8. Azrael

CHAPTER EIGHT

AZRAEL

J osephine's breath quickened, and I fought a smile. Her cheeks flushed, turning her into an angel of innocence and desire... right before she fell.

"Focus, Josephine," I coaxed, letting my breath trail over her ear. "Channel your energy. Let it flow through you."

We sat on the cliffs above the Whispering Woods, her back to my chest. The twisted trees of Clauneck's domain spread out in front of us, a land of nightmares, curses, and a hundred other ways for the lucky to die and the unfortunate to continue on in agony.

None of it would touch her. Not one curse would be breathed in her direction. Not a single nightmare would ever enter her head. My mate would know nothing but bliss.

I let my touch wander, skimming higher under her skirt as I instructed her through forming an illusion. "Picture something simple in your mind. Imagine it taking shape."

Her eyes closed, and that tiny wrinkle appeared between her brows. Concentrating. It was almost as sexy as the look on her face when she came. Almost.

I brushed her long hair out of her face and nibbled on her neck. "Let it grow until it's tangible. Until it becomes real."

She leaned into me, a sigh escaping her lips. "I'm trying."

Josephine was a fast learner, and her magic was strong. I suspected she'd master simple manifestations in days instead of weeks or months. By the end of the week, I'd have her summoning and banishing full rooms of illusions, making copies of herself to drive me to distraction...

As if the distraction in my arms wasn't enough.

The night before, after we'd tried out the bath, the bed, and the wall, we'd eaten and returned to bed. She'd fallen asleep, her naked body curled against mine. I'd stayed awake, watching her, memorizing the features of her face and the rise and fall of her chest.

It had felt like a dream. And not one of the nightmares I'd become accustomed to.

But I'd had my moments. I dreamt of her when sleep finally took me. Of losing her, the way I'd lost Hester. Except Hester hadn't been the only sacrifice. Josephine was dead, too, because of some other asshole's plans for her soul.

Not so unlike the plans I wanted to unleash with her.

And I was back in that demon-cursed field, with my sister's lifeless eyes staring up at me.

But not now. I banished the thoughts. Josephine was here, in my arms. Warm and soft and smelling of heaven itself.

And very, very wet.

Higher and higher, I crawled my fingers, her nipples hardening beneath her top. She was trying to ignore me. Trying to concentrate.

I smirked as my fingers reached their destination. She moaned as I circled her clit, her hips rocking and pressing into my hand. I slid a finger inside her, groaning as her warmth and wetness enveloped me.

"That's it," I encouraged, teasing her earlobe between my teeth. "Show me what you can do."

Another finger joined the first, curling inside her to stroke her sweet spot. She gasped, her hands gripping the ground as her head fell back against my shoulder.

"Just like that," I murmured, my free hand trailing over the curves of her body. "Feel it. Let it build, then let it go."

Josephine's lips parted, a breathy moan escaping as her hips bucked against my hand. I watched her face, drinking in the sight of her pleasure. Her skin flushed, her eyes fluttered shut, a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead.

She was so close. I could feel it in the way her body clenched around me. The way her breath caught in her throat. The way her skin heated under my touch.

Next to us, vines sprouted from the cliff-side. Stalks danced wildly as they reached for the sky. Green leaves budded, then unfurled.

Josephine's back arched with her cry, her pussy squeezing my fingers tight. And the vines exploded into a riot of tiny red and white flowers.

I let her ride out her high, my fingers still buried deep inside her. I wasn't fucking done in the slightest. "Good girl," I purred, placing a kiss on the side of her neck. "Very good."

She gasped for breath, her body going slack. "It's getting easier," she panted.

"Mhm. A few more lessons and you'll have a handle on it." My hand still cupped her pussy, my thumb lazily drawing circles around her clit. "Shall we try again?"

"I—"

The portal opening was the only warning we got.

I leaped to my feet, pulling Josephine up with me. The scent of sulfur and rotting corpses hung in the air, at odds with the perfectly pleasant young man standing before us. Youthful. Well-groomed. But his blue eyes were like ice, and the strands of his hair were ghostly white.

Clauneck.

"Azrael, my faithful servant." The demon dipped his head, his tone almost bored. He turned his attention to Josephine and smiled, his lips stretching too wide. "And Josephine, my dear, it seems your beauty only grows. You're a rare gem I must reclaim."

He took a step forward.

The air crackled, heavy with power. My glyphs blazed as fire raced through my veins. I threw every ounce of power into slamming a barrier between us. The force knocked Clauneck backward a step. A single fucking step.

His gaze narrowed, and for a fleeting moment, a sliver of surprise flickered in those icy depths.

But he didn't stop.

His laughter echoed off the stones, high-pitched and manic. His hands swirled, tracing sigils of power and casting spells as he stalked closer. The air shuddered around us. The grass withered and died.

"Such a protective boy." He shook his head, the amusement slipping from his face. "The last one, by the looks of it."

My entire focus zeroed in on Clauneck, the world fading to nothing around us. I poured all of my anger, all of my hate, into my magic. I had to keep him away from her. Had to protect her.

I delved deep into my power and burned through my glyphs. A trickle, that was all I needed. Just enough to crack through reality.

The portal opened behind me. Behind Josephine.

I glanced over my shoulder and mouthed two words to her. "Find Veridian."

Then I threw out my arm and shoved her through.

The portal snapped shut, cutting off her scream.

Clauneck's face contorted with rage. "You dare?"

His power shattered my barrier and slammed into me. The bond of reaper to demon, forged centuries ago, flared to life. White-hot agony ripped through my body as the world spun around me, the cliffs dissolving. The ground disappeared from under my feet, and I was tumbling through darkness.

I landed on my knees with a sickening thud, pain lancing through my bones. My breath came in ragged gasps, my head swimming as I tried to get my bearings.

When my vision cleared, I found myself in Clauneck's palace. Gold-leafed walls, jewel-encrusted floors, and the stench of suffering.

That bastard sat where I'd tasted Josephine. I snarled at the memory-polluting fucker in human skin.

"Defiant to the last." Clauneck's voice dripped with disdain. He stepped down from the throne and circled me, each step deliberate. "I should have known you'd try something foolish."

I gritted my teeth, fighting to breathe through the pain. "Go to hell."

"Did you really think you could outsmart me, Azrael? I made you. I own you." He knelt before me, his face inches from mine. "But don't fret. You haven't ruined anything. I've been meaning to pay our old seer a visit, anyway."

A muscle twitched in my jaw, my anger bubbling beneath the surface. I locked it down tight, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing me lose control.

Clauneck's eyes glittered with malice. "Perhaps I'll let Veridian's soul keep your sister company. Hester's been so lonely, after all."

Icy fingers closed around my heart, my pulse thundering in my ears. I had to get out of his grasp and back to Josephine. I trusted Veridian would serve her role as seer, but I could only hope that role included Josephine's safety. Hester, Veridian, even my miserable fate—none of us survived without my mate.

"She's quite remarkable, my stolen bride," Clauneck mused. His lips curled into a cruel smile. "Such untapped potential. And those lips... I look forward to molding her into something truly spectacular."

Rage boiled within me, giving me strength to lift my head. "You won't touch her."

He smiled, all teeth and no warmth. "I won't have to. She'll come to me willingly once she realizes what's at stake. Your sister's soul. Your miserable existence."

I lunged at him, but my limbs betrayed me. Pain shot through me, and I collapsed in a heap. I willed my limbs to obey, to force my battered body to stand. To fight.

But I could only watch as the demon stood and retreated toward his throne.

Clauneck tsked. "Now, now. Let's not make this messier than it needs to be."

With a wave of his hand, a gilded birdcage materialized. It was beautiful and grotesque—delicate filigree work adorned with tiny, screaming faces. I'd seen these cages used to house Clauneck's sacrifices.

Used to hold my sister.

"No," I growled, but it was futile.

Clauneck's power wrapped around me like chains, dragging me toward the cage. I fought with everything I had, but it wasn't enough. Never enough.

The door clanged shut behind me. Clauneck's face appeared between the bars, his smile cruel and victorious.

"Keep the space warm for Josephine, won't you?"