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NOW ALONE WITH RAUM in the apartment, Ember made sure she had a clear path to the door, just in case this was all a setup for another trap. “If you don’t want me dead, why did you send Azazel after me?” she asked, wishing the angel was still there to tell her whether he was speaking the truth.
Raum frowned and stepped away from the broken window when a gust of wind splattered him with rain. “I didn’t send him after you,” he replied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Can you explain what happened?”
Backing away a couple of feet to keep her distance from him, Ember explained how his second in command had followed her to the shifter woods. “I faked my own death and he left and I haven’t seen him since,” she finished up.
“How exactly did you fake your own death?” the demon lord asked, intrigued by her as always.
“The rogue shifters are my friends,” she said evasively. “I asked them to pretend to maul me and they played along.”
Raum chuckled at the idea of his second falling for the ruse. “Very clever,” he said in admiration. “I didn’t order Azazel to follow you, or to try to kill you. My protection order still stands.”
“Does that mean you’ll kill him for planning to kill me?” she asked, then sneered when he hesitated. “I thought not.”
“The situation is more complex than that, I’m afraid,” the demon said wearily. “My second has forged an alliance with someone else. I believe they intend to attempt to overthrow me.”
“Shouldn’t that give you even more reasons to kill him?” she pointed out.
“Well, yes,” he conceded. “But my allies and I have a plan to deal with our enemies.”
“Why would Azazel attack me?” she asked. “I’m just a nobody.”
“I gave an order that you’re not to be touched,” he reminded her. “Perhaps he thought eliminating you would rattle me and throw me off my game.”
“I didn’t think Azazel was smart enough to come up with an idea like that,” Ember said.
“His ally is most likely the one who thought of it,” Raum figured. “So, will you allow my ally and myself to free you from your link to the Immortal Triumvirate and unblock your magic?”
Ember’s first instinct was to say no and tell him to leave, but she hesitated. “Let me think about it,” she requested.
“I’ve heard that one before,” he said ruefully. “Once I leave, you’ll vanish and I’ll have to hunt you down all over again.”
“I’m not going to run this time,” she said with a smirk. “What’s the point when you can find me no matter where I go?” He’d proven that point by crashing through her window and scaring ten years off her life.
“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, Ember. My time to find a match is rapidly running out.”
“I thought you were just going to break my link to the Immortal Triumvirate and get rid of the block in my head,” she said accusingly.
“Becoming my partner would be the next logical step,” he said with a charming smile. “The angel confirmed that I won’t harm you, but we can discuss our partnership after you’ve been freed and your magic has been restored to you.”
“I’ll let you know once I’ve reached my decision,” Ember said.
Raum knew he wasn’t going to be able to force her to make up her mind now, so he bowed courteously. “I’ll wait with bated breath,” he said, then crossed to the window. He leaped out into the rain and changed into his demon form, then flew off into the rising dawn light.
Ember finally allowed herself to relax when she sensed the Guild Master was gone. The unexpected arrival of her visitors had shaken her. It was painfully obvious that Raum could easily hunt her down at will. She would never be able to escape from him. It was still a mystery to her why he was so hellbent on choosing her to be his partner. Even if she did have magic locked away in her, she would still just be a lowly half-breed.
The carpet was soaked from the rain, so she grabbed her meager supply of clothes and chose another apartment down the hall to sleep in. She tossed and turned in the too bright sunlight that flooded into the room. She missed her lair in the catacombs where it was always dark and womblike. By nightfall, she was feeling groggy and torn about what to do. On the one hand, she was eager to be free from whatever power the Immortal Triumvirate had over her. On the other hand, making a deal with the devil of Nox would be dangerous.
Gnawing on her knuckle for a while, she finally caved in and sent a letter to Raum. An hour later, she was winging her way southward. She landed on the roof of the insane asylum in the Night Cursed District to find Raum already waiting for her. “Good evening,” he said, dark blue eyes gleaming with delight that she’d agreed to trust him.
“When is your ally going to arrive?” the demoness asked, ignoring his polite greeting.
“Right about now,” he replied when two people suddenly appeared.
Ember readied herself for combat, thinking it was a trap. Then she recognized the blonde woman who had teleported to the rooftop. “What are you doing here?” she asked the assassin.
Sorcha grinned at her and pointed at the cloaked man who stood beside her. “I’m Kade’s partner,” she explained. “He’s going to get rid of the link between you and the Immortal Triumvirate. He did the same thing for me and a couple of my friends.”
“Is that why you were here the night I stopped you from killing that jerk?” Ember asked, hiking her thumb at Raum.
“I assure you, Sorcha wouldn’t have been able to assassinate me,” Raum said stiffly.
“You keep telling yourself that, Guild Master,” Sorcha said in mock pity, then nodded at the hellion. “They got rid of the block Lord Dallinar had placed on my magic, too,” she explained. “It wasn’t easy for me to trust the demon.” She flicked a look at Raum again before continuing. “But it was worth it in the end.”
“If you’ve already been through the process and survived, then I guess I’ll try it,” Ember said with great reluctance. “They’re not going to force me to bind my soul to Raum right now, are they?” she asked suspiciously.
“How do you know that’s what bonding with me will entail?” the demon lord asked in surprise.
“An old friend told me about the spell,” she replied with an enigmatic smirk.
“I would never force that bond on anyone,” Kade assured her. “It can only be performed with your permission.” That wasn’t exactly true, but he wasn’t going to cast it on her if she didn’t agree to it.
“You can trust Kade,” Sorcha said and put her arm around his waist. “I did and I’ve never been happier.”
Ember cut a look at Raum to see him staring at the couple with a wistful look on his face. “Fine,” she said in capitulation. “You can break the link I have to the Immortal Triumvirate and free my magic, but that’s all.” She glowered at Kade, knowing he had to be powerful if the assassin had fallen for him so hard.
“This won’t take long,” Kade promised and gestured at Raum.
The demon approached Ember and she had to force herself not to flee. He came to a stop beside her, ready to do his part. Kade delved the demoness and found the same link in her mind that had bound his beloved to their enemies. Raum put a hand on his shoulder when the warlock nodded at him and loaned him some of his dark magic.
Kade severed the link and Ember took a deep breath and straightened her spine. “I felt that spell break,” she said in wonder. She braced herself when Kade delved into her head again. Next, he dispelled the block that was preventing her from using her magic and power surged through her.
“How do you feel, Ember?” Raum asked when her eyes blazed scarlet with hellfire.
“I feel strong,” she said and gave him a feral grin.
“Will you trust me now?” he asked. “Will you become my partner?”
“Hell, no!” she scoffed, then held her hands up. The hellion unleashed the full force of her newly released magic at him. She blasted him with hellfire that instantly immolated his clothes, leaving him stark naked. Laughing in glee, she took to the air and flew away before he could retaliate.
“That didn’t go quite as I’d planned,” Raum said wryly, looking down at the ash that coated his nude body. He was too powerful for hellfire to affect him no matter what form he was wearing.
“You can’t give up that easily,” Sorcha said while she desperately tried not to snicker. “Ember is your match. You have to woo her and win her over like Kade and Sebastian did with Eden and me.”
“I’ve been trying,” he complained and threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know what else I can do.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Kade said. The pair cracked up, then teleported away.
