Page 2 of Bound By the Wraith: Northern Realms

Cillian snorted at that ridiculous thought, though Cali would be the one to do it. She’d always been there, buried in his heart. The only one to really touch it, and every time he saw her die, it killed him.

“Sire!” Honk screeched, staring at the large ornate glass ball. “She’s sold her soul.”

“What?” Cillian spun around and marched to the looking orb which was spinning and glowing, casting light into the stone chamber. There was a horrible pit in his stomach and he felt her soul being ripped away, as if a piece of himself were being slaughtered.

He could see it all, playing out. She was crying and he could see the soul contract bound over her body. This was not part of his plan. His claws extended, his blood heating like the fires of purgatory itself.

Who had dared to try to buy her soul?

He’d made enough deals with all the beings who could possibly do that. He had numerous contracts. No one was to touch Cali.

No one.

“Gootch made the contract,” Honk stated nervously, wringing his little hands together.

A growl grew in Cillian’s chest. Of course it was Gootch. His true enemy in the nether region. A goblin demon.

“Well, we’ll see about that!” Cillian snapped his fingers and travelled instantly to the netherworld where demons and all sorts of nasty creatures liked to hang out. It was really no different than his realm, just louder, with a lot of shrieking and moaning, and generally it was a realm full of sneaky assholes, just like Gootch.

He stepped on a few imps that screeched and squelched as he stormed his way up to Gootch’s residence. He didn’t make it a habit to trounce them, usually. Today, he did because it was fun and he was pissed. Gootch liked to trade in souls, but Cillian knew the damn demon also liked to bet, and he was already working out how to maintain control over Cali and prevent her being damned to the netherworld for all eternity, where he could never get her, a place she’d never come back from.

The thought of her being trapped here with Gootch made him furious and if it wasn’t against netherworld politics, he would completely skewer him alive if he could.

Without even waiting to be announced, or have the door to Gootch’s palace opened, Cillian barged into the throne room.Gootch reminded him of a big, fat slug from a certain science-fiction movie.

The writer of that movie hadn’t been far off when creating that particular space gangster. Gootch was it, even down to the annoying imps that slithered about.

Demons, goblins and wraiths came in varying shapes and sizes, and Gootch could morph into something more pleasing for humans, but for the most part, Gootch was a lazy son of a bitch who just liked to laze around like a big brown squelch of shit. There was a knowing grin on his pancake-flat face, which Cillian wanted to punch.

“Cillian, I thought I might be seeing you,” Gootch gurgled, pleased.

“We can cut with the pleasantries. I want her contract.” Cillian snapped his finger, producing an orb that had Cali’s face floating there.

Gootch chuckled, moistly. The fucker knew exactly what he was doing and that’s why he’d pursued Cali. “Do you now? And what will I get, Cillian?”

Cillian smiled, just slightly. “I know you like to wager.”

Gootch sat up, sort of. His fat blob mass wriggled a bit. “I do.”

“And I know that you don’t always win, but you still do it anyways.”

“Your point?” Gootch hissed, his reptilelike pupils narrowing.

“I am thinking a wager. A bet. You give me her soul for one year. She has to stay with me that entire year. If she doesn’t, then her soul returns to you.” It was hard to say those words. The idea of Gootch owning her if he lost this bet made him physically sick.

“A wraith can’t bind a human to a realm for a year,” Gootch said dismissively. “Your bet is pointless because you’ll lose. There’s no fun in that."

“Then, she gets a furlough of one day every three months. If she doesn’t return to me by sunset on her day of freedom, then you win the bet.”

Gootch tapped his chin. “So, for a year, with a single day of freedom every three months. That is more reasonable. However, I already have her soul. I want more if you lose.”

Cillian sneered.

Calm yourself.

He expected Gootch to be greedy.

“What do you want then?”

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