Page 11 of Demon's Bane

Under his scrutiny, I see it again. A flash of crimson, a shimmer of magick as the glamour settles around him.

“Joan,” Rhett says, voice low and serious. “I hope you know you’re safe with me. I’m here for one purpose, and it does not involve anything that would harm you.”

Bewildered, I look to Esme. She’s watching Rhett, brow furrowed, apparently as confused as I am over the vehemence in his tone.

“Great,” I say hesitantly. “I’m glad to hear it. But we still agreed to wards and bindings, so, uh, Esme… if you wouldn’t mind?”

Nodding, she steps to Rhett and holds out her hand. He places his own within it, but still never takes his eyes off me. Even as Esme murmurs her incantation, and as a powerful wave of magick fills the space, making his muscles tense and his throat bob in a hard swallow, he holds my gaze.

Dropping his hand, Esme frowns.

“What is it?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. Just a bit different, casting that type of binding on a demon.”

Well, that doesn’t exactly make me feel better. I say as much, and Esme turns to Rhett.

“If you’d like to test it out, we can ensure that you’re unable to—”

“I will not.” Again, that rumbling, resonant tone of his books no argument, and when Rhett finally turns to Esme, there’s an ominous edge darkening his gaze. “Not even for the sake of some experiment would I ever try to hurt her.”

He says it like a vow, like it’s a matter of his honor, of life and death itself as his solemn words land into the silence between the three of us, leaving me even more unsettled and confused.

Maybe it’s a demon thing?

Eren has always seemed pretty… intense. At least the couple of times I’ve seen him. Maybe this is just par for the course in their world.

“Al-alright,” I stutter, clearing my throat before addressing Esme. “If you think you cast it right, that it’ll stick?”

“Of course it willstick,” Esme says, mildly affronted as she straightens her sweater and takes a step toward the door. “And if we’re settled here, I trust you’ll start working immediately on tracking Seren down?”

I nod, not able to voice what would undoubtedly be at least half a lie.

Seren keeps her own schedule and pops in and out of Beech Bay on her own time. I’ve never had to track her down or bothered trying to keep tabs on her when it could be a week or a month or half a year between her visits. But with the weight of my bargain with the High Priestess and the added pressure of a new demon roommate, that’s obviously about to change.

“Good,” Esme says and, with a last look around the room and a satisfied nod, she reaches for the door. “The two of you will be…civilwith each other in the meantime?”

Another nod, any words I might be able to cobble together sticking like anxious putty in my throat.

“Of course,” Rhett says smoothly. “I have no problem being civil with Joan.”

I can’t read the inflection in his tone, but something about the words sends a shiver of nerves through me. I do my best to mask it as I shift from one foot to the other, uncross my arms and try to look unbothered about all of this.

“Excellent,” Esme says. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.”

With that, the door swings shut behind her.

Then the demon and I are alone.

My heart leaps into my throat, and my hands start to shake. I recross my arms to hide them, and draw in as deep a breath as I can as I try to think what to say.

Where do I even begin?

Across the room, Rhett’s brow lowers in an expression that looks almost like concern.

Why he should be concerned, I have no idea. He got exactly what he wanted tonight. He’s got Esme on the defensive, landed himself a place to stay in the human realm, and apparently holds all the cards for whatever the hell is up with the crystals the coven is so interested in.

He came out of our little negotiation with everything he bargained for, all while my life feels like it’s falling apart.