too happy about it either, especially with the fact this guy knew too much too quickly. But he was hoping it would work out in their benefit.
“Twice,” he replied. “But I also believe when I possess her every night at sunset that also triggers the original witch’s spell, which has made her magic much stronger than it should be.”
Maksim nodded, his attention fully fixed on Eden. “I see. This is why you feel like a furnace of energy to me. And you’re also half-angel.”
Eden nodded.
“My, my,” Maksim said. “Quite a combination. I can see how it might cause . . . complications.”
Thus the reason for their visit. Time to move this along.
“There’s a tug-of-war going on within her,” Darrak said. “The dark magic and the celestial energy are fighting against each other. It’s a problem, a big one. And it isn’t getting better. Her magic is becoming more difficult for her to control with each day that passes. That’s why we need your help.”
He hated stating it so bluntly. Help us, wizard master.
So weak.
But there was only one alternative Darrak could think of, and he wasn’t ready to go there yet. He could go to Lucifer and beg his ex-boss to save both Eden’s life and her soul.
Hmm, he thought. Let’s make that Plan Z, shall we?
He and Lucifer weren’t exactly on the best of terms. Last time he’d seen the prince, Lucifer had almost destroyed him. Parts of Darrak still stung a bit from the assault. Mostly his pride.
“How does this tug-of-war between your darkness and your celestial energy feel?” Maksim asked.
She grimaced. “Like I’m being torn in two.”
“Does it happen often?”
“Every second day like clockwork.”
“And you’ve only slept together twice.”
“That’s right,” she said with a pointed glance in Darrak’s direction.
Yes, well, the decision to keep their relationship platonic was his doing, which was all kinds of hilarious considering he was once upon a time an incubus—a demon who thrived on sucking the life energy out of humans through hanky-panky.
He’d recently become a one-woman demon. Unfortunately, the one woman he wanted was also the one he couldn’t touch without potentially hurting her thanks to that pesky sex magic spell. He wanted to protect her from further harm and that managed to nicely trump his libido.
The fact they were being inspected and grilled by a smarmy Eurotrash wizard master was proof positive Darrak was more interested in Eden’s future well-being than his own ego-stroking. Or any other kind of stroking, for that matter.
Surprisingly, romance novels had become a nice distraction. Eden had a ton of them on her bookshelf. They were a good enough substitute for the real thing. He was a particular fan of historicals—the hotter the better. Those horny dukes and duchesses really knew how to get it on.
“Okay, enough questions,” Darrak said, his patience running thin. His gaze moved around the large parlor that included floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a leather sofa that looked as if it cost the better part of a small country’s annual budget. Then again, so did the wizard’s designer suit. “Can you help Eden or not?”
Maksim shrugged. “She is a powerful black witch and you are a demon. I don’t understand why you need any help from me. It sounds like the perfect combination.”
Darrak hissed out a breath. “Maybe you haven’t been paying attention. Her soul is at risk, get it? Take a look at her amulet. See that color? I don’t want it to be a shade darker or she’s in danger. The original plan was for her not to use the magic at all, but it’s being sparked—sometimes literally—without any provocation. And that the fight against her angelic side causes her any pain at all—well, that’s simply not acceptable. Now you’re either going to help us directly or you’re going to tell us where to get help. That is, if you know what’s good for you.”
One of his more passive-aggressive threats, but it would have to do. He didn’t want to scare Eden by shifting to his demon form and throttling this puny wizard within an inch of his semi-immortal life.
Maksim cocked his head to the side. “You’re in love with her.”
It wasn’t posed in the form of a question.
Darrak’s jaw tightened. “Let’s stay on topic.”
The wizard’s brows drew together. “Demons are heartless, cruel, without true emotion other than the glee they might feel at inflicting pain upon another being.”