not one of them, so instead of wasting time trying to coerce me into a deal, you should be telling me what you’re willing to do to keep me from telling Salem where you are.”
At the mention of his name, Lilah froze. Her demon guards watched me warily, with Brook staring a little more intently than I was comfortable with. The low, steady growl of the hounds was the only sound.
“Don’t say that name.” Lilah moved with purposeful strides, stopping when I raised a hand to blast her. “You should know better than anyone why I ran. I don’t belong to any man, no matter what fancy fucking claim he thinks he has on me. I won’t be controlled by a bond I have no say in.”
With each word, Lilah’s anger grew until it was palpable. She was suddenly furious, and in a swift motion, she threw the vase I’d scorched. It smashed all over the floor in a mess of scorched flower petals and glass. I’d never seen her anything but calm. Even when we’d fought outside Shya’s house, she hadn’t exhibited such sudden temper. Whoever this guy was, he got under Lilah’s skin in a bad way.
“You killed Veryl,” she shouted at me, pointing a finger at my face. “Now, you think you can take his place? I’ll kill you before I let you hand me over to Salem, even if it means losing my chance to break the curse with your blood. I’ll find another way.”
I grabbed Jez’s hand and formed a circle with us inside. The desperation in Lilah’s eyes was both satisfying and worrisome. She was terrified of this guy and clearly prepared to escape him at any cost.
“What’s with the sudden freak out?” Jez taunted. “This guy must be a pretty big deal to get your panties in such a knot.”
“Oh shut up, Jez. What would you know about being born to exist alongside another, whether or not you want to? There’s a reason twin flames are so rare. They are not a gift but a curse of the worst kind.” Lilah approached my circle and placed her hands on it. She flashed a grim smile at me. “Veryl’s files didn’t say that, did they?”
“A curse?” I sputtered through the shock and denial. “A twin flame union only happens for a reason. It’s meant to be. There’s something special in that.”
“Special?” She smirked. “Bound to another against your will. United through forces you cannot control. Unable to escape them no matter how far you go or how many names and faces you wear. To hate that person as much as you love them. Oh, and how you love them. So much you start to hate yourself. And, for what? To be manipulated into fulfilling some horror-filled destiny? Not a damn thing about that sounds special to me. The chosen ones, us, we’re meant to suffer. This is no gift.”
Her words struck a chord deep in me. She described so well things I had felt even when I hadn’t been willing to admit it to myself. She knew. Still, she was wrong. She had to be.
“Don’t listen to this bitch, Lex. She’s a demon, otherwise known as a deceptive liar. She’s trying to get inside your head.” Jez squeezed my hand. The fierceness in her eyes reminded me why we’d come here.
“If it wasn’t a curse, why would light and dark be joined to one another? They can never truly become one. One will always devour the other. What kind of sacred purpose would join a demon to an angel? Or, a vampire to a mortal?” Lilah looked at me pointedly, and for just a moment, I saw a flicker of the sadness I’d seen in her once before. “When love is always pain, it ceases to hold any meaning.”
“I don’t believe that.” I shook my head, unwilling to accept it even as I heard the truth in her claim.
I couldn’t let Lilah put doubts in my head. She wanted to appeal to any weakness I might have. I would not let her find one.
In a bold move that I didn’t take the time to think through, I dropped the circle and hit Lilah square in the chest with a blast that sent her tripping over a hound. She recovered quickly, glowering at the demons who stood by watching.
“This isn’t blackmail. I have nothing to gain from you. I don’t care who he is to you or what you think of it. Stay away from