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CLIMBING THE GRAND staircase up to the second floor, they trooped down a hallway to Kade’s conjuring den. It had the usual worktables, cabinets full of ingredients and magical paraphernalia most magic users possessed. An iron cauldron rather than a copper one sat over the fire. The logs weren’t burning at the moment.
Kade crossed to the cupboard where he’d hidden the soul binding spell and a few other items behind an enchantment. He waved his hand over the door to dispel the lock, then took the spell page and the vial of red and gold dragon blood. He waved his hand again before the others could notice the black wooden box. It contained the artifact they were supposedly going to use against Lord Kreaton.
The warlock gathered ingredients and components from the various cupboards. When he had everything he needed, he began adding the items to a mortar, then crushed them with a pestle.
“It’s ready, he said when he was done. “Now I just need a few drops of your blood.” He walked over to the vampire and a dagger appeared in his hand. Pricking the bloodsucker’s thumb, he made sure a few drops of dead black blood dripped into the bowl. He walked over to Eden next and she held her hand out. The tip of the dagger pricked her thumb and her blood was added to the mix.
Using the pestle to grind their blood and the other components together, Kade strode back over to the table. He spoke the incantation in the musical, mesmerizing fae tongue. He added a couple of drops of dragon blood to boost the spell as he chanted. When he was done, the mixture began to glow with a reddish gold light. “I will now bind Eden’s soul to Sebastian by placing this paste over your hearts,” he said.
He waited for Sebastian to open his shirt, then smeared some of the paste on his chest. The master vampire winced as burning pain lanced through him. Eden looked down at her coat and dress, then arched an eyebrow at Kade. He shrugged sheepishly that she would have to disrobe. She took her coat off and draped it over her arm, then reached behind her back to undo a few buttons. She pulled her dress down, then directed a cool look at Raum. He smirked in appreciation at the glimpse of her breasts through her sheer light blue bra. The demon only smirked wider at her being caught ogling her.
Kade’s fingers hovered over the assassin’s chest. “Can you pull your bra aside a bit?” he queried.
Moving so the warlock blocked Raum’s view, Eden did as he requested. Kade was too intent on his spell to leer at her. He didn’t seem like the type of man who would act so childishly anyway. The warlock smeared the paste onto her skin. Her ire at the demon evaporated when burning pain lanced through her. She doubled over and she could faintly hear Kade chanting something. The words were muffled and seemed to be coming from someplace far away. Sebastian was groaning in agony as well, so she wasn’t the only one who was being tortured by the spell.
The pain cut off suddenly as soon as Kade stopped chanting. Sebastian pulled Eden to him as she shuddered in reaction. “Are you well, mon amour?” he asked in concern. A new sensation had appeared in the back of his head. It was similar to the link he had to the warlock and the demon, but it was far stronger.
“That hurt!” Eden said with a glower at the warlock. Sebastian pulled her dress back up and did the buttons up so she was fully clothed again. He helped her put her coat back on.
“Black magic can be painful, or so I’ve heard,” Raum pointed out, then smiled at her winsomely when she glared at him.
“Why didn’t you use Raum’s magic this time?” the assassin asked.
“I didn’t need to,” Kade explained. “Anyone with a decent amount of power could have cast this spell. It’s only classed as black magic when it’s used on someone against their will. You both consented, so there was nothing evil about it.”
“If you say so,” the Demon Guild Master said in a slightly condescending tone. “Is it safe to assume the binding spell worked?”
“Oui, it worked,” Sebastian confirmed. “Eden is now bound to me like I am to you both.” He already felt his power increasing from the bond. Only time would tell what effect this would have on them both.
Eden’s legs were slightly shaky from the aftermath of pain. She figured it had affected her more because her soul had been fused with Sebastian. He didn’t have a soul of his own, but he now possessed some of hers. Her fear that he would be able to control her like a puppet evaporated now that the deed was done. She could feel him in her head, but he was a comforting presence rather than an imposing one. The bond was nothing like her link to the Immortal Triumvirate had been. It didn’t leave her feeling dirty and used.
“I must go,” Raum said. “I look forward to my turn to become bonded with my partner, once I’ve found her.” His tone was sardonic and it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. For all Eden knew, the demon might enjoy pain.
“Are you any closer to finding a candidate?” Kade asked as they filed back downstairs.
“Alas, no,” the Demon Guild Master replied. “But I am sure we will both prevail eventually. It is our destiny to overthrow our enemies, after all.”
Before Eden could ask if Raum had visited Madam Quilla, the hell spawn stepped outside. Kade put his hand on Sebastian’s arm to stop him from leaving. “Let me know if you notice any side effects from the spell,” he requested.
“Oui,” the vampire replied. “But I do not think we have anything to fear. The enchantment has done what it was designed for and no harm has come to either of us.”
Kade had never cast a spell like that before, but it had come from a source they could trust. One of his allies had now found his match, but he and Raum both still had to locate someone to become bound to. He hoped he would find a woman as beautiful and capable as Eden to become his partner.
“Shall we see how much strength I’ve gained from our bond, mon cher?” Sebastian asked Eden.
“Are you going to sweep me off my feet again?” the succubus asked him with a smirk. In response, he grinned, then scooped her into his arms. She pressed her face against his chest to shield herself from the cutting wind as he took off. In half the time it would have normally taken, they arrived at his mansion in the Vampire District. “I guess you really did get a boost of power from our bond,” she said breathlessly when he placed her on her feet in his bedroom.
“I would like to see how much power you received, mon amour,” he said silkily as he traced a fingertip along her jaw.
“Brace yourself,” Eden joked, then she unleashed the full might of her succubus magic.
