Page 24 of Demon Bound

“I’m not sure. There may be a way.”

“Help me find one, and I will protect you from the mate you betrayed.”

She bristled, but didn’t bother to defend herself. She had a hard time explaining why she had married a man she had come to hate. People always took Nirlan’s side. “You’re already doing that, remember?”

He straightened, his eyes intense. “I will protect you from any other dangers we cross. I will ensure that you are fed and sheltered and healthy. I am strong and capable, even in this unfamiliar land. If you do this for me, I will destroy anyone who crosses you. You have my word.”

Raiya stared at him, eyebrows rising.

“Do you doubt my abilities?” he asked.

“No.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You must uphold your end of the agreement. Betray me, and I—”

“You will destroy me. Yes. I know.”

“You cannot outwit me. Plot against me, attempt to deceive me, and I will know.”

She dug in her bag and, for the first time in months, opened her old journal. There was a certain excitement to it all, she had to admit. Despite the dire circumstances, it was a thrill to have a mystery to unravel. She began copying down the runes on Azreth’s hand onto the paper. “I would have helped you regardless of our agreement. I don’t need anything extra in exchange. No one deserves to be enslaved.”

He frowned. He looked like he didn’t understand and was trying to decide whether she was lying. She supposed she should have expected that.

“But if you want my help, there are a few other conditions you must agree to,” she said.

“You said you didn’t need anything.”

“These things are not for me,” she said, closing her book and placing it back in the bag. “You can’t barge into places where you’re not welcome. If you don’t want to end up on the end of a Paladin’s sword, you must listen to me.”

“I will not lie down for those who bear weapons against me.”

“Then don’t break into their houses and steal from them,” she said sharply. “I won’t help you if it means bullying people weaker than you. I’ve spent too much time around bullies of late.”

She realized her temper had gotten the best of her. She’d raised her voice.

Azreth didn’t react. He thought for a moment. “I have no desire to hurt the weak.”

She raised her eyebrows. He seemed earnest. “Well… Good.”

He gave her a long, interested look, his expression difficult to read. She felt like she was being studied. Which was fair enough, because she was studying him back.

Finally, he looked down, raising his flesh-and-blood palm and pointing at the runes with his magically conjured fingers. She’d never seen a spell like that, a replacement for an entire body part. She wondered if he’d invented it himself after he’d lost his arm.

“What must I do to get rid of these marks?” he asked.

He was asking her to decide what they should do next. It was jarring, being asked for advice. No one had ever looked to her for her expertise before. And certainly no one had ever looked to her for leadership.

She had been living passively for so long now that she wasn’t sure whether she remembered how to do anything else.

She ran her hand over her braid. “It will not be easy,” she said slowly. “I have no experience with enchanting or disenchanting living things. We will need help. I think we should start by making sure we live long enough to look for a cure.” She pulled a silver bracelet out of her bag. It was a simple, solid ring of metal, tarnished from lack of maintenance, with an opening on one side so it could be slipped onto the wrist. Tiny, dull runes lined the band. “I was going to use this when I left Nirlan, but you should probably take it. It’s a simple glamour. It will help you blend in with mortals. It won’t make you invisible, but it should be able to alter your appearance enough to keep people from attacking you on sight.”

He took the bracelet from her, eyeing it as though he expected it to bite him. It looked tiny and delicate in his hand.

“It needs to be charged with magic first,” she said. “I’ve never actually used it before.”

“I can charge it.”

She hesitated, glancing down. “Enchantments require quite a lot of magic.”

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