Chapter 5

With a roar,Leviathan ran toward us.

Only to slam into the circle's invisible walls.

Baring his sharp teeth, he brought his hands up. Dark magic enveloped his arms and rushed to the circle.

Hazel gritted her teeth and placed a hand on the circle. Bright light shone from it, and Leviathan stumbled back, dazed with her magic.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

The demon was here; it had worked. Nothing had gone wrong.

She glanced at me. "Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"He's stronger than I thought he was," she started. "The moment he realized what was happening, he fought me. To bring him here, I had to tether him to here, to something here, more specifically, to someone."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry, but I ended up binding him to you."

"WHAT?"

At that, Leviathan stilled. He had been paying attention to what we were saying. Slowly, his demon form faded. In less than five seconds he went from being an ugly beast, to an annoyingly handsome man, who was wearing only pants.

And nothing else.

His body was pure, well-chiseled muscles.

I silently reprimanded myself for noticing.

"I'm sorry," Hazel said, looking from me to him, and back to me. "I didn't mean to. I thought it would be a line from there to here. But with him fighting me, I ended up using too much magic and I might have recited a word or two wrong."

Leviathan crossed his big arms in front of his naked, ripped chest. "I can feel it," he said through gritted teeth. "The bond."

Hell, I didn't want to be bound to him. "Can you undo this?"

"I think so." Hazel looked at Khalisa. "I'm sure the both of us can do something to reverse this."

Khalisa answered her, but I wasn't listening anymore. My eyes met Leviathan's and I felt it then, the bond. It was faint, a tiny tug in my chest. Shit, this was real.

"I'll kill you, sweetheart," he said, half-charming as he had been before, half-dead serious.

I was sure he would.

"I don't think you can hurt her," Hazel said.

I snapped my head at her. "What do you mean?"

"The bond would stop him. I felt it when it was happening. If he kills you, he'll die too."

My eyes became two saucers. "Does that apply to hurting too? He can't hurt me without hurting himself?" She nodded. "And vice versa?"

"I'm not sure. I bounded him to you to get him here, not the other way around."

Oh, that gave me an advantage, didn't it?

I approached the circle, standing half an inch from its outer ring. "You want out of there?" He didn't say anything so I went on. "Here's the deal: You'll grant my wishes, help me get my wings back and find Molraz."

His eyes fumed. "The first time, you asked me to find your wings, not to help you get them."

"Things changed," I said, feeling rather smug. "Grant my wishes, help me with them, and then I'll have my friends break the bond. The faster you help me, the faster you'll get rid of me." I paused for effect. "Deal?"

He paused for longer. His jaw tensed. His eyes darkened. "Deal."

"You can let him go," I told Hazel. She hesitated. "You said it yourself; he can't hurt me."

Nodding, she closed her eyes and brought her hands up. She chanted something in her witchy language. The glow of the witch's circle shone again for a few seconds, and then it was gone. The lines had all disappeared too.

Leviathan fixed his eyes on me.

His dark claws and black eyes were back as he let out a roar and lunged at me.

I stepped back, my stomach clenching.

But he never got to me.

Leviathan stood frozen, his open claws half a foot from my throat, his eyes fuming, his teeth snapping. He struggled against the bond's invisible magic.

I relaxed a little bit. It worked. He really couldn't hurt me.

Sean raised his sword. "Stop!"

"He can't hurt her," Hazel reminded him.

"He might not be able to, but he can be a prick and scare her," Sean said.

I stood tall. Me, scared? Oh, I wouldn't let them see that. "There's nothing you can do."

He pushed against it one more time. With a deep growl, he stepped back and lowered his arms. The claws and the black eyes disappeared.

"I'll get you for this, sweetheart," he said with a snarl.

"As long as it's after we find my wings and Molraz, I don't care." I kind of cared. My next step would be to restore my magic somehow, but that was further down the list.

"Do you think this bond can stop me?" He glared at me and Hazel before turning his back on us and walking up the stairs.

I watched in horror and started after him. No, he couldn't leave. He would help me, he had to help me.

Hazel put an arm out, stopping me. "Wait."

I frowned at her but did as she told me.

Khalisa, Sean, Hazel, and I waited in tense silence for several minutes. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Leviathan stomped down the stairs again, his hand rubbing at the center of his chest.

He set his deadly gaze on Hazel. "What the hell did you do to me, witch?"

"It's the bond, and it was unintentional," she said. "When I tethered you to Ariella, I had to pull hard and short, so you would come. You can't go far from her."

"He can't?" I asked, perplexed. "What happens?"

"It fucking hurts." He continued rubbing at his chest, the same spot where I had felt the faint tug of the bond.

Ha, so I had the advantage even there? This sucky night was turning out to not be so bad after all.

"Ready for my wishes, then?" I couldn't help it; I was feeling smug. He groaned in agreement. "I wish you to find my wings and the demon Molraz, and help me get my wings back."

"And my payment?"

"I'll release you from your bond." I glanced at Hazel and Khalisa. "Right?"

"Right." Hazel nodded. "We'll work on it."

"Thanks." I turned back to the demon. "So?"

"Have you thought this through, sweetheart?" the demon asked. "What if your wings have been destroyed? What if you have been searching for something that doesn't exist anymore?"

I frowned. "I would know. I know you won't understand, but I would know. It would be like a human losing a leg. The leg is gone; there's nothing you can do about it. But with my wings … I know they are out there. Their magic is intact." I lifted my chin and repeated, "So?"

Leviathan's eyes turned all black and he inhaled deeply. I thought he was ignoring me. I snapped my hands in front of his eyes, but nothing happened.

"I think he isn't here, child," Khalisa said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I think his body is here, but his mind isn't. He has gone somewhere else to grant your wish."

"What?"

"He stepped into a portal?" Hazel asked. "But inside his mind?"

"Something like that," Khalisa said.

I didn't get it, and honestly, I didn't care, as long as it worked.

Finally, after a few minutes that had felt like an eternity, Leviathan blinked and his eyes turned their normal blue again.

"I saw your wings," he said, sounding less murderous. "They"re on display in a mansion in San Francisco."

"Are they intact?" I asked eagerly. He nodded. "California?" I had been around that area before, searching for clues. But I guess without someone who could see my wings, I would never find them. He nodded. "And the demon?"

"I saw him but couldn't pinpoint where. But don't worry, we'll find him."

"How?"

"Just trust my magic, sweetheart." He placed a hand over his chest again. "Are we done here?"

"Yes—"

He walked away before I could finish my sentence. I stared as he went up the stairs and pointed to him. "Won't he feel the pain again?"

Hazel walked up to me. "He must have gone farther. I think upstairs is okay. He might feel the pull tighten, but not hurt."

If he hadn't been a demon, if he was a nicer character, I would have felt empathy for him, for having this unwanted bond. But I didn't. With his wish-granting powers, he must have taken advantage of a lot of people. This was some kind of punishment, and he deserved it.

"Thank you," I told them. "For the first time in the last five years, I'm hopeful."

Hazel offered me a small smile. "I'm glad to help. I'm just upset I messed up the spell."

"It's better this way," Sean said. "Then he can't hurt her."

I nodded.

Khalisa approached us. "Find your wings, child, and don't worry. While you're gone, we'll find a way to break the bond."

"We'll also research how you can recover your magic," Hazel said.

My heartstrings tugged. "That would mean a lot. Thank you."

After a quick goodbye, I walked out of the shop. Since it was past midnight, the French Quarter was quieter, but not completely asleep. A few bars and suspicious shops were open, and a dozen people walked down the street.

I glanced around, searching for Leviathan.

"Right here, sweetheart," he said from behind me. He leaned on the shop's wall, his arms crossed. Like a snake, he slithered to me.

I held my ground, not wanting to show him that despite knowing he couldn't hurt me, he scared me. "Ready to go?"

He flashed that sinful half grin of his. "As much as I know you're enjoying the view, I need some clothes, sweetheart. Then, we can go."