Page 42 of As Above, So Below

In an instant, Sunshine falls to the floor, my shadows vanishing.

“Ylara, go,” I breathe, rushing toward the library door.

Moving so quickly she becomes a blur, Ylara grabs Sunshine’s arm and vanishes in a billow of darkness. As my fingers fumble, throwing open the lock, the door is yanked open and I’m greeted with Kassil’s wicked grin as he peers down at me.

The strong urge to punch the smile off his face causes my fist to clench.

“Where have you been, moonflower?” he asks, stepping forward, and my feet carry me backward. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Netharis must have given him clearance to access this layer of the Tower following the announcement of our pending marriage. Unable to keep the disgust from my face, I maintain the distance between us, backpedaling.

He stops, seeing the destruction of the library.

“You’ve been angry,” he says, his smile fading.

“Whatever it is you want, Kassil, I’m not interested,” I retort, my tone devoid of emotion as I skirt around him toward the door.

He snatches my wrist, nearly pulling my shoulder from its socket, forcing me to whirl. “I thought Netharis cured you of your outbursts,” he says, arching a dark brow.

Towering over me by nearly three feet, I’m forced to crane my neck to glare at him. The amusement on his face grows sinister as he stares down at me.

“Let go of me,” I growl the words.

Lifting my wrist, he turns it over to expose my palm, running his thumb over it in lazy circles. My skin crawls and pebbles with his touch as my jaw clenches hard enough for my teeth to shatter.

“Take your frustrations out on me, like you once did,” he purrs, stepping closer. “I’m sure it would be enjoyable for us both.”

Yanking my wrist away, my innate shrinks, balling itself tightly in my gut. Any sort of violence, defensive or otherwise, will simply pleasure Kassil. A true masochist who delights in his proclivities openly. I tighten my wings against me, shrinking along with my innate.

Turning toward the door, hellfire swirls in front of my face, acurled contract appearing. As it unfurls itself, my eyes fall over the runes.

Ourmarriagecontract.

Kassil’s hands land on my shoulders gently. He pulls me against him and I tense. The all too familiar feeling of being his prey causes every muscle in my body to tighten.

“We were happy once. We can be again,” he says softly, brushing some of my hair away from my neck. He sounds genuine, but I know better.

Once upon a time, wewerehappy.

Because I was naive.

Several words on the contract catch my eye.Subservient, transfer of ownership, bound eternally…

Two signatures already lie at the bottom. Kassil’s and Netharis’. A third line lies blank, awaiting my addition.

“In our time apart, I’ve done some thinking,” he adds and I can hear the smirk in his tone. “I’m willing to let you have all the succubi you want.”

Smacking the contract out of the air, I rip myself away from his touch.

“Go fuck yourself, Kassil,” I snarl, storming into the hall.

“Gods, I didn’t think I could love you any more than I already do,” his laughter trails into the hall behind me. “I adore you when you prove me wrong.”

The irony of an archdemon talking about love isn’t lost on me. Demons don’t have hearts. Demons don’t love. They don’t love anything more than they love themselves.

Darkness engulfs me, ferrying me away from the archdemon. It vanishes as quickly as it had appeared, delivering me to the one place in the Tower Netharis only allows his children—the dormitory level.

Here, Kassil cannot reach me.