In this place? There was no telling. Every corner had ears.
Or eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Grim laughed, balling his fist up in the demon’s hair, causing it to hiss and bare its fangs. His hand froze and a delightful gleam lightened his red hue. “Don’t play coy, brother. You want your freedom. We all do. Do you really have the soul of an Arel in your palm?”
Belial relaxed a degree as he realized that Grim had no knowledge of Valteri fitzJaden. “If I did, what’s it toyou?”
Grim left the throne and approached him slowly. “Have you given thought as to what would happen if you bypassed our master and gave her over to the Malachai instead?”
Not really.
Grim slapped him on the head. “Think, imbecile! The prophecy!”
Belial gasped as he remembered.
As it began, so it would end.
A child born of light and dark.
The final Malachai.
“But she’s destined to die.”
“Then you better protect her, little brother. We need that bitch to breed with Adarian Malachai. If she does…”
They could overthrow the dark powers.
Take the throne and the world themselves.
He grabbed him up by his neck and held Belial before him. “That was always your shortcoming, Belial. You never saw the bigger picture.”
But he did now, and it was glorious. “What if the Malachai doesn’t accept her?”
“Born. In. Violence.” Grim growled each word. “To do violence and to die violently.” That was the creed of the Malachai race. “The very nature of that beast is that he rapes the mother of his heir. Trust me. Put her with him and he will do what it is that he does. All we need is your little Arel and nature will take its course. He won’t be able to help himself. She is a creature of light and he will attack her.”
Why had he not thought of that?
Because unlike Grim, he wasn’t a servant to the Malachai.
In fact, the Malachai tended to pull the wings off demons like him. Which caused him to avoid the Malachai as much as possible.
Just like any demon with a brain in their head would do. Unlike Grim, who’d once been a god.
“Are you sure this will work?”
Grim laughed. “I was there in the beginning when the Malachai race was cursed. The one thing I know is the Malachai bloodline. Bring me your Arel and I will give you your freedom.”
In spite of the pain, he smiled. This was even better than the curse.
Fuck it! He didn’t have to wait for anyone to die. All he had to do was get Ariel here.
“I’ll have her back in no time.”
“Don’t fail me, Belial.”
“I won’t.”
