“Ursula.” The lord’s rough voice boomed through the hall, echoing off the rock.
Fear twisted her gut. She concentrated on straightening her spine. Kester had taught her not to show fear to a demon or god. It only brought out their primal instincts, and the next thing you knew, they were pinning you to the ground, teeth at your throat.
“Why have you brought me here?” She worked to steady her voice.
“You think I wanted one of Emerazel’s dogs here? Like I had any choice in the matter?” His rage thinned the air.
Despite everything she’d learned about showing confidence, she took an involuntary step back.
“I don’t understand.” She was trying to make sense of his words. Nyxobas had struck a deal with Emerazel—he’d been a willing part of the bargain. She was supposed to stay with him for six months of every year. “If you didn’t want me, why did you make a deal with Emerazel?”
Silence descended on the cavern. Tendrils of black magic gathered around him, undulating from his powerful body like serpents. “You are mistaken,” he said at last, rising from the swirling darkness.
Violet light washed over pale eyes, chiseled features, and a body of pure, thickly corded muscle.
Ursula choked down a scream. Bael. So that was the lord Cera had been talking about. She’d been scared of Nyxobas, but this might be worse. She’d seen him fight, and right now, she could feel his raw power rippling over her skin. Once a demon like Bael decided you were his enemy, that was it. You were dead.
And the truth was—if anyone had a reason to hate her, it was Bael. She’d forced him to sign over his soul to Emerazel. Nyxobas had been furious—in fact, the damage to his manor was probably the night god’s doing. Bael was lucky to be alive at all.
And that had all been Ursula’s fault.
Cold fury glinted in his eyes, which darkened from gray to black. That’s not a good sign. When a demon’s eyes turned black, it usually meant they were about to rip someone’s heart out.
Her back was to the stone bridge. She stood, trapped between an enraged demon and a bottomless chasm. So that’s why he didn’t reveal himself earlier. He’d wanted to wait until she was most vulnerable.
“You stole a soul from me, Ursula.” Venom laced his voice. “And left me to die.”
Yeah. She was definitely on his enemy list. And now, as she stood before him in a flimsy dress and heels, without a sword to defend herself, he was going to exact his revenge.
Panic sunk its claws into her chest, and a buried memory flitted through the recesses of her mind. Something about his cold fury was familiar. Had she seen him before? Did F.U. know Bael, and was she warning Ursula away?
Run, Ursula. Run before he rips you to pieces.
She turned to run—one step, two—then her heel caught on the hem of her dress. At the edge of the cliff, her arms windmilled in the air as she teetered at the edge of the abyss.
Time seemed to move in slow motion, and the void pulled her over the edge. How long would she fall before she hit the ground? Two seconds? Five? The impact would knock the organs from her body. A burst of light. Then raging fire as she began to burn in Emerazel’s infernos.
Or maybe there was no ground, and she’d fall forever, trapped in Nyxobas’s hell of unending darkness.
As she plunged over the cliff, powerful magic rushed around her, then strong arms enveloped her, trapping her. Bael. He pulled her back from the brink, his eyes still black with fury. On the cliff’s edge, he pinned her arms to her sides.
He was going to kill her. He just wanted to do it his way.
She brought up her knee, striking his groin, and his dark eyes widened, his grip loosening just enough that she could slam her fist into his Adam’s apple. Stunned, he stepped back.
She yanked up her dress, and ripped the corkscrew from her knickers.
If she thought Bael had been surprised before, he now looked like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead.
“Do you mean to attack me, hellhound?” he snarled.
In a blur of black magic, a tattooed arm gripped her throat, powerful fingers encircling her neck. He was about to choke the life from her.
She jammed the corkscrew into his forearm, and he let out a roar, his fingers tightening.
She ripped the thing from his flesh again, before bringing it down a second time. Bael dropped his hand. But in a movement so swift she nearly missed it, he snatched the corkscrew from her grasp. Growling, he flung it into the chasm.
Her heart thudded. There goes my only weapon.
In the next second, his arms were around her again, pinning her in a vise-like grip. “Are you quite done?” A cold fury laced his voice.
Adrenaline blazed through her veins, but as much as she strained, she was stuck fast. She stared up at him. Gods, he was enormous. “You know that Emerazel will send someone to avenge me. If you kill me—“