The Dragon's Bride (A Deal With a Demon 1)

“Do not sniff her,” I hiss.

Briar ignores me. “Your entire argument was that Sol caused potential harm by removing my pendant even though your damned contract didn’t think so and neither did Sol nor I. Since said pendant is now back in place and I am most assuredly not pregnant, by your logic, no harm was done.”

He glares. “I liked it better when you were frothing at the mouth and trying to attack me.”

“I’m glad we’re in agreement.” She straightens. “With that in mind, how does the end of the contract work?”

Now Azazel’s watching her just as closely as I am. “Should I allow you back with the dragon—and that’s a rather large if—then at the end of seven years, I will collect you.” He hesitates, clearly not wanting to continue, but under Briar’s glare, he relents. “And then I would offer you a choice to return to your realm or stay in mine.”

I must make some sound of shock, because he glances at me. “It’s customary, even if we don’t advertise it. The majority of bargainers return to their realm to enjoy whatever it is that they gave seven years for. Only a small percentage stay.”

Briar takes a small step back from the desk. “Thank you for answering. Since we’re in agreement, I’m returning with Sol.”

Azazel shakes his head slowly, a small smile pulling at the edges of his lips. “You’re a terror.”

“Thank you,” she says primly. “In the future, should I need your assistance, I will call.”

He raises his brows and looks at me. “I take it I’m being dismissed.”

Unlike Briar’s new confidence, I’m not certain this will end the way I hope. I nod slowly. “I would like to take my wife home.” A weighted pause. “With your leave.”

For a moment, I think he might deny us simply to do it, but he finally waves at the door. “Take your hellcat and leave.”

I can hardly believe it. I thought for certain I’d be walking into an all-out fight to get Briar back…and not necessarily one I’d win. The cost was more than worth it. Now, Azazel is allowing me to walk out with Briar, an expression on his face that’s somehow both indulgent and exasperated.

For her part, Briar tucks herself against my side. She shoots Azazel a vaguely apologetic look. “I’m sorry for what I said about Eve. I’m sure you two will figure things out.”

I swear smoke actually comes out of his nostrils. “Leave.”

We leave.

Ramanu waits outside the door, that smirking smile firmly entrenched on their face. For once, I don’t want to rip their head right off their body. They motion to a door that wasn’t there when I arrived. “Might as well make the trip home an easier one.”

I don’t argue. The only thing I care about is getting Briar home and then talking through things. I don’t have more clarity about that even if the time apart gave me other angles to look at when it comes to Azazel.

The last thing I want to do is hurt Briar, but she’s also made it clear she won’t allow me to shoulder the full guilt for our misstep. I don’t know where that leaves us. I’m a bit afraid to ask, but we can’t move forward until we work through this.

I truly hope her fury at the demon means she wants to move forward with me.

We step through the door and into the familiar halls of the keep. Briar tilts her head back and inhales deeply. “I missed this. I thought I’d never be able to come back here.”

“Briar—”

She opens her eyes. “We need to talk.”

Chapter 26

Briar

I had a lot of time to think over the past three days, especially after Ramanu tossed me in with Eve, the woman Azazel chose for the auction. I am not the same person who made that demon deal a month ago. A month? It feels like a lifetime. That woman never would have dared go toe to toe with Azazel several times over the past few days.

The woman I was would be able to look into the future and see a life without Sol by her side. She might not have been overly eager to return to the human realm, but she had no intention of staying.

I don’t feel that way anymore.

Sol leads me to the library, and I allow him to pester me into wrapping up with a large blanket and drinking some hot tea. Truth be told, now that the excitement is mostly over, I feel like napping for about twelve hours, curled in a ball while I wait for the worst of the cramps to pass. A little bit of fussing from Sol actually does make me feel better.

Especially when he sinks onto the couch next to me and drapes his arm over my shoulders. I snuggle up to his side, careful not to spill the tea. “Are you stalling?”