Page 58 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

Ava still held that forced blank stare. But, if I looked hard enough, I could almost see her pleading, silent screams beneath her mask, and that little spark of fear broke me more than I ever thought possible.

I willed Vain to reach out for her again, and thankfully he did. Careful to avoid Ghen’s attention, he took Ava’s hand in his and gave it one quick squeeze before tearing away from her and falling in line behind Eldin.

She’ll be fine, Vain said in an attempt to reassure me. She can hold her own.

Yeah, but for how long?

Vain gave Ava one last look that offered both a promise and an apology before Ghen shut the door, severing our connection to her.

The archdemon made himself comfortable and went to the wet bar to pour himself a drink, the clear spirit flowing greedily. He took a long, languid sip from his glass before speaking in the harshness of the demon tongue, their language that I was only able to understand thanks to the bond I shared with Vain through the possession. “Say what you will about mortals, but I always found their spirits to be far superior to ours.”

Eldin straightened the lapels of his long coat and busied himself by picking off stray bits of lint from the fabric. Vain leaned against the side of a cabinet near the door, as if he were trying to stay as close to Ava as possible even with a barrier between us.

Ghen reveled in the pointed silence like he owned it and regarded it with pride. “I’d like to clear the air and start by saying how disappointed I am in the lack of foresight by the both of you. You thought that I wouldn’t find out it was the two of you who broke into my home to steal from me?”

“Is it stealing if it was never yours to begin with?” Vain shot back, the sharp bite of his words cutting across the room. Eldin flinched.

Breaking into a demon nest owned by one of the most powerful archdemons had been beyond stupid, even by Vain’s standards. And what made it worse was the fact that Vain continued to wave his arrogance in Ghen’s face even after the unsuccessful attempt that had resulted in our capture.

“I want it back,” Ghen said to Vain.

“Want what back?”

Ghen’s nails tinked against the edge of his glass as he clenched his jaw. “You don’t understand all of the power that grimoire holds.”

“I’m sure I don’t. But I won’t stand on trial for merely stepping a toe out of line. You still have your treasure. No harm done.”

Vain opened the door a crack to leave, but the handle slipped out of his grasp and the wood boomed shut with such a force that rattled the whole house.

The archdemon glared as he lowered his arm. “Do not,” he breathed, “lie to me.” I could have sworn his irises flashed white. “We are not finished here.”

Vain straightened as he faced Ghen. “I don’t follow the orders of a disgraced demon.”

Eldin hissed in a sharp breath through his tentacles.

What the fuck, Vain. Had he lost his damned mind? I wanted to cower under the archdemon’s menacing sneer, but whenever Vain picked his battles, he never backed down. He lifted his chin defiantly as he stared Ghen down. It was as if all of Vain’s fear had melted away, and nothing but fierce and stubborn resolve burned in its place.

“I am an archdemon. You owe me respect.”

Vain scoffed. “I owe nothing to traitors.”

Ghen cocked his head, one of his brows drawing upward at Vain’s apparent audacious claim. “You think I am the traitor?”

“It’s no secret you betrayed Lilith—and for what? Your greed? Your ambitions of power? You chose to disgrace yourself. Now, your house and all your spawn are in ruin while you scrape the mortal realm for a pathetic grasp at claiming it for your own, all because you couldn’t stand the thought of bowing to anyone, not even your own queen. Your flesh and blood.”

“Do not speak like you know me, leech,” Ghen hissed, one eye twitching as he bit back a snarl. “Not all of us were meant to waste our eternity away in subservience. I was born to rise above those that were meant to follow—above my brothers and sisters. To lead.” The archdemon stabbed a finger to his chest. “I’ve staked my claim here and I am creating a better home for us in this realm—one far better than Lilith would ever allow should She be released from Gehenna. That book, if placed into the wrong hands, has the power to set Her free. And if Lilith is released and crosses over into the mortal realm, then She will destroy everything we’ve built here. Everything I have built!” The archdemon’s voice lifted to a roar, and his eyes flashed iridescent again like twin silver moons before they returned to normal.

Still, Vain did not back down, no matter how hard I pleaded with him otherwise. “But who are you to decide whether or not Lilith is freed? Who are you to make that choice for all our kind? She has been caged for long enough.”

Ghen’s eyes narrowed, and a flash of recognition sparked within them. “For someone who is known to claim they don’t involve themselves nor care for the affairs of archdemons, you are contradicting yourself quite vehemently, Vain.”

Vain swallowed, keeping his chin raised in defiance.

The archdemon’s attention flicked between us and Eldin before he continued. “Now, I will only ask you both once. Which of you has the grimoire?”

Eldin shifted in his seat across the room, his fingers fidgety, tentacles twitchy, like how an anxious cat might flick its tail.

“You bastard,” Vain breathed as he looked at the tentacled demon. “You did take it.”

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