Page 33 of Hell-Bound

She rolled her eyes.

“Yes, very sneaky, Jester.”

She pulled her satchel back onto her shoulders and secured the dagger.

Here goes nothing.

She delicately fondled the stone before tentatively raising it to her lips, and in the tiniest of whispers, Ren said his name for the first time.

So eager. She is different this time—re-made, in my image. Pity. She lost so much more than her soul that night. I smell her ambition—her desire. It feeds me. It excites me.

Unlike the portal, it was only a blink before Ren was in a different room. It was large and imposing, with vaulted ceilings and a window that looked out onto darkened mountains at the far end. Bookshelves lined the walls, and under normal circumstances, Ren would have been overcome with the overwhelming urge to search them all for her prize.

Now, she was too thunderstruck by the male in front of her, sitting demurely behind a large mahogany desk, legs crossed, and hands threaded together.

It was him.

Flashes of images from the night before raced through her brain. A head flung back, curls tousled, moans of ecstasy, and glistening muscles.

But today, he was nothing if not the perfect image of composure. Hair sleekly styled, not a curl out of place, he smirked at her as if he knew they shared a secret.

He was treacherously handsome, his horns curving gracefully, accentuating the sharp angles of his face. He wore a solid black ensemble that matched his onyx hair and made his red eyes glow even more imposingly in the purple light.

“Good morning, Renata. I was expecting you.” With the subtlest flick of his finger, a chair appeared before his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

“You…you have my contract!” she said with as much confidence as she could muster while simultaneously trying to banish the thought of how his skin might feel against hers.

The Devil steepled his fingers.

“Yes, I am the author of your contract.”

She had half expected him to deny it. Now, she wasn’t sure where to start. “Well, sir—”

“Please,” he purred. “Call me Azur,” he said with a grin and a wink. “And do sit,” he gestured to the chair. “You look uncomfortable, and we simply can’t have that.”

Ren mentally cursed herself for having involuntarily shifted.

As she moved to sit, she noticed books, documents, and envelopes, all written in harsh script, were stacked haphazardly on his desk.

Are all of these contracts?

“Azur. I am here to inquire about my contract.”

She paused, testing the waters.

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought the terms of our agreement were quite explicit.”

She licked her lips nervously. “Well, you see, I can’t find—”

“Contracts must stay with the bearer at all times.” Azur’s eyes became menacing. “Don’t tell me you have misplaced yours.”

The purple room darkened at his words.

Ren set her jaw.Shedidn’t cower. No matter how much his eyes made her want to melt into her chair.

She lifted her chin and stared back at him.

“Well, I wouldn’t have misplaced it if you hadn’t taken all of my memories. I’m sure that if I had a few—”