My body moves of its own accord as I stand, gesturing to the spot next to me. “Care for breakfast before we start our day?”
“You sure you don’t want to invite the demons you shared your shower with to join you?” Her voice is clipped, and she ignores me when I pull out her chair. Still, she sinks into the seat, helping herself to the food.
“Were there demons with me? Hmm, must not have noticed,” I reply before taking my seat. Isabelle huffs and rolls her eyes. “Jealousy is a good look on you, Kitten.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Of course you're not. No one who is jealous would bring two irrelevant demons up in conversation,” I comment, earning a glare.
Silently, I observe Isabelle fill her plate, what she gravitates toward and what she decides to skip. She pops a strawberry into her mouth, the juices running down her chin. Before she can wipe it away, my thumb swipes her chin, gathering the mess. I pull back, licking thestrawberry juice from my fingertip. Isabelle’s pupils dilate, and her breathing hitches.
“You’ll want this.” I hand her the folded black napkin. She snatches it from my grasp, and my lips twitch into an amused smile.
“Are you taking me back to see the Nephilim?” she asks, and the smile drops from my face. “Because I’ve been thinking, and I want to try talking to it again.”
“No.”
“No?” She raises a brow, frowning. “What do you mean ‘no’? I’m here to help save your people. Or are you no longer concerned with their safety?”
Isabelle realizes her mistake the second the words are out of her mouth. Her eyes widen, and fear seeps into her expression. I pull her chair closer, but she does nothing to stop me. Only once she is up against my chair do I lean over, getting close to her face. “Demon safety is and has always been my top priority, Miss Sinclair. I have never wavered in my vows to protect my people. Not for anything or anyone.”
Her bosom rises and falls in quick succession. Her fear, tinged with something else, something sweeter, permeates the air. To her credit, Isabelle straightens in her seat and meets my eyes. Not even the bravest of demons dares to stare me down out of fear I’ll take it as a challenge. My cock twitches in my pants, intrigued by this woman more than I should be.
“What do you propose we do then, Oziel? If you didn’t want my help, why did you sign the contract in the first place?”
“Because I need your help,” I say. Isabelleopens her mouth to argue with me, so I push on. “But you don’t have the whole picture yet.”
She closes her mouth; her pouty lips look detectable. Something I want to suck on. Perhaps she’ll let me one day.
“Then show me, Oziel. I need to see it all.” Isabelle pushes her plate away, no longer interested in the food before her.
“Very well.” My chair scratches against the floor when I push up. “You’ll need to take my hand.” Isabelle scrunches up her nose at the sight of my outstretched hand. “I need to show you something, but you must touch me. I promise not to bite. Unless you ask me to, of course.”
My teasing words have the desired effect on her. Her cheeks redden, but she reaches for my hand. The second she does, my shadows surround us. Isabelle lets out a squeak before pressing closer against me. We are engulfed in darkness. A sensation of falling consumes us before the shadows disperse.
No longer are we in the dining room, but outside, near a river. It’s eerily quiet, and the air feels heavy with a sense of foreboding. It hasn’t always been this way though. Once the water shimmered with an otherworldly iridescence, power radiating all around. But now…
Isabelle pulls away from me, putting distance between us. Her absence in my arms leaves me cold and empty. “Why did you bring me here?” She peers out at the river, which runs the perimeter of the castle, flowing in a steady stream. Or it used to. Nowthe water is silent and unmoving. The iridescent shimmer dimmed, replaced by streaks of sickly green and inky black that coil like serpents beneath the surface.
“This is the River Hel,” I explain, coming up behind her. “It once held pure ancient magic that strengthened the demons.” Even now I feel my magic depleting. The usual hum of power is nothing more than a slow, dying pulse.
“River Hel fuels us, cures us of diseases, and will heal a demon on the brink of death. But in its current state, it does little more than parlor tricks.”
“Could this cure those who have turned to stone?” Isabella crouches down, getting far too close for my liking. When she reaches out a hand, I stop her.
“I would advise against that.” The magic coursing through the river is foreign to me. I fear what may happen if Isabelle touches it. I prepare for a stubborn retort, but instead Isabelle nods and pulls her hand back. An interesting development, but I would have liked to argue with her more. “To answer your question, yes. I believe River Hel could cure those cursed. If it were at its prime, that is.”
“Well, have you tried?”
The side of my lip twitches up in a humorless half-smile. I crouch down next to her, using the magic I still possess to part the inky colors momentarily so she can see what sits below.
Isabelle cranes her neck to get a better look. “Is that…?”
“Yes.”
Two stone statues sit at the bottom of the river,gathering moss. Their feet are wedged deep into the sand, causing them to stand sideways.
“These were the first two demons that fell to the curse. Back then, the river had been tampered with, but we didn’t understand the severity of the toxins plaguing the water. When their bodies were thrown into the water, they should have changed back. Instead, they rest at the bottom until the curse can be reversed.”
