Embraced (Eternal Balance) (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sam

I
’d heard him wrong. That was the only logical explanation.

This woman wasn’t Malphi. She couldn’t be.

In the doorway stood a familiar, black-haired witch. A boyfriend coveting, manipulating woman who’d forced Jax’s hand and tied them together, inserting herself into his life in hopes that she would get what she wanted. Power? Him?

But if she was a demon—Azirak’s demonic booty call—wouldn’t
Jax
have known? Wouldn’t he have taken Sadie Gray out right when this all started? He certainly would have never linked them.

Jax flew at her, fingers hooked and ready, but he didn’t follow through. He had her against the wall by the neck, had
Malphi
pinned, but hadn’t moved to finish the job yet.

She chuckled and gently eased him away. With a wink at me, she slung her arm around his shoulder and licked the side of his face slowly, starting at the tip of his chin then running her tongue up his cheek and down again, finishing by biting at his top lip.

Jax simply stood there. Staring at her like she wasn’t real. I didn’t know if it was because Azi was happy to see her, or if Jax was in as much shock as I was, but it scared me. The almost vacant, desperate look in his eyes. They weren’t solid black like they had been a few minutes ago, but they weren’t thinly rimmed with a gray center, either. I had no idea which one of them was in control.

“I bet you have a ton of questions,” she said, turning back to me.

I gritted my teeth and held my breath. With each inhalation, the pain thrived. The cuff was like liquid fire against my skin now.

“How is this possible?” Jax asked. His voice was slightly off key. Deeper than normal and laced with a chill. “I linked to this human body. I did not feel you.”

Sadie—
Malphi
—gave a throaty chuckle. “I was fortunate enough to be born into the body of a witch this go-around. Her bloodline is very powerful.” She sighed. “But, as you know, part of our banishment was the removal of all power. I was born into the body of a witch, yet had no access to the goods, if you know what I’m saying.”

“But you do have magic,” I insisted.

She laughed again and shrugged. With a quick move of her hand, she reached beneath her shirt and pulled out a long chain. On the end dangled a bright red stone. The one Chase wanted! “This is a powerful stone, created in the fires of our home. You don’t recall, but the Brim Stone was smuggled here eons ago, by your hand, my lord. I was able to use it to tap in to the bloodline’s power. I cloaked myself, and those loyal to me, so you wouldn’t see me coming.” She began to pace. “Of course, I was a bit pissed when you didn’t recognize me after linking us. It made me testy.”

Azi, now in control, lifted Jax’s hand to her face, a tender gesture that incited a raging spark of jealousy in me. It wasn’t Jax really, but seeing his hands on another woman stole the air from my lungs. “But why?” he asked. “Why hide from me? Why not reveal yourself?”

Her expression darkened. She flicked a finger in my direction. “Because of that
thing
. Your human half is so enamored with it. It clouds your judgment and snares you with humanity. It keeps you tethered. I knew you would never take Zenak’s life. If I revealed myself to you, I would have been in danger, not only from our enemies, but from your human.”

“It is true that I struggled with my task. But the reasons are not as simple as you state.”

“Yes,” she purred, running her hand across his cheek and down to his shoulder. Skimming her nails across his arm, she said, “They are. Mate with me. Consummate our union and I will do the task for you. Once I am of royal blood, the weight will not fall on your shoulders alone. It will be my…gift to you.”

Her hands dropped to the button of Jax’s jeans, deftly slipping it through the hole. When there was no protest, she raked her fingers up his chest, across the thin material of his T-shirt. Gripping it at the neck, she ripped it like tissue paper, the remnants slipping from his shoulders and falling to the floor at their feet.

“Jax,” I cried. I wasn’t sure what scared me more. Having to watch the only man I’d ever loved have sex with another woman right in front of me, or the world-shattering chaos that would come as a result of it. “Don’t let them do this. It’s your body! Take control of it.”

Sadie howled—a vicious, angry sound—as she launched herself at me. She grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard that I was positive my hand would pop off. “That fool Zenak gambled on the human’s love for you. But he should have known better. My lord would have never allowed harm to come to me!”

“Jax, do—”

She grabbed my chin with her free hand and squeezed, nails digging in and breaking the skin. “I’ll enjoy watching you squirm as he takes me.” She leaned closer. All I could see was the dark onyx of her irises. “And then take pleasure in the pain you feel as you die.”

Malphi jerked me across the floor and forced me down at Jax’s feet. She grabbed a handful of my hair and gave a vicious twist. “Feed, my lord. Take in her anguish and pain. Then take me and we will claim her together. The power will enable us to destroy our enemies and take our rightful place in this world and the next.”

It was Jax’s face that looked down at me, but his eyes were like Sadie’s. Solid and soulless. “Allow me to claim you. I will remain true to my word. No harm will ever come to you.” Azi lifted me off the ground. “I will make it painless.” Ebony eyes skimmed the length of my body, catching on my chest for a moment before settling on my lips. “Pleasurable, even.”

The demon leaned in and brushed the softest of kisses across my forehead. I froze, too terrified to even breathe.

“What are you doing?” Malphi bellowed. It wrenched me backward and I stumbled, falling onto the coffee table. It cracked in half. Splinters and pieces of wood littered the floor. “You owe her no mercy. Claim her by force.”

“I am fond of the human and will cause her no unnecessary pain.”

“Fond?” Malphi screamed. “You’re
fond
of it?”

That answered that. Apparently the demoness wasn’t the sharing type.

“I demand that you claim it. Claim it and kill it. We have no use for it.”

With each moment, she grew angrier and angrier. Her fury was terrifying, but I also saw it as a possible opportunity. Struggling to my feet, trying to push away the crushing pain from the cuff, I said, “I’ll consider it, but I have a condition.”

Azi’s eyes met mine and I suppressed a shiver. “What do you wish, Samantha Merrick?” It sighed. “Sammy…”

This was a dangerous plan, considering how Malphi reacted to even the lightest show of kindness by Azirak, but I was out of options. The cuff was close to killing me. I had moments left. I still wasn’t convinced, even if this worked, that it would save my life. Even if we managed to take Malphi down, how could I get to Chase in time?

“You won’t let me speak to Jax.” I took a step forward. “I know that. But physically, you’re him.”

“More than that,” the demon said. It followed my every move, gaze all but devouring me. “We are the same. I feel his desire as he feels mine.”

I fought a shiver and snuck a peek at Sadie… Malphi. Her lips were mashed in a thin line, and judging by her body language, there was very little keeping her from ripping out my throat. Good. “Then kiss me. You can take away the pain, make this pleasurable? Prove it. Show me.”

Fire sparked in those inky black eyes and the demon wasted no time. It crossed to me in two long strides, gathering me into Jax’s arms. The kiss was like an internal meltdown. Basic and primal. Vehement and possessive. Azirak wound Jax’s hands through my hair, fingers tangling around large sections and tugging forcefully. It murmured something inaudible, dropping Jax’s hands down to my waist for a moment before slipping them to cup my backside. A second later my legs were around his waist.

An unearthly roar shattered the room. My head snapped back, and the warmth from Jax’s body disappeared, replaced by sharp pain as Malphi dragged me backward. “You dare to take this wretched creature in front of me? Before consummating
our
union?”

“You will release Samantha Merrick,” Jax said, voice like ice.

Malphi laughed, the sound like scraping rusted metal. Harsh. Angry. Unforgiving. “Do you favor this insect over me, my lord?”

“I favor her.” It was very matter of fact. “Not above you. I believe—I believe I favor her the same as you. She is
mine
.”

Malphi’s face twisted into a mask of rage. Her fingers closed around my neck, and the pressure increased. “That is the human stain speaking!”

I gasped. The pain from the cuff was nearly blinding now, a red hot poker jabbing at me from the inside. My legs were numb. Even if the demoness were to let go, I wasn’t confident that I could run away.

Her hand tightened. “You must choose—this abomination or me!”

“You are rash,” Azi said, still eerily calm. It came a step closer. “As you have always been. But this will not aid our cause.”

“Our cause?” She shook me. “This is not about our cause. You have no intention of destroying Zenak.” Her grip loosened and her voice became somewhat softer. She sighed, looking and sounding more like the simply annoying witch I knew and hated. “I have seen it grow worse in you over the centuries, Azirak. It’s a disease. One I will free you from. We will claim the Pure and kill it. Then we will mate and I will kill Zenak.”

My breathing grew labored. The rasping as my lungs fought to fill with air echoed in my ears.

“I will not say this again, Malphi. Release her unharmed.” I could see it in his eyes. Jax was in there. He was fighting. Unfortunately it seemed as though it would be a losing battle.

“Who do you prefer?” Malphi demanded. She gave me another furious jostle.

“I desire you both.” Azi’s confusion grew. “Is this a problem? Did we not have multiple consorts in hell?”

“This thing is more than a consort to you,” she growled. “It is more than a source of power. You—” She choked on the rest of the sentence before trying again. “You
love
it.”

The demon came several steps closer to where we stood. “By human definition, I love you as well.”

Malphi’s face contorted. “By
human definition
?” She shook me again. “You are a royal. A god among our kind. Finish this and take your rightful place!”

The expression on Jax’s expression was thoughtful. Azi remained where it was, gaze alternating between Malphi and me. She took it as a green light. Turning me to face her, eyes raging with madness, she said, “The cuff is about to kill you. This is your last chance. Agree to be claimed or die.”

My body was mostly numb now, the strange, intense pain radiating from inside me the only thing left. I didn’t feel Malphi’s hand around my neck, and the only indication that she was squeezing off my air was the difficulty I had filling my lungs.

But for some reason, I was unafraid.

A thought sparked, deep in the back of my mind. An ember that bloomed into a raging inferno. In an instant my outlook changed. The mere possibility of hope kept me balanced on the edge, not alive, but not yet dead. It was that moment that brought clarity. The answer to my current predicament was suddenly so incredibly clear.

I turned my head so that Malphi and I were face to face. “Fine,” I said, my voice eerily calm. Somehow I knew, deep down, that it was too late to save my life, but I could still stop them from making my last moments torture. I could have the last word. “I agree to be claimed—by myself.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Azirak/Jax

E
verything went silent. There was a static in the air, coupled with the fury radiating from Malphi. The muddled colors that surrounded Sam dispersed, leaving an emptiness that needled the deepest parts of me. Of all of me.

A scream filled the room. The human girl, Samantha Merrick’s—Sammy’s—eyes rolled back, then closed. The sound of her breathing ceased.

Malphi let the body fall to the floor and stepped away. “You have damned us,” she spat, turning on me. “Your diseased human half has betrayed us.”

Something built inside me. I ignored my mate and focused again on the girl, so small and still, lying at my feet. Her lack of movement, of vitality, only added to the turbulent force stirring.

“Have you nothing to say?” Malphi shouted. “No words to defend yourself?”

There were words. Things I wanted to say. Feelings I needed to somehow express.
Human emotions
. But they were buried. Bogged down by the weight of the massive force building inside me. My human, Jax, was silent as well. I felt his sorrow, a nearly overpowering boulder that threatened to crush all that I was. I shared his pain and found myself surprised that it was not only for the loss of power, but for the girl. A human woman.

Sammy…

Hands gripped my shoulders and spun my body around. Malphi and I were face to face. “This is salvageable,” she growled and began to unbutton my pants. “We will consummate and I will destroy Zenak.”

She slid her hands up my chest, then threaded them through my hair. Warm lips caressed a trail up my neck. The sensation was anything but pleasurable. The stink of lust turned my gut. I shifted my head, gaze finding the girl again. As Malphi did her best to further her cause, my attention would not be torn from the woman on the floor.

It wasn’t long before Malphi noticed.

“That bitch is dead at our feet and you’re still infested with affection for it?”

Again, I wanted to respond. Again, sound failed me.

This enraged my mate. She pushed me away, the fire behind her eyes turning from passion to fury. “Have you forgotten?” She took a menacing step forward. “All that I’ve done for you? The things I’ve endured over the course of a millennium?”

Still, I had nothing to say. The woman still filled my view. The feeling in my gut grew stronger.

“I suffered for you. Endured years of torment by Zenak’s own hand. I watched you cavort with humans lifetime after lifetime in an attempt to make me pay for my disobedience by taking retribution on our enemy. Now we find ourselves on the verge of victory, you focus not on me, but a dead human? Explain yourself!”

“You are mine,” I said, eyes still on the girl. “As she was his.”

“That’s your answer?” Malphi raged. “That is supposed to justify your lack of action?”

“It is meant to justify nothing. My words are merely an explanation.” I lifted my head to study her. “I began a war for you, my love. The result of that action found us removed from our home. Ejected and sentenced to mediocrity for all eternity. How is it that you find yourself able to question my affections?”

Some of her rage subsided. “Your infatuation with that bitch sours me.”

“It is not infatuation. It is as unbreakable a bond as you and I share. It—” Movement on the floor captured my attention once again.

The softest sound filled the room—a single breath pulled between soft lips, followed by a faint metallic clink. The demon cuff fell to the ground. Malphi noticed at the same time I did. “No!” she screamed, and dove for Sam.

T
he murderous intent in her eyes freed the building force inside me. Watching Malphi drag Sam off the ground and throw her around like a ragdoll was the final push I needed.

I burst through the invisible bonds keeping me trapped and regained control over my body. I moved knowing that there was only one goal, one endgame.

Sam.

Winding my hands around a hank of the demoness’s hair, I hauled it backward. She wailed in pain, then lashed out, raking its nails across my cheek. “Bastard!”

“Let it go,” I snapped. Sam stirred, but hadn’t opened her eyes yet. The fact I could hear her breathing, though, steady and strong, was all I needed. Leaving the demoness alive was stupid. A fucking disaster in the making. But I couldn’t kill it in cold blood. I’d lost Sam twice now. As much as I hated Azirak, it
was
a part of me. It always would be. Its anger was my anger, its struggles mine. A part of me feared what Malphi’s death would do to me.

“I won’t hurt you,” I told the demoness. “Just leave us alone. There will be other lives. Other chances. Wait it out and try again.”

Malphi stared at me, expression unreadable, its human eyes—Sadie’s eyes—sparking with something I didn’t quite understand. It—she—I was so fucking confused—shifted from foot to foot, alternating between me and Sam. I thought it was over. That Malphi would turn and walk the other way.

I was wrong.

The female demon let out a horrible scream and lunged for Sam. Closer by a couple of feet, it reached her first. There was no plan behind my actions. No thought other than the threat posed to the woman I loved. My hand grasped the end table, fingers closing around the first thing they connected with. A ballpoint pen. Without hesitation, I charged Malphi, wrapping one arm around the front of its neck, then plunging the tip of the pen in with the other.

Malphi stumbled back, crashing into me. I caught the demoness before it hit the ground, cradling its head as it fell. A series of coughs followed, and the demoness tried to speak, but only blood came out. I felt the instant Sadie’s human heart stopped. Malphi’s essence exploded from the body, hovering for a moment above our heads before shooting away. Off to be reborn? Who the fuck knew. All that mattered was that for this lifetime, Sam would be safe.

Sam stirred again, and all I wanted was to go to her. To wrap her in my arms and inhale her sweet, familiar scent. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe. A heaviness had settled in my limbs and all feeling drained away. I knew what was coming, and I had no regrets. I would have gladly sacrificed myself, everything that I was or would ever be, for Samantha Merrick.

“Sammy, I love—”