Page 25 of The Bell’s Toll (Wanderlust Emporium Presents, Season One)

chapter sixteen

Raziel

“I reinforced the spells and the symbols. This time, if anyone tries to tamper with them, it will leave an imprint, and we will know who is behind this,” Khiva says beside me.

Turning to her, I give her my full attention. “How much for something like that on all my portals?”

She shakes her head. “Keep your money, Raz. You’ve had my back since I walked through your portal thirty years ago battered and bruised. I’ll do it for free. I just need time to recoup.”

Casting powerful intricate spells takes a lot of druids. It’s one reason I pay Khiva so much for all that she does.

I dip my chin to my chest. “Thank you. Get your rest. I’m still going to pay you though.”

She chuckles and shakes her head before sobering. “The damage done to portal six is extensive. My friends and I are working hard to undo the spell placed on that one.”

I rub my chin. Having only one portal down isn’t the end of the world, but it also doesn’t look good.

“Do what you can when you can.”

A wave ripples through the void in front of me, letting me know someone is trying to enter. After all the shit I’ve been going through lately, I’ve been blocking the void around me.

“Someone is coming,” I tell Khiva. I know it isn’t anyone in my inner circle because they all have access to pass my blocks. “You should go. I’ll catch up with you later.”

I’m not hiding Khiva. I’m just very protective of those I consider family. Plus, everyone doesn’t need to know who I do business with.

She nods. “Okay, Boss. Call me if you need me.” Khiva heads up the stairs. She will slip through the void once she’s up there.

I remove the block on the void in front of me. Rojun steps through. I place my hand over my chest out of respect. He dips his chin to acknowledge me.

“You’re blocking the void now?” he asks with a raised brow.

“Things have changed.”

He seems to consider my answer before dipping his chin.

“This looks nice,” he says, turning to the newly fixed portal.

“You got it up and running quickly. This is why you’re the best dominus I have.

” He pats my back as he admires the new brick wall with the graffiti painted on it.

It hums with energy, letting everyone around it know it’s working. Tomorrow it will be back in service.

“I still have one portal down,” I admit.

Rojun turns to me. “One portal down is not a crime, Raz. As long as nothing else happens, you’re good.”

I appreciated Rojun. Not many counts would have easily accepted a forsaken dominus in their district, but he gave no real pushback. He’s treated me the same as his other dominus.

I turn to him, raking a hand down my face. “I have to tell you something.”

His gaze narrows. “What is it?”

I quickly tell him about the drudge I killed.

“Fuck,” he growls, turning and pacing in front of me. “How the hell did a drudge get in my territory?”

“It didn’t come through my portal. Someone summoned it here.”

His eyes widen as he pauses in his pacing to stare at me. “Who the hell would do that?”

I didn’t want to tell Rojun about Nasiah. Not yet anyway. It’s not that I didn’t trust him; I just wanted to keep her to myself a little while longer.

However, I had to tell him because shit was only going to get worse, and he needed to know what was to come. When I find out who placed that death mark, I wasn’t going to stop and ask permission before I kill them.

“There’s more.” For the next few minutes, I tell him briefly about my bond to Nasiah and how someone is trying to kill her. Rojun remains silent as I speak. When I’m done, he grins from ear to ear.

“Raziel has a human mate?” he tosses his head back and laughs. “Never thought I’d see the day.” He grabs my shoulder and squeezes. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Look, you have every right to protect your mate. You have my permission to kill any drudge or whatever that comes after her.”

I didn’t really need his permission, but I appreciated it.

“In fact, since you only got one portal down now, put your focus on who is stupid enough to put a death mark on your girl. Don’t worry about the portal.”

“Thanks.”

He nods before turning and opening an entrance into the void. Before stepping through, he turns to me. “People underestimate you, Raz.”

I wink. “That’s the way I like it.”

He grins before stepping through the void and disappearing.

There was nothing else to do here. I made my way upstairs to let my knights know the portal is off limits until the workers arrive in the morning. After that, I slipped into the void to head to my office. As soon as I step out, I check my watch. It was noon.

This morning Nasiah asked if she could go have lunch with her cousin.

As much as I didn’t want to let her out of the house, I knew I had to.

We’re finally in a good spot. She trusts me, and I have to show her I trust her.

Now, I’m not stupid, so Erazel is with her and this time, he will stay on this side of the void.

Checking in with him, I ask. “ How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. Although I think she doubts my ability to keep her safe.”

I enjoyed the fact that Nasiah and Erazel had formed their own bond. Erazel is a huge part of my inner circle. When you are in my circle, you are family.

“Why do you say that?”

“She keeps asking me where you are and looking around nervously.” He chuckles.

The pride I feel knowing she wants me there with her has me wanting to say fuck all this other stuff and go find her. It’s not like I don’t already crave being around her.

“Tell my girl I’ll be home by the time her lunch date is over.”

“Will do.”

As I go to disconnect the connection, his voice stops me.

“The cousin,” he starts.

“What about her?” After years of watching Nasiah, I know her cousin. She’s one of the few people I think genuinely cared about my girl.

“Is she single?”

I pause. “I’m not sure. Why?”

He hesitates again. “I’m interested.”

Now this is new. Erazel has a strict succubus only rule. I’ve never known him to be interested in humans.

“Well then, ask her out. But Era, don’t fuck this up for me. That’s Nasiah’s cousin. You do her wrong and I’m kicking your ass.”

He chuckles. “I got you, Boss.”

I pull away from the mind link. As soon as I do, Unina walks into my office with files in her hands.

“We have a problem,” she says, coming around to my side of the desk.

“Fuck,” I say before taking a seat. She opens a folder and places it down in front of me.

“We have a decrease in passages. Our numbers are down 20%. We have never been down that low. We aren’t even that low whenever Khalid comes to stay.”

I swear, lately it’s one bad thing after another. Scanning through all the pages, I noticed the decline at all my portals, not just the two that were down.

“I think word is getting out that your portals are having problems.”

She’s most likely correct. Imagine there was one airline that kept having issues. It doesn’t matter that it was only two planes that had the problems; after a while, people are going to stop trusting that airline.

Scratching my chin, I come up with a quick solution.

“Start a campaign that portal two is now back up and running. And for a limited time, if you come through that portal, you get a five-hundred-dollar voucher to spend at my casino and free drinks.”

Yeah, that comes out of my pocket, but the money I’d lose would be worth it to get my numbers back up. Unina pulls out her phone and makes a few calls.

We spent about forty minutes setting up the marketing for the eastside portal and spreading the news about the voucher. Once we’re done, she gathers the papers on my desk and heads out the door. She bumps into Conah on her way out.

“What do you have for me?” I ask my ambassador as soon as Unina shuts the door behind her.

“My source tells me Gadiel had a private meeting with a human three days ago. It could’ve been about the death mark.”

My veins ignite with my anger. There will be no saving Gadiel if I find out he placed that mark. Standing, I slip my coat off and toss it on the back of my chair. I don’t want to get blood on it when I beat the soul light out of Gadiel’s ass.

“Let’s go pay him a—” my words are cut off when I feel the racing of a heart in my chest. I know it isn’t mine. It’s the same feeling I got the night the drudge attacked Nasiah.

“Raziel?” her voice echoes through my brain. I look at Conah and without saying a word, he and I disappear into the void.