Page 22

“Unless you enjoy drinking blood, mixing mine with yours will do.”

Challenge rose in my steady gaze as I lifted my still-bleeding arm and he pressed his finger to my wound. He seemed just as repulsed by it as I was. I gritted my teeth, trading blood with a demon wasn’t my ideal evening, either, but here we were.

“Repeat after me, I… whatever your full name is, willingly accept this blood trade with House Wrath for the term of six months.”

“Six months?” I yanked free of his grasp and bunched my hands into fists. “That’s absurd! What if I don’t want your protection for that long?”

He rubbed his temples. “What is it that you want, witch? Why did you summon me?”

“To find out who murdered my sister.”

“And?”

I hesitated. I originally wanted to summon a demon to break the spell on my sister’s diary. I definitely didn’t want Wrath knowing about it now. At least not until I knew why Carolina said they’d come looking for it. “That’s it.”

“You’re lying.”

“And you haven’t?”

He shook his head. “Being bound to you prevents me from lying. It would be… discourteous to do so.”

“Of course. One must always have good manners while ripping the hearts from their enemies.” I looked him over, appraising. I wasn’t simply going to accept his word without proof. “If your magic wasn’t tethered by the protection spell, would you harm me?”

“If I had to, yes.”

And he didn’t sound all too put off by the idea. At least I knew he was telling the truth about being unable to lie. Instead of responding, like he seemed primed for, I waited. Nonna said a lot could be gained from reading the silence. He was a demon of war, but I understood strategy, too. It didn’t take long for him to fill the quietness.

“Believe what you will, but we’re aligned in the common goal of finding your sister’s murderer.”

He and I weren’t aligned in anything and never would be. Fury whipped around the cave, faster and mightier than the wind now howling outside. He gave me a bored look that made me seethe more. “Why do you care about finding justice for my sister?”

“I don’t,” he said. “Do not confuse me with a human with noble intentions.”

“If you want me to trust you enough for a blood bargain, or whatever it’s called, I need to know why you want to solve her murder.”

He was quiet a minute, seeming to consider what information to share. “I want to stop the murderer before he strikes again. Aligning myself with you isn’t ideal, but it’s the hand I’ve been dealt and I’m playing it to my advantage. Not only are you a witch, like each victim before your sister, you’re also connected to the most recent victim. At some point, I believe you may prove valuable in drawing out the killer; therefore, I’d like to sense when you’re in danger so I can remove the threat.”

I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand to stall me.

“I will not give you any more details unless you agree to the blood bond.”

Wrath wasn’t lying—he wouldn’t tell me anything else unless I agreed. I might be willingly choosing his offer, but it didn’t really seem like I had any other options. I thought about my sister—I knew exactly what she would do. I inhaled deeply. “You’ll tell me more about my sister’s involvement with your brother?”

“I’ll exchange all necessary information.”

Tricky demon. All “necessary” information didn’t equal all information. I stared at him, trying to work out the uneasy feeling growing inside me. He claimed the blood bond was part of the protection spell I used, but I wasn’t sure that was all. I thought about him having a link to me. He said he could tell when I was in danger, but I didn’t like the idea of him knowing where I was. Demons might have rules and etiquette, but I knew nothing of them.

Maybe he considered dragging someone to Hell to reign there for eternity a high honor.

“Answer one more question for me,” I said. “Aside from not being able to lie, what else are demons forbidden from doing?”

He waited a beat before responding.

“We also cannot enter a human home without an invitation. We’re permitted to use our powers, but not to cause direct physical harm. And, once summoned, we are forced to remain in this realm until our invitation is withdrawn.”

“If I withdrew your invitation now, would you have to leave right away?”

“Yes. Do we have a bargain?” He looked relaxed, casual. But his eyes were focused, sharp.