Мишель Роуэн - Something Wicked

Eden looked down at her amulet. With shock she realized it had suddenly become a shade lighter. “How is that possible?”

Lucas’s expression shadowed. “It’s part of my punishment. I’m a natural magnet for darkness. I attract it and it feeds my inner beast.”

She touched her lips. One kiss from Lucifer had helped restore her soul? It was just a smidgeon, but it was more than she ever could have hoped for.

“Bring me that black diamond,” he said softly. “And I will make good on our deal. I promise you I will.”

Lucas turned and left the apartment.

Darrak flickered hellishly in her peripheral vision. “Did he try to slip you the tongue?”

She shot him a look. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Did you see what he did to my amulet?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe you should seek him out for an afternoon of tonsil hockey.”

She thought about that. Could Lucas take all of her darkness away?

“I was kidding,” he said firmly, still using that dark ominous tone of his that didn’t match the words he spoke. “Forget tonsil hockey. It’s a dangerous sport. Especially with him.”

“Seems to be a dangerous sport with everyone lately.”

“Touché. So are you going to release me or let me stand here all day like a tiki torch?”

Eden walked toward him until she stood right in front of him, then forced herself to look up at his intimidating visage.

He blinked. “I don’t like it when you look at me that way. Like you’re afraid of me.”

“I am afraid of you.”

“This form really isn’t all that difficult to warm up to, is it? No pun intended.”

She crossed her arms. “Darrakayiis, I release you.”

Darrak’s body immediately relaxed, the flames extinguished, and he returned to his human form in less than ten seconds. He grabbed both of Eden’s wrists in his grip so she couldn’t pull away from him.

“Do I really scare you that much?” he asked, his gaze searching hers.

“There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.”

“Do you think I’d ever purposely hurt you?”

She swallowed. “No.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I may have some anger issues I need to sort through.”

Eden exhaled shakily. “Okay. So now we just need to figure out how to get that angelheart away from Theo today.”

Darrak crossed his arms and paced over to the glass doors leading to the balcony. “So we can hand it over to your new buddy, Lucifer?”

“That’s right. And he’s not my buddy. This is a business transaction only. We give him something he wants, he gives us something we want.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“What?”

“There’s no damn way I’m doing what he wants me to do. I hate him.”

Eden hissed out a breath. “And there’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind?”

“Can’t think of a single thing.”

“So I’m on my own.”

“You attempt to get that angelheart today, and I’ll have to stop you.” Darrak’s expression softened at her look of outrage. “I know you don’t get it, but I’m doing this for you, Eden. Lucifer can’t help us.”

“He said he’d fix things between us.”

“Then he’s a big fat liar. He won’t fix things. He will decimate me before he ever helps me. And whether or not you’re open to playing kissy-face with him won’t change his mind. I do believe I’ve told you about his well-stocked harem, haven’t I? Does that sound like somebody who is keeping a list of people he owes favors to?”

“And if I refuse to go today to Luxuria to take part in this demonic awakening of Asmo-whatever-his-name-is? Will you force me to go?”

His lips pressed together. “Again, I say I’m doing this for you. Why can’t you understand that? We’re kind of a team. Team Darrak and Eden. Team Deden. Or Team Edrak. We’ll get T-shirts.”

“Sure we will.” She felt utterly exasperated by this entire situation. “You really think this nightclub-possessing demon will help us?”

“I do. Theo swears he will.”

Darrak seemed so certain he could trust Theo. She personally couldn’t stand the demon, but she couldn’t argue the fact he and Darrak were friends and had been for centuries. Friends helped friends. Theo wouldn’t betray Darrak.

Lust elixir notwithstanding.

Besides, if she resisted going, she wouldn’t be able to get close to that diamond again. She needed it. Her mother’s soul needed it. And she was convinced that Darrak’s entire existence rested on not crossing Lucifer this time.

“Fine,” she said. “We’ll go.”

His eyebrows rose. “Really? I thought you were going to give me a hard time.”

“I already did. Hard time is over. But. . but you really, totally, completely trust Theo?”

“I trust Theo with my very existence,” he said without hesitation.

“Fine. If you trust him, then I’ll try to, too. Besides”—she looked at him—“we’re in this together, aren’t we?”

“Despite the fact you’re afraid of me.”

“It comes and it goes.”

“For the record, I’m afraid of you, too.”

Eden touched her amulet. “The black witch thing?”

He shook his head. “I wish it was that simple.”

She did, too.

“And the demon let you go?” Oliver asked.

Ben had answered these questions several times already. He was far past the point of being annoyed by them. “Yes.”

“Just like that.”

“Yes.”

“And the demon was in full possession of Eden Riley’s body at the time.”

“Correct.”

“Did you tell him anything about our organization in return for your freedom?”

“No.”

As a Malleus elder, Oliver had an ability that helped him gauge when an underling was lying to him. Since Ben wasn’t lying, he didn’t have anything to fear. Still, the whole situation had a “trip to the principal’s office” feel to it.

“It’s just as I thought,” Oliver said after a moment.

“What is?”

“The fact the demon released you. He should have murdered you without conscience. He’s developing humanlike morals thanks to absorbing the nephilim’s celestial energy.”

“If you say so.”

Ben still couldn’t believe he’d gotten away — that Darrak hadn’t used that knife to slice right through him. Then he’d stopped the other demon from finishing the job.

He was still breathing only because Darrak had saved his life.

No. He wouldn’t feel grateful to that thing that lived inside Eden’s body like a cancerous tumor. Ben had learned a great deal in his short time as a member of the Malleus, and he hadn’t liked everything he’d learned, but he knew right from wrong. The most evil criminal was capable of doing a good deed if it served his ultimate plan. Ben was no chump.

“What about Eden’s father?” Ben asked. “The angel. You told me he would be disturbed to hear what had happened to his daughter and he’d help us.”

“I assume he will. We don’t know exactly when. Until then we must be vigilant. Eden Riley is more dangerous than I ever could have predicted.”

“I don’t know about—”

Oliver cut him off. “She’s a black witch and received her magic because of the demon. We’ll keep an eye on her and wait for the right time to strike next.”

“But what if—”

“No, Ben. You will follow orders. Until then you will wait and not initiate contact with her again.”

He hated being interrupted. “I’m not afraid.”

“And we appreciate your bravery. We will apply it to cases other than Eden’s.”

“But—”