Heir (Bloodline Vampires 2)

“He almost ripped out your throat.” Malachi’s staring at me like he wants to wrap me up and shove me into a cage. All in the name of safety, of course.

This isn’t an argument I’m going to win. It’s written across all their expressions. I didn’t expect this seriousness from Wolf, but he’s surprised me a lot lately. Or maybe his self-preservation is stronger than his wildness. No one knows for sure what happens if I die, but we’re all convinced it’s bad.

Better to change the subject and circle back when I have an argument that might actually make them hold still long enough to listen. “You were awfully tense when I came in here.”

Suddenly, they all find other things in the room to look at, avoiding my gaze. Alarm bells blaze through my head. “Have they found us again?”

“No. You’re safe.”

“Don’t lie to her, Malachi. She’s not safe. None of us are.” Rylan’s staring out the window as if seconds from stripping and shapeshifting into some animal so he can run as far and fast from this conversation as possible.

If my father’s people haven’t found us and it’s not about last night… What else could possibly go wrong now? I glance from one to the other, finally settling on Wolf. The other two can hold out indefinitely if they decide I need to be left in the dark. Wolf won’t. “Tell me.”

“I—”

“Wolf.”

Malachi’s sharp warning is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Wolf laughs and slouches further into the chair. “Nothing much, love. Just ways it might be possible to break the seraph bond without killing all of us in the process.”

The possibility leaves me breathless. I slump back into my chair, my legs suddenly boneless. “We can do that?”

“Probably not,” Rylan says darkly, still staring out the window. “If it could be done, more people would know about it.”

Wolf rolls his pale blue eyes. “As I was telling you, seraphim were all but legend to most people until this happened. Just because you’ve never heard of a way doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.”

Something almost like excitement flickers through me. “How do we do it?” If there’s a way to remove the bond, then my chance at freedom isn’t gone after all. “What do you know?”

“So eager to be free of us.” Wolf laughs again, a high, mad sound that raises the small hairs on the back of my neck. He drops his foot to the floor and straightens. “I know a guy.”

“You know a demon,” Malachi cuts in. His expression is carefully closed down, offering nothing at all.

I blink. Wait for someone to laugh and let me in on the joke. No one does. They’re all watching me with devastatingly serious expressions on their face.

Demons.

Demons exist.

I don’t know why I’m surprised. Seraphim are, at least according to a number of human religions, the holier counterparts to demons. Considering what my people have done to other supernatural creatures, maybe demons are cuddly do-gooders. I clear my throat, striving to sound like my world hasn’t shifted on its axis yet again. “Are demons trustworthy?”

Wolf gives another of those wild laughs. “They’re demons, love. Demon deals have the reputation they do for a reason. They’re an option of last resort, reserved for the desperate.”

“Ah.” I press my lips together. “Well, we’re desperate. How do we get a hold of a demon?”

Rylan frowns as if deciding to be present in the conversation for the first time since I walked into the room. “You’re serious.”

“Of course I’m serious. I know you think I’m a monster who wants to put a leash on your cock, but I didn’t choose this bond any more than you three did. If it’s not in play, then I have a chance to actually be free.”

“Mina.” I hate how reserved Malachi sounds. He’s studying me with those dark, dark eyes. “Even if your father doesn’t know that you’re part seraph, he will hunt you until he’s dead or you are. He can’t afford to let you escape.”

Because if I can escape, supposedly powerless bastard dhampir that I am, then anyone can.

I know Malachi’s right, and I hate it. I take a slow breath. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. The bond has to take priority.”

Wolf is watching me, too. For once, the ever-present mocking amusement on his face is nowhere to be seen. “The cost is always high for demon deals.”

I don’t say that I’m willing to pay it. I can’t, not without knowing what it is. “I’m not prepared to rule out any option until we’ve fully explored it.”

Malachi looks like he wants to argue, but Wolf has already jumped to his feet. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Now?”

“No time like the present.” He strides out of the room without a backward look. Knowing what I do of the man, he might be intent on his destination…or he might get distracted and disappear for a few days, only to show back up having totally forgot his intentions. Wolf is as wild as his namesake, and ten times as unpredictable.