Fucking moron.
Now Iyla was running toward the stairs, her brown hair flying behind her as she continued shouting, “Coldin, are you here? Please, Coldin. If you’re here, come out.”
“He’s not,” I announced, crossing my arms and scowling at her back.
The brunette whipped around with a gasp. She froze on the steps and stared at me with panicked brown eyes. I wasn’t sure if the fear I saw there was because of whatever had happened when Babette came for Zagan, or if it was because she was alone with me.
Admittedly, I’d never been friendly to the human woman. Perseus and Xander teased her and found her fun to poke at.Coldin … well, wasColdin. He didn’t care about anyone. Zagan was fucking hooked on her. She couldn’t fool me, though.
I’d learned long ago to never trust humans. I knew what she’d done. She’d tricked my best friend into a bond, something that occurred when an Incubi like me, Zagan, or Perseus slept with a virgin. We got tied to them via a demonic contract and were unable to have sex with anyone else, which was how we fed. In other words, they controlled our food and, in turn,us.
Nowthe leader of my band and closest friend was a slave to another demon.
The glare I fixed on Iyla deepened as my irritation spiked. “I already took him back to my place since Zagan decided to be a fucking idiot and turn into a servant to that woman. All foryou.”
She swallowed hard but plowed on. “We need to bring Zagan back.”
I scoffed at the suggestion.We. As if she and I were a fucking team.
“No,” I replied cooly. “The dumbass knew what bargaining with Babette would mean. He made his bed. Now he has to lie in it.”
Her face fell, and she reached out to grab my crossed arms. “Please! Please, Dante. I-I have to save him. Help me.”
I glowered down at her, and despite my frustration with this human, Zagan, and the entire situation, a part of me wonderedwhy. Why was this human so desperate to get him back? She got what she wanted. Her sister was saved, and Zagan literally left hereverything—this house, his money, everything he owned. What more could she want from him? Her bond with him had been an act on her end, so why wasn’t she moving on? How far was she willing to go to get him when she’d never truly cared about him?
I was always down to watch humans get trapped in their own games. Now was a chance to at least getsomeamusement out of the shitty situation.
“You want him back so badly?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Fine. You go get him.”
I expected her to jerk back with hands held up in surrender. I waited for her to laugh and admit that she didn’t actually want Zagan anymore. After all, going to get him meant going to Hell, and no human would be willing to do that for some demon they merely wanted to use.
But instead of either of those things, her face lit up with hope. “Okay! Yes. I’ll go. Just tell me how I get to him and how I break his contract with Babette.”
Her determination annoyed me to no end, because it confused the fuck out of me. I shook off her hand and begrudgingly explained how she could summon Babette and challenge her for Zagan’s return. All the while, I was in my own head, trying to crack this sudden great mystery.
Iyla really wanted to do this? She wanted to summon a trickster demon like Babette, risk her life—hersoul—for ademon? It made no sense. Every answer I came up with as to her potential reasoning for doing this seemed wrong.
All of them except one—the one thatcouldn’tbe true, because love wasn’t real, especially between a human and a demon.
You’re a demon and a stain upon the world. A spawn of Hell deserves this much. You’re amonster, and no one could ever really love a monster.
My jaw clenched, and I forced myself to focus on the white pentagram Iyla was drawing. I couldn’t go there. I couldn’t go to that memory. Iwouldn’t.
Iyla stood next to the completed summoning circle. She gripped a kitchen knife firmly in her hand, and her face hardened in determination. She was really intent on seeing thisthrough and bringing Zagan home. She brought the knife to her palm.
“Remember,” I suddenly interrupted, making her pause to look over at me. I had to give one final push to see if she’d back out, because surely she would. There was no way she’dactuallydo this. Right? “Summon her, challenge her to a game, andwin. If you don’t, Zagan’s sacrifice will have been for fucking nothing.”
She nodded, that confident resolve only intensifying in her gaze. “I will.”
My brow furrowed. It wasn’t what I’d expected. She should’ve been tucking her tail and running. That’s what humans did when staring unnecessary danger in the face. But she was an unshaken statue, strong and sure in her decision.
Without another word, I stepped through shadows, reappearing in the alleyway by the coffee shop downtown. I breathed deeply, hoping the crisp winter air would dispel my lingering disbelief.
She really loved Zagan.
Ahumanloved ademon.
At least, she thought she did.
