Shadowdance(128)

“All right,” she said, with a calm she did not feel.

Again came the mad gleam in the fallen’s eyes and the disturbing smile of triumph. “Then let us perform the bond and complete our bargain.”

A knife appeared in his hand, the move so quick she didn’t see it. He sliced through his palm and then hers, the burn of the cut but a blink in her mind before he grasped hands with hers and held tight. As their blood mingled, Amaros gave his bond.

“Now,” he said when he’d finished, “give me yours.”

The words tasted like filth in her mouth. “By this blood, I am your slave.”

Instantly something snaked around her neck, coiling tight and choking off her air. She struggled for a breath, and then the tightness eased, until it felt as though she simply wore a collar. Which she did. Unable to resist, Mary touched her tender neck. It was smooth, but sensation rippled beneath her skin.

Her hand shook as she let it fall.

“Lovely,” Amaros breathed as he fingered the hollow of her neck.

Mary’s skin crawled. More so when he leaned in, his lids lowering with lazy intent.

“Let us see how well this bond truly works.” His tongue ran over the tip of one fang. “Kiss me.”

The demand punched through her like a fist, and she could not stop from leaning forward and putting her lips to his. A sob of despair stuck in her throat.

“Mmm, like you mean it,” he said, as his hand slid inside her torn bodice.

Go numb. Do not think. Numbness was not so easily achieved as before. As his thick tongue filled her mouth, she felt the humiliation of the act down to her soul.

Jack walked into the ancient crypt alone, his footsteps making a hollow sound against the stone. Not a soul moved out of the shadows to stop him. He was, after all, expected. To plead for Mary’s life in exchange for his. But Jack was not so naive as to think either of them was walking out of this hell unscathed. Jack would plead, and Amaros would taunt and torture. Their mutual hate was too deeply rooted for any other outcome.

Physical torture Jack could take. Hell, he’d prefer it. But Amaros would know that as well. What Jack could not stand was the thought of Mary being harmed. His love for her crippled him here.

Only hours ago he’d been swimming in her sweet scent, drowning in her tight heat. Hours. The difference between dawn and dusk.

“Piss and shit.” He halted, unable to take another step. How could he be strong and still keep her safe?

He couldn’t. The realization surged through him. He had to rely on her strength to get her through. He had to believe in her. Just as she believed in him.

Following her scent, Jack ended up before a pair of massive metal doors. Iron. Lovely. On either side stood a guard. They did not look at him, but immediately opened the doors.

A vast underground hall spread out before him and, in the flickering light of torches, sat a court of demons. Raptors and sanguis. His skin crawled. They eyed him with greedy intent as he strode forward.

Sitting at the far end, like a puffed-up king, was Amaros. And he was no longer an injured fallen. He was a GIM, his golden clockwork heart proudly displayed behind the glass window in his torso. Glowing with health and vigor, his GIM eyes gleamed topaz like Mary’s. How the bloody hell had he managed it? But Jack knew. And it drained the blood from his head.

Mary. She was at Amaros’s side. Jack had expected it, but not to see her in a blood-red gown whose bodice was so low that the swells of her breasts spilled over. But that was not what curdled Jack’s blood. It was the chain tattoo around her throat.

A bonded slave. What had she done?

The floor beneath his feet seemed to sway as he forced himself closer. That chain tattooed about her neck… Blood pooled in his mouth as he bit down hard to keep from shouting.

But Amaros knew too well how it affected Jack, and he draped a lazy arm around her slim shoulders, his fingers dangling just above her breasts. Mary stared at Jack, her eyes haunted and her skin pale. No longer could she pretend indifference, and the knowledge broke his heart.

Jack stopped before them. “I’ve come to offer myself in her stead.”

“Mmm,” murmured Amaros as he began to idly stroke Mary’s shoulder. “Well, that is a problem, for you see, I do not need you anymore.” His fangs flashed. “And I am rather enjoying my new pet. Perhaps I’ll let my court use her too.”

Bile burned up Jack’s throat. He wanted to scream, to lunge and kill the bastard. But he had Mary in his grip. Her gaze burned as though she willed Jack to understand something. But she wouldn’t speak. Likely couldn’t.

Claws dug into Jack’s fists.

Jack took a slow look around the room. He knew these fiends. They’d been party to his greatest humiliation. They’d been Nex. But if Will was correct, they were no longer.