Darrak was more interested in Eden’s future well-being than his own ego-stroking. Or any other kind of stroking, for that matter.
Surprisingly, romance novels had become a nice distraction. Eden had a ton of them on her bookshelf. They were a good enough substitute for the real thing. He was a particular fan of historicals — the hotter the better. Those horny dukes and duchesses really knew how to get it on.
“Okay, enough questions,” Darrak said, his patience running thin. His gaze moved around the large parlor that included floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a leather sofa that looked as if it cost the better part of a small country’s annual budget. Then again, so did the wizard’s designer suit. “Can you help Eden or not?”
Maksim shrugged. “She is a powerful black witch and you are a demon. I don’t understand why you need any help from me. It sounds like the perfect combination.”
Darrak hissed out a breath. “Maybe you haven’t been paying attention. Her soul is at risk, get it? Take a look at her amulet. See that color? I don’t want it to be a shade darker or she’s in danger. The original plan was for her not to use the magic at all, but it’s being sparked — sometimes literally — without any provocation. And that the fight against her angelic side causes her any pain at all — well, that’s simply not acceptable. Now you’re either going to help us directly or you’re going to tell us where to get help. That is, if you know what’s good for you.”
One of his more passive-aggressive threats, but it would have to do. He didn’t want to scare Eden by shifting to his demon form and throttling this puny wizard within an inch of his semi-immortal life.
Maksim cocked his head to the side. “You’re in love with her.”
It wasn’t posed in the form of a question.
Darrak’s jaw tightened. “Let’s stay on topic.”
The wizard’s brows drew together. “Demons are heartless, cruel, without true emotion other than the glee they might feel at inflicting pain upon another being.”
“Stop, you’re making me blush.”
“But not you. Why?”
“I guess I’m… special.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
“What I feel for her is nobody’s damn business but my own. And Eden’s.”
“Say it,” Maksim said. “Or I will do nothing for you.”
“That would be a grave mistake.” Both Darrak’s tone and his mood darkened substantially. Witty, humanity- filled personality or not, he didn’t like being pushed.
Maksim’s smile looked genuinely filled with amusement. “You’d risk her safety for the sake of your own pride? That does sound more like a true demon. But all I’m asking is for you to admit your feelings, the ones that have made you go out of your way to help her. Say it, and I promise I’ll give you the answers you need.”
He was messing with Darrak and enjoying it. Testing him. And he seemed unconcerned with the danger this put him in. Darrak had faced many wizards in his existence, pre-humanity-infusion, and those that would dare to piss off an archdemon rarely survived in one happy, magic-wand-waving piece.
Darrak didn’t have to look at Eden to know she was watching him, waiting for his reply. They were dangerous words, dangerous feelings, especially for someone like him. Words held power — a power that even now he struggled against.
He supposed he could kill the wizard. Wizards could live for a very long time — just like witches — but a quick twist of the neck would solve that little problem. Unfortunately, he knew a little recreational carnage wasn’t in the cards today.
Too bad.
“Yes,” Darrak finally said after several tension-filled moments passed. “I tried to fight it, tried to deny it, but I couldn’t. It’s real and it’s big and it scares the unholy shit out of me, but it’s true. I love Eden, and I would do anything in the universe to save her from all of this. She’s the only thing that matters to me.”
He finally slanted a glance at her to see her expression was unreadable, but tears shone in her eyes.
“Anything in the universe?” Maksim repeated. “Sounds to me as if the solution to your problem has been right in front of you all along.”
“What do you mean?”
“The worry that the fight between her black magic and her celestial energy will destroy her. The seemingly uncontrollable magic. It’s all connected to one very specific thing.”
“What?” Darrak asked.
“You. You’re the dark object her angelic half is attempting to cast out. You’re the reason her magic is unreliable. Her black magic was caused by a spell, but it is a part of her, therefore organic to her core being. You, however, are not.”
The news hit him like a punch to the gut. He wanted to deny it, but he knew it was the truth. It was like he’d always known. This was just the confirmation.
He’d said it only a minute ago, and he meant every word. Now he saw the answer written all over Maksim’s face — the answer he’d been trying to avoid for as long as he could.
The only way to save Eden was for him to no longer possess her, but he already knew the only way not to possess her anymore was for one of them to die.
The horoscope this morning hadn’t mentioned anything like that.
“Awesome,” Darrak gritted out. “I just knew coming to see you would be helpful.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Maksim replied.
“Shoot? I had a couple other things in mind, like fire and sharp glass. Bullets are much too speedy.”
Not even a glimmer of fear went through Maksim’s gaze, which, considering his last unpleasant run-in with a demon, was admirable. “Don’t you see, demon? You need to send yourself to the Void. Save the woman you love and sacrifice yourself. Simple.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Eden snapped. “There’s another solution.”
Maksim turned to regard her. “You think so?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re determined to do whatever it takes to save both this demon and yourself, are you?”
“One hundred percent.” Her eyes narrowed. “And you’re going to tell me how to do that.”
Maksim glanced at Darrak. “She’s spunky.”
“She has her moments.”
“Another potential answer lies with Selina.”
Darrak’s eyes snapped to the wizard. “How do you know that name?”
Maksim smiled. “I already told you I know many things. Selina is the name of the witch who placed the sex magic spell on you. And she’s also responsible for the curse that has bound you to Eden now three hundred years after it was first cast.”
Darrak struggled to keep his expression neutral. “You don’t happen to know what the lottery numbers are going to be this week, do you? Now there’s some very useful information.”
“Selina could remove both the spell and the curse.”
“Too bad she’s dead.”
“Yes, that is too bad.”
Selina was killed by a member of the Malleus, an organization of humans who liked to hunt demons and witches and other things that went bump in the night. Their origins went back to the infamous Salem witch trials. No, the Malleus weren’t fun people to be around if one preferred their head attached to their body, more like sanctimonious murderers who saw the world only in black-and-white terms. And red. Red was one of their favorite colors.
Eden had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “She promised to help me learn to control my magic before she died. She said we were like sisters now.”
“More like twins, actually.” Maksim moved closer to her, studying her face. Eden stayed very still, her attention on Darrak as the wizard flicked her long, dark red hair back from her shoulder and moved around her slowly as if inspecting her. “If you received your magic from the same source, your magic signatures would be identical, like sharing a fingerprint.”
Darrak frowned. “You’re saying their magic is exactly the same.”
