Page 23 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

"Liar," I grumble, but my protest dies on my lips when he gently wraps his arms around me.

"Maybe," he whispers. "But your protests are really cute."

My body trembles against his embrace and I'm not sure if it is because of fear or something else entirely. Caius moves away too soon, leaving me with a million questions.

"So," he purrs as he leans back and clears his throat, "how about we take these off?"

"The chains." I gesture towards the heavy shackles and the giant ball that sits at the end of them.

He grins and fiddles with the ends of my hair. "What'll you give me?"

I narrow my eyes. "What do you want?"

"Your trust."

My conversation with Azazel comes back to me.You can't trust anyone here.

I shake my head. "I can't do that. Not in this place."

Caius's blue eyes become stormy, so much like Wilder’s, but his voice is even when he speaks. "You don't have to trust me all the way, but you'd be surprised how far a little trust can go in this realm."

I study him for a moment. This might be my opportunity to get answers. "How do I eat around here?" I'm testing him. He probably has no idea I'd ingested poisonous berries last night, or that Azazel helped me.

"Don't touch any of the plants around this place," he warns, and my eyebrows shoot up. Huh. Didn’t expect honesty. "There's a tavern, but I'd stay out of it if you care about maintaining your innocence."

"Why do you say that?"

"How else would you pay? They trade in favors."

"Favors?"

"Promises, secrets, favors, even debt." He grins. "Plenty of the sexual kind."

"How else do I feed myself?" I brush my hair out of my face. “Do I get a job?”

“There are a few demons whose sole job is to pillage resources from other realms, and we use those to supply the underworld with what it needs. There are far too many prisoners to feed and clothe.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Steal it, grow it, barter for it, hunt for it, or, as I mentioned before, you can pay with favors." He pauses, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Or I could feed you."

"Your sister let me use the bathroom in what I assume was a dungeon. Where am I supposed to go to the bathroom here?"

He pauses again and shrugs. "The woods, I suppose." He appears deep in thought before looking at me with a faint smile. "And you could bathe with me."

I shake my head and sit up, tucking my legs under me. The manacle bites into my thigh and I hiss, pulling it around to the front. "No," I reply flatly. "How do I earn my magic back?" If I can get my magic back, I may be able to find a way back to Bedlam.

"Only Aggonid grants that."

"Can you take me to him?"

He chuckles. "He'll eat you alive, sweet bird."

Here we go again with the bird names."If there was a way around that ..." I prompt, raising my eyebrow.

"Mmmm," he purrs, leaning close. His breath fans my lips. "Now you're talking."

"How might one convince him to give me my magic?"

His hand cups my cheek. "That'll cost you."

"Argh!" I shove him back. "You know what? What if trust wasearnedinstead of bargained for? You can't just demand I trust you withoutgiving me a reason to trust you!"

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