Everyone laughed. “And, since I have all of your attention, I might as well keep this going. We have a major complication. One that involves our little darling over there.” Dom gestured toward me.
I knew at that moment what he wanted to say. “I—I don’t know if I should be here for this,” I said, my heart twisting.
“Emma,” Dom stated, “they can’t hear us in here, and besides… none of us fear him more than we fear doing our job incorrectly.”
“What is this about?” Alaine questioned.
“Yeah, Dom. Just spit it out already,” Malachi added, and everyone agreed.
“Lucifer has bound Emma with an unbreakable oath. He made her agree to bond with Ethon before her transformation, and told her that if she speaks of it to anyone… they will die.”
“Is this true?” Kade asked, turning toward me.
With tear-filled eyes, I nodded.
“No, no, no. That is not going to happen,” Alaine huffed.
Kade disagreed. “If he bound her, she has to fulfill her word. I’ve heard stories of those who didn’t keep their pacts with Lucifer. They suffered horrible deaths, which could not be stopped because they were bound to him. Once you make a deal with the Devil… it’s sealed.”
“Emma,” Alaine turned to me and spoke so softly. “Did you make such a pact with Lucifer?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“Why? Why in God’s name would you do that?” Malachi asked.
I turned and looked into Kade’s eyes.
“He threatened to kill him. I wouldn’t allow it because I love him. He already gave up everything for me, so… I did the same.”
“Dammit, Emma.” Kade wrapped me in his arms and held me tight. “You shouldn’t have done that. Your happiness means more to me than anything else.”
“Don’t you see?” I leaned back and looked at him. “You are my happiness. And, if you were ever taken from me, I would never be able to find it again.”
“Sorry to interrupt this unbelievably moving moment,” Alex broke in. “But what about the other dude, Ethon? The bond did choose him too. So now what? What are we supposed to do?”
“I don’t know,” Alaine sighed. “We’ll have to find a way, but this really complicates things. There is something else I need to tell you all, something about Emma’s true birth date.”
“What do you mean my true birth date?” I gasped.
She walked over to me. “To keep your true identity hidden, Victoria and Christian decided to give you another birthday. A false one to celebrate. The date they chose was the birthday of your grandmother, Jane Wilder.”
My mind began whirling with question. “So I wasn’t born on October fifteenth?”
Alaine paused, then looked up at me. “No. You were born July fifteenth, three months earlier.”
“July fifteenth? That’s in a month,” I shrieked, starting to hyperventilate. Everything around me began to spin.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Kade said, steadying me. “I think she’s gonna faint.”
“Holy shit, Alaine. This does complicate things,” Malachi cursed.
“Lucifer must know this, and he’ll be watching, expecting her to seal the bond sooner than later,” James noted.
“I know. We need to find a way to eliminate the pact, no matter what it takes,” Alaine said.
“I don’t think there is a way, Alaine. Unless, she does decide to be with Ethon,” James cut back in. “The bond isn’t just a simple matter. The tie it has between each heart will complicate things, and is something she cannot deny.”
“That’s true,” Dom added. “But it should be her decision, and not forced by some wicked psycho. He threatened her, making her agree to the bond, or he would kill Kade. Shouldn’t there be something within the heaven and hell handbooks that goes against that? Yes, she and Ethon are connected by the bond, but until it is sealed, we still have a chance.”
They all murmured amongst themselves.
“Until such time, we will have to play along. It’s vital they don’t have any inclination that we have this information, and Emma will still have to play her part with Ethon. My greatest fear is that Lucifer will try and find any way to carry out his pact early… by either having her seal the bond with Ethon, or worse. Emma, you will have to separate yourself from Kade as well. I know it will be hard, but it is necessary. They have to believe you will carry out your part of the pact, and should we not find a way… you will have to carry it out.”
“There has to be a way,” Dom exhaled loudly.