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WHEN RAUM WOKE UP, he knew Ember was gone even before he opened his eyes. He couldn’t sense her in the nearby vicinity and let out a disappointed sigh. He’d hoped pleasuring her all day long would have won her over, but the demoness was even more stubborn than he’d expected.
He felt energized rather than weary from his exertions. Memories of what he’d done to Ember kept returning to him as he took a shower. He was tempted to search for her and try to convince her to bind herself to him, but resisted the urge. He had to let her come to him. She knew she couldn’t fight the Immortal Triumvirate on her own. If she despised them as much as he suspected she did, maybe she would swallow her pride and decide to trust him.
“Don’t hold your breath,” he advised his reflection as he dried himself off.
He chose a suit, got dressed, then sat down at his huge dining table to eat alone. His private quarters seemed too big and empty with just him in it. Now that he’d finally sampled Ember’s delectable body, he didn’t want to continue his search for a partner. She was the one he wanted and no one else would do.
As always, Raum had meetings scheduled, so he headed to work. His guildmembers stepped aside to allow him to traverse through the tunnels unimpeded. One glance at his moody expression had them slinking out of his way. Their sycophantic nods and grins of greeting worsened his mood. Ember was the only one who had ever had the courage to stand up to him. His admiration for her grew knowing she’d tried to kill him several times.
Raum found it hard to concentrate during his meetings, but he persevered. When the final lackey left, he sat back in his chair and swiveled his chair around to face the window. Ember wasn’t perched in her usual spot on the roof of the Immortal Triumvirate’s headquarters. As if thinking about her conjured her up, he sensed her drawing closer.
He rose to his feet and crossed to the window to open it for her. Glowing gold eyes appeared in the stormy gloom, then she climbed inside. He shut the window and smiled widely when she changed into her human form. “This is a pleasant surprise,” he said, eyeing her magnificent naked body. “Have you come to taste more of the pleasure I can offer you?” he asked her seductively. He kept his voice down so none of his employees could overhear him. She held a bundle of clothes beneath her arm, but she made no move to put them on.
“Maybe later,” she said just as quietly and his eyebrows rose at her grim tone. “You were right about the Immortal Triumvirate draining fledglings,” she added. “I saw them enter a house in the Vampire District. The leech who opened the door looked like an old man with white hair when they left.”
“I see,” the demon lord said gravely. “Why have you come to me?” he asked, hardly daring to hope she’d had a change of heart.
“They need to be stopped and you and your allies have the best chance of taking them down,” the demoness replied.
Raum hid his fierce grin of triumph behind a bland expression. “Our chances of success would rise significantly if you would agree to become bonded to me to increase my power,” he pointed out.
Ember rolled her eyes. “Obviously, that’s why I’m here,” she said snarkily. “I agree to be your partner. Take me to that hot wizard so he can cast his spell on us.”
“Kade Sinclair is a warlock, not a wizard,” he corrected her.
“Whatever,” she said with a scowl. “Just hurry up and take me to him before I change my mind.” She’d flown to the crappy apartment to gather some clothes before heading to Raum’s office. She wasn’t sure what form she needed to be in to become bound to the demon lord. It would be weird to stand there in the nude if she had to use her human form.
Raum wasn’t about to waste any time. He sent a letter to Kade advising him that he’d found his match and that he would meet him at his mansion shortly. The letter squirmed out through a crack in the window frame, then he gestured at the window. “Shall we?” he asked.
Ember waited for him to open the window, then morphed into her demon form. She launched herself into the air and turned to see the Guild Master leap after her. Her heart stopped for a moment, then lurched back into motion when he changed into his majestic demon form after falling for a short distance. One glowing blue eye winked at her, then he closed the window and zoomed northward. She followed in his wake with the rain pelting down on them both.
Lightning flared brightly, then it began to hail. Their tough hides protected them from the icy barrage as they winged their way to Kade’s mansion. Raum descended and changed back into his human form to land neatly in front of the door. Ember was less graceful as she landed beside him.
Sorcha opened the door and created a magical umbrella to shield her guests from the storm. “You look like drowned rats,” she said with a smirk, then invited them into her home. She dispelled the shield when they were safely inside.
Raum adjusted his tie and ran a hand through his wet hair. It dried beneath his fingers as the magic of Nox restored him and his suit to their usual pristine condition. “Is Kade here?” he asked.
The sorceress nodded and jerked her thumb at the stairs. “He’s in the den, waiting for you both.”
“What form do I need to be in to do this?” Ember asked as they followed the beautiful blonde woman upstairs.
“We’ll ask Mr. Sinclair when we reach him,” the demon lord replied. It was a good question and he didn’t have an answer for her.
Kade smiled in greeting when Sorcha led their guests inside. “I’m glad you finally agreed to become Raum’s partner, Ember,” he said.
“We weren’t sure you were going to be able to trust him,” Sorcha added, eyeing the demon with a frown.
“I don’t trust him,” the demoness confessed. “But your triumvirate apparently has a chance to be able to take the Immortal Triumvirate down.”
They were shocked that she knew they’d formed a triad of their own. “How did you know we’ve formed a triumvirate?” the warlock asked her.
“I ran into an old friend a while back who told me about it,” she said evasively.
“No one knows about our triumvirate,” Raum said suspiciously. “Only six people, including you, are aware of it.”
“That’s not true,” Kade argued. “Xiara Evora knows about us. She’s the one who told us what we need to do to defeat our enemies.”
“Is the Guardian of Nox your old friend?” the demon lord asked sardonically.
“Nope,” Ember admitted. “But she’s a friend of my friend. Xiara told my friend about you guys and she filled me in.”
“It doesn’t matter who told Ember about us,” Sorcha said. “Word hasn’t spread, so I think we can trust them.”
Raum wasn’t happy about it, but he gave a grudging nod and let it go. “What form should Ember be in while you perform the binding spell?” he asked.
“Your human form would be best,” the warlock said to the hellion.
“Figures,” she grumbled, but changed into her human body.
Kade turned his back on her, but Sorcha watched Raum staring at Ember. She snickered to herself at the besotted look in his dark blue eyes.
Ember quickly pulled on the clothes and glowered at Raum when she realized he was staring at her. “What?” she demanded.
“Where did you get these from?” he asked and reached out to finger her black silky shirt.
“I borrowed them from your closet,” she said with a smirk. “What are you doing with so many women’s clothing anyway?”
“I had them made for you,” he told her.
“How did you pull that off?” Sorcha asked as Kade began preparing the binding spell. “They fit her perfectly,” she added.
“I showed Ember’s image to a seamstress and she was able to provide her with everything she needs,” he explained.
Ember’s mouth dropped open that he’d had so many clothes made for her. “Why did you go to all that trouble?” she asked.
“I can hardly expect you to remain naked when you come to live with me, my dear,” he said charmingly. “Although, I do so enjoy the sight of your stunning body.”
“You two totally did the nasty, didn’t you?” Sorcha asked knowingly when the demons’ gazes became locked.
“Yep,” Ember admitted brazenly. “He’s pretty good in bed,” she added.
Raum pretended to be affronted that the two women were discussing his performance so openly. “I’m standing right here, ladies,” he complained.
Sorcha rolled her eyes, but Kade finished preparing the spell and she turned serious. “Are you ready?” the warlock asked.
Ember took a deep breath, knowing her destiny was about to change drastically and permanently. “I’m ready,” she said, hoping she wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of her life.
