desperate. He jerked Alice around so he could look at her. "Is he telling the truth? Can you bring Audrey back to life?"
Tell him yes, Alice, Ian urged.
I'm an angel, Ian! By nature, we tend to be pretty horrific liars.
Then don't lie. Tell him the truth. You know you can use your powers on anyone. You've broken through your restraints. You can do it if you want to. He sent his confidence into her, trying to help her see what he saw in her. He'd been awed by the immense strength of her powers when she'd given him the golden light. There was no doubt in his mind that she could save the entire world if she wanted to. You know you can.
Alice shook her head, and he felt her denial. You're wrong, Ian. I can't.
Furious, he fought his shackles. Of course you can! Stop living the role that you've locked yourself into! Tell him you can save his sheva and believe you're speaking the truth!
Cardiff shook her with such fierceness that anger tore through Ian. He struggled against his bonds, desperate to get free and help her. Tell him! It's the only way!
Alice swallowed, and Ian felt her summon her courage as she answered the wizard. "As long as her soul didn't die, she's still alive. Just in a different place." Her words rang true, and Ian knew that she'd chosen her words carefully to enable her to speak the truth. She hadn't said she could save the woman, because she believed she couldn't. Ian! I can't bring the dead back to life.
Her words were a fierce denial, but he could feel the faintest undercurrent of hope that he could be right, that she was more than she'd let herself be. You can. Ian shot Cardiff a hooded gaze. "Take the death spell off Alice and the curse off me, and then we'll help you."
"I won't do it unless you free Ian," Alice said quickly. "I don't care if I die. I know what death is, and it doesn't matter if I stay alive unless Ian does too."
Ian's gaze shot to Alice, shocked by her statement. Despite her aversion to dying, she was claiming his future as a condition to her assistance? Something tightened in his chest, something he didn't understand, but it made him want to tear across the room and sweep Alice up into his arms.
"You lie. You're afraid of death. Everyone is—" Cardiff stopped when Alice held up her arm, showing him Ian's brands on her skin.
"We're almost fully bonded," she said. "Of course his life matters to me. How can I live without him?"
The strangest feeling of awe began to roll through Ian. Alice was really fighting for him. It was unreal. Incredible. Something so powerful and inspiring rolled through him, making him want to shout to the heavens that she was his woman.
Cardiff looked sharply at her arm. "The brand has demon taint. What the hell's that?"
Darkness jarred Ian at the reminder of how disfigured the marks were. The ugly black scars marred what should be symbols of the ultimate beauty and purity, marks that symbolized the incredible bond between a male and a female. It was wrong that they were tainted. Just wrong.
As Ian scowled at her arm, he sensed the faintest hint of demon shadows beginning to form around the edges of the room...and that's when he knew. The demon taint in her brand wasn't because of him and the fact he carried a trace of demon in his genes. It was because she was so close to death, so close to being owned by the demons, that they were staking their claim on her, trying to trump Ian's.
Son of a bitch. They were claiming her.
No way. He couldn't allow that to happen. No fucking way.
Tension ran through him as he twisted his arms, trying to get free of the bonds. He needed to liberate himself so he could protect her against the encroaching death, but again, he made no progress. The things were locked down, secured by magic. Shit! The fact that the shadows were there told him that she was about to die again, and they were ready to take her. Had Cardiff made a deal with them? A bargain? How was he going to kill her for good? She always came back.
The door opened and a young woman was carried in by two Calydons that Ian had never seen before. They were strapping and strong, men who were clearly