul to Belial.
Would he kill me too? Or torture me in front of these spectators for a laugh?
Belial seemed confident in his ability to sway the lord’s decision. I wasn’t so sure. I needed to make the most of however much time we had left together.
Tentatively, I reached up with my free hand and slipped my fingers beneath the edge of Belial’s mask. He froze instantly, his hand flying to grab my wrist, but he didn’t pull my hand away from his face.
