Page 69 of The Misfit Mage and His Dashing Devil

I clutched the grimoire tightly as Ian ran his fingers through Bez’s ruffled hair. He grabbed a fistful and yanked Bez’s head back, forcing his gaze upward.

“An obedient devil on his knees. I could get used to holding your life in my hands.”

Bez growled.

“You look like an angry dog.” Ian snickered. “Like a bad dog, you may require some training.”

“I am going to kill—”

“Don’t speak unless I permit it.”

Bez’s eyes widened, shocked. He took a heavy, forced breath like exhaling lost words.

“I almost didn’t waste my time retrieving the blood spilled during our last encounter. I thought maybe I could use it to track you, kill Wally. You know, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Ian’s icy expression and smug smile were unlike anything I’d seen from him. “Hidden inside the blood, I noticed the disgusting rot of Diabolic essence. It fed on the blood, becoming more alive. It’s fascinating how your kind eats away at this world like a virus.”

Bez unveiled his wings, filling the entire room.

“Stop,” Ian snapped.

Bez forced himself upright, resisting the pressure of Ian’s command. Or perhaps Ian lacked full understanding, much like I had. My heart thumped loudly in my inner ear. Bez overpowered the command and stood tall above Ian.

“I said stop.” Ian backed away. “You can’t kill me.”

“You’d be surprised,” Bez grunted, forcing each word through a bloody gurgle.

“No.” I trembled. If he attacked Ian, he’d kill him, no doubt about that, and then…and then…

I struggled to catch my breath. Each faster and more shallow than the last. I wanted Bez to kill Ian. I wanted to kill Ian. But not at this price. Not if Bez died in the process.

“Fine.” Sigils formed at the flick of Ian’s wrists, glowing white until crimson tendrils stabbed the letters, seeping them in a black and scarlet aura. “More than one way to make you heel.”

The incantation spun around Bez quickly, but I glimpsed a few key words.

Command. Devil. Beelzebub. Willpower. Obey.

Had he formed a contract to strengthen the Diabolic binding? The idea never even crossed my mind. A cruel concept that made my stomach twist in knots. No wonder Bez despised our bond and my control.

The incantations coiled around Bez locking and sealing around his neck, wrists, bare stomach, and ankles much like the literal chains that bound him in Hell. Bez fell to his knees again, reeling his wings in as the incantation brandings tightened against the skin of his back.

“Lower.”

Bez bowed, pressing his head to the floor.

“That’s good.” Ian pressed his boot on the back of Bez’s head. “Unlike Wally, I don’t fuck up the things I attempt. In fact, I master them, just as I’ve mastered this Diabolic binding. Having a devil at my side—or beneath my heel—will hasten everything I’ve planned for.”

“Let him go,” I snapped. “Or I’ll make you.”

“You gonna blunder a spell at me? Fall flat on your face trying to use magic you’ve had the privilege of your entire life?” Ian snorted. “You’re a failure. A failure given too many chances to cast in a world you simply don’t deserve. I’ve mastered more of this world in a year than you could dream of in a lifetime.”

Ian’s seething hatred for me and the hidden world of magic oozed off him in waves. His shaky, broken mana swelled in the room. Fatigue and exhaustion wouldn’t deter him. That, and he had Agatha’s Heart tucked away somewhere, drawing on the artifact’s reserves.

I flipped pages in the grimoire. Having spent the week analyzing every aspect of this book, I knew a singular spell that would silence Ian’s voice and render him incapable of controlling Bez. Keeping a thumb to an earlier passage, I’d have to quickly chant a second incantation and hope I had enough mana to enact it. No. I reached the page I required. No time for doubts. I’d stop Ian and then get Bez and myself as far away from here as possible until I found a proper solution.

“Retrieve the grimoire,” Ian said. “I’d like it to be mine.”

Bez vanished in a blink, then towered before me. His teeth chattered as he scowled with subdued eyes. An expression I’d only glimpsed when seeing his true demon form in Hell. Bez snatched the book from my hands and returned to Ian’s side.

He handed Ian the book.

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