“Simple,” Belvini answered immediately. “You’ll agree to let me use your blood for the demon rituals. My current supply is running dry. It’s so tedious to find high level demon participants, you know. The ritual is quite costly, and the demons get drained so easily. But I have a feeling you won’t get as...depleted. Not now, at least.” Belvini looked pointedly at me as he spoke, making me squirm.
More and more sulfuric smoke swirled around us, filling the entire office into swirling bouts of embittered gray. “You weren’t up for donating to your own cause?” Risk asked dryly.
Belvini chuckled. “I’m not particularly fond of dying. You might be drawn to the risk associated with testing mortality, but I personally prefer to live. I also prefer to be efficient. Unfortunately, I’ve had to replace too many demons too many times. I needed a more permanent solution, understand? I have big plans for this company, and you’ll be a part of it, whether you like it or not.”
Risk watched him, his face expressionless. “You know that these rituals don’t take just blood, brother. Every possession takes a higher level demon’s essence. Are you even capable of something like that? A ritual of that nature will require a lot of power, and we both know how pathetically weak you are.”
The vein in Belvini’s temple pumped with anger, and I was afraid that he’d bring the fire of hells and destroy us all. I itched to flash away, but Spector was locked down, and I wasn’t ignorant enough to think that I’d actually make it out of here. Besides, I couldn’t leave Crow and Tomb.
“I know my limitations, brother. I also know that you’ll have plenty of power to go around,” Belvini replied. “I plan to mass produce the hybridization of supes. There are a lot of power hungry men and women out there. A friend of mine has just the sorts of connections I need to truly make this a profitable endeavor. My clinical trials have been a success. All we need is you.”
Risk rolled his eyes. “How predictable. You’ve always been a greedy fucker. You’re a collector of all things—money, power, and people. Seems you’ve found the trifecta with Spector.”
That thought was horrifying. I didn’t want Belvini to have more power than he already did.
“You have no right to judge. You’re as much a slave to your nature as the rest of us.”
Risk turned his attention to the woman. She didn’t seem bothered by the threat to her unborn child’s life. She simply shifted impatiently on her heels, like she wanted to get this interrogation over with. “And you’d let him threaten our child, Martha? You’d actually let him kill an innocent?” Risk asked.
“I never wanted this, Risk. I don’t want your spawn,” she said with contempt. “I’m on the council. I’m expected to uphold a certain elemental standard, and that doesn’t include interspecies breeding. This solution is a win-win for me. If you cooperate, Spector has promised me a lot of influence over the council. Their contract would be financially beneficial, and then no one would dare say a word about our offspring. If you don’t agree to help, I’ll be rid of this thing growing inside of me and Belvini can do what he wants with it. A demon’s spawn. Can you imagine the embarrassment? If my parents were alive, they would disown me.”
I found myself baring my fangs in a quiet growl. My spider and I really didn’t like her. What kind of heartless bitch was okay with giving up their child to a monster like Belvini?
Maybe it was because my own parents rejected me when I was just an infant, but something about her carelessness for the life growing inside of her made me rage. I didn’t want Belvini or her to have anything to do with this child.
I wasn’t the only one burning with rage over her words. One second, Risk was standing on the other side of the desk. The next, he was in front of her, his hand wrapped around her throat. Her eyes went wide with fear at his sudden intrusion, and though she tried to jerk away, she couldn’t get out of his grip.
“You don’t deserve to carry any child, let alone mine,” he growled, squeezing her throat one more time before dropping his hand to her rounded belly. The smoke still spilling out of his sleeves coiled around it like a caress. “If you harm her, I will end you,” he said, his tone so chilling that even the hairs on my neck rose up to attention. “Do you hear me? She’s mine.”
I didn’t know how Risk knew that she was carrying a girl, but I did know that his promise was genuine. I had zero doubt that he would fulfill his word and kill the councilwoman.
When he dropped his hand from her belly and stepped away, the woman finally snapped out of her frozen shock and backed up, anger trying to cover up her fear. “Y-You don’t have the right to touch me,” she stammered, clutching the reddened part of her throat where his fingers had dug in. “And you’re not calling the shots. Belvini is.”
“Indeed I am,” Belvini said, beaming. He pressed a button on his phone, and a team of Spector guards came in, guns cocked and at the ready, and they didn’t hesitate to surround Risk and me. “We are hosting a demonstration for the council in a few days. There, you’ll get more of an inside look at how our business works. This doesn’t have to be an unfriendly deal, Risk. I think you might actually like the arrangement—and benefits—I have planned. My guards will show you to your rooms now.”
I recoiled as two of the guards grabbed hold of my arms.
“Your blood will no doubt summon very powerful demons for my new customers.
