Page 20 of Demonic Division

Instead of responding, he pushes his face through the bars, a sinful smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. “So you think I’m hot?”

My face heats, forgetting he could read my thoughts.There’s no denying it now.“Well… look in a mirror.”

“Hard to come by those down here. Plus, I’d much rather hear the words from your pretty lips,” he whispers, pupils lengthening to feline slits. “In fact, it’s the only thing that will do.”

A dangerous warmth builds in my core as I stare across the walkway, unable to pull my eyes away. “You’ll be waiting a long time, then.”

“Time is different when you have eons to spare, little one.” His fingers strangle the bars as his canines lengthen, digging into the skin of his bottom lip. “I’ll get my way with you eventually.”

I swallow hard, trying to think past the buzzing in my ears. “It’s… important to have self-confidence. That’s good for you…”

M laughs, his features morphing back to normal with a blink. “I see you’re not ready for those kinds of conversations yet. That’s okay. We have all the time in the world to discuss the hard truths in life,” he murmurs, an ironic lilt to his voice. “What wouldDagnylike to talk about? Sincerumors of my never-ending desire make you so woefully uncomfortable.”

I clear my throat, looking anywhere but at the antagonistic demon. “I guess… we could talk about the weather?”

He smiles, but it’s not a happy one. “Why don’t we talk about what happened in the throne room? I’m sure you have questions.”

At his mention, my head snaps up. “How do you know I have questions?”

“Because Kaebl is well acquainted with the dark and would like everyone else to live in it, too.” That single red orb pierces me through the shadows. “I prefer the light—hence why I am down here where it ceases to exist. Why I’m forced to exist in filth, to breathe this putrid air of rot and decay.”

I lean forward, gripping the bars. “How long have you been here? And why?”

“How long? Four months, human time. Why?” He sighs, a frown replacing his taunting smile for a moment. “Because I did some terrible things. Things I wish I didn’t have to do but were the only way for me to survive. But it was for nothing. And now I’m forced to sit in the dungeons, decaying—waiting until I die.” In an instant, his taunting smirk is back. “Just as you are now, wildfire.”

His words cause me to balk. “That’s not true. Kaebl said he’ll release me when he finds out how to break the bond?—”

“A bond?” M interrupts, his tone taking on a serious edge. “What kind of bond?”

“A soul bond? That's why I’m here. I accidentally bonded with Cyprien’s pet bunny, Bo, and they’re going to break it so I can go home.”

Instead of understanding, M throws his head back in alaugh. “If you trulyarebonded to Cyprien, then nothing on this plane of existence can break that kind of bond.”

I frown, crossing my arms as irritation pricks my neck. “But Kaebl said?—”

His cruel laugh cuts me off. “You meanJealousy?Of course he would lie and say he’s able to do something. That’s just his fucking style.”

I blink, not understanding the meaning of his words. “Jealousy? Why did you call him that?”

“Because that’s what heis.” M sighs, running a scarred hand across his handsome face. “That’s the piece of the heartsoul he represents.”

I blink. “Heartsoul…?”

He stares blankly for a moment, the dim light of his eye dancing off the sharp lines of his face before cascading down his lips pressed into a frown. “No one has explained this to you?”

I shake my head.

“Not even Cyprien?”

My chest squeezes at the accusatory tone in his voice, and though I want to defend the yellow-eyed demon, I cannot. M waits for my response, but my silence is answer enough. He lets out a thick sigh, releasing his irritation into the air as his features soften.

“A heartsoul, my wildfire, is what makes something alive,” he says, his voice smoother, void of the edge it held just moments ago. “Monsters, demons, animals,humans…” His eye gleams with the last word. “They all possess a heartsoul—though, I believe the mortals shortened it to justsoulsfor the sake of simplicity some two thousand years ago.”

I nod slowly, feeling a little silly for not figuring that out. “And you said he’s just a piece of a heartsoul?That doesn’t make any sense. You can’t just break apart someone’ssoul?—”

“And that’s where you would be wrong, wildfire.” He smiles at my disgruntled look, his canines gleaming menacingly through the shadows as he grips the bars tighter. “Here in The Far Place, it’s possible. It’s called sundering, and it’s what happened tome—though it’snearly too long ago for me to remember.”

“And which piece are you supposed to be?”

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