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DESPITE HIS DEEP FEELINGS of mistrust and suspicion, Sebastian found he wanted to believe Eden. She’d admitted she was an assassin, but she looked so dejected that he didn’t snap her neck immediately like he should have. The fortune Madam Quilla had foretold for him filtered into his mind. She’d told him to listen to Eden’s story before reaching his decision. He’d done as she’d asked, but he had a feeling he hadn’t heard everything he needed to know yet.
“How many men have you seduced to death with your perfect body?” he asked her, hating how cold his voice was, yet unable to change it.
Her eyes flew to his and she blanched. “None,” she said huskily. “I don’t sleep with my targets.”
“Non?” he asked skeptically. “Is that not how succubae kill their victims? Do you not leech their lifeforce from them, leaving them empty and lifeless?”
“You mean like vampires do when they drain the blood from their victims?” she retorted.
“Touché,” he said sardonically. “If you don’t sleep with them to kill them, what method do you use?”
Eden took another sip of her coffee to delay for a few moments before replying. “I kiss them and draw their energy out of them,” she said dejectedly. “I’m defective, so I can’t use my succubus magic to seduce men like I should be able to.”
“What do you mean when you say you’re defective?” he asked with a frown.
“It’s supposed to be like paradise when men sleep with me,” she said. “That’s why I was named Eden.”
A faint blush rose on her cheeks. He wondered if she was thinking about him saying that to her after they’d made love. “You did not seem defective when we were together,” he said doubtfully. She’d responded to him with passion, yet she’d seemed a little shy and awkward. “How many men have you taken to your bed, Eden?” he asked.
“Three men before you,” she said, lowering her eyes and hunching her shoulders. “It wasn’t by my choice.”
He could tell by her bitter tone and the shudder that wracked her that she was telling him the truth. “Who took you against your will, chérie?” he asked.
Eden stiffened at his harsh tone and forced herself to look at him. “It was my lords and masters,” she said.
“You mean the Immortal Triumvirate?” he asked, rage spiking at that news.
She nodded and tears rose to her eyes. “I was thirteen when Lord Dallinar took my virginity,” she said. A tear spilled down her cheek and he was kneeling in front of her before it could reach her chin. He took her half-empty coffee cup out of her hands and placed it on the coffee table, then drew her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and told him what the three monsters had done to her.
Sebastian’s fury rose with each instance of abuse that she described. The trio had repeatedly used her young body for their pleasure. They’d satiated their sickest desires on a girl who was too young to be classed as a woman. If Eden had planned to kill him as she’d been ordered, this was her perfect opportunity, but she made no move to end his life. His sense of betrayal and mistrust faded. It was replaced with tenderness that he hadn’t dared to allow himself to feel since his kiss had been murdered.
When Eden was done, she didn’t protest when he scooped her into his arms. He sat down on the couch with her on his lap, stroking her hair and holding her close. “You must be so disgusted by me,” she said in a small, broken voice.
“Non, mon amour,” he denied, then kissed the top of her head. “You were an innocent child and those twisted animals took advantage of you. They turned you into a killer and used you against your will. They bound you to them with magic and they believe you belong to them. They think they can do with you as they will.”
“They can,” she said, then used the blanket to dry her eyes. “They own me, mind, body and soul.”
“Have they bound your soul to them?” he asked.
She looked up when she heard the hint of dread that he couldn’t hide. “I don’t know. All I know is that it’ll take a powerful fairy who can use black magic to break my bond to them.”
“Is that what Padavion told you?” he asked.
She frowned and it was her turn to look suspicious. “You were the one who spied on me when I was at her cottage?”
“I wasn’t there to spy on you, cher,” he said. “I went to see the fairy, but you arrived before I did.”
“What did you want to talk to her about?” Eden asked. The hint of jealousy in her tone made him smile.
“I was hoping she would be powerful enough to make a good match for me,” he replied. “Unfortunately, she was rather inebriated when we spoke. She was in no shape mentally or physically to assist me in my endeavors.”
“You wanted her to be your match? Like a partner?” Eden asked.
He nodded and smiled more widely when her jealousy increased. “Oui. I require a powerful magic user to become my partner. The woman I choose must agree to become bound to me through magic. It will join us together for as long as we live. We will both benefit from the bond by becoming stronger in all ways.”
Eden bit her bottom lip as she mulled over what he’d just said. “Exactly what is your plan? What are the ‘endeavors’ you mentioned?”
Sebastian knew they’d reached a crucial point in their conversation. Madam Quilla had told him to trust Eden and she’d said the same thing to the assassin. If they truly were destined to be together, then he had to take a chance. “I have formed a trinity with two allies,” he told her. “We aim to take down the Immortal Triumvirate.”
Eden went utterly still and he was pretty sure she’d stopped breathing. “You want to kill the Immortal Triumvirate?” she asked in amazement.
“We have spells that will allow us to destroy their protective shields and to weaken them,” he said. “They will fight back, which will most likely result in a battle to the death. If we prevail, it is highly unlikely that any of them will survive.”
“I’m in,” Eden said, barely waiting for him to finish before replying.
“You haven’t heard what will be entailed by bonding yourself to me,” he cautioned her.
“I don’t care,” the assassin said fiercely. “If it means I’ll be free from my evil overlords, I’m willing to take any risk.”
Sebastian looked at the beautiful, deadly warrior who looked so small and fragile in his arms. He brushed a fingertip over her flawless cheek. “I will tell you the details first, then you can make your final decision,” he said. She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek, then nodded in agreement.
