6. Syneca #3
As I stared up at the shadowed figure, he moved, leaning forward slightly and his attention landed on me like a weight. Then he stood. And walked away.
Lore yanked the curtain closed.
The question I’d been circling weighed me down. Heavy and maybe even dangerous. But I had to ask. “Is Silas a demon prince?”
The silence lasted exactly two seconds before they both started laughing.
“No,” Lore smiled. “No, he absolutely is not.”
“Though he likes to act like one sometimes,” Dez added. “Grumpy fucker.”
Before I could decide whether to be relieved or more confused, the curtain moved.
A man stepped through.
Tall. Dark skin like polished bronze. Shoulder-length, black hair pulled back from a face that could have sold anything to anyone and made them feel grateful for the privilege.
His burgundy suit was pressed so perfectly around his broad chest, it looked like it was sewn onto him, and Furies, he was beautiful. They all were.
He held a bottle of blue liquid that glowed from within.
Without acknowledging me, he moved to the table and filled the glasses sitting on the tray.
Only when every glass was full did he sit on the arm of Dez’s chair, shaking his head as his attention fell on me.
“What has Si gotten us into now?” His accent matched the others.
The demon extended a hand toward me, dipping his chin in what might have been respect if I wasn’t convinced he was angling for something. “I’m Ramiel.”
Before I could respond, Dez shoved him off the chair arm. “Damn, Ram. Get your own seat.”
Ramiel whirled on him. “For four seconds she held an appropriate amount of fear and respect. You ruined it.”
Dez threw his drink back. “You would have ruined it in seven anyway.”
“True.” Ramiel moved to the chair beside Lore, settling in.
I stayed standing.
Dez leaned forward, refilling his glass. “We were explaining the Underworld to the witch.”
“Were you.” Ramiel’s eyes found mine. Not threatening. Assessing. “Then allow me. Sit. Please.”
“No.”
He lifted a single brow, his gaze sliding to Lore. She shrugged and sipped on whatever he’d poured in the glasses before she answered. “She’s cautious.”
“She’s mean,” Dez corrected.
The demon prince smiled. “I’m sure it’s warranted, given your track record. Have we covered geography?”
“Not much,” Lore answered.
His dark eyes lingered on her before turning to me. “You’re in the center city right now. Kiamond. Neutral ground. But to leave the center, you have to pass into one of the four courts. Ash, Oath, Wraith and Despair. One for each of the four princes.
“Every demon in the Underworld eventually pledges themselves to one court. A pledge gives them access to that territory and binds them to that prince. Protection and belonging in exchange for loyalty.” His eyes locked on mine. “You understand what I’m saying?”
“We speak the same language,” I said, forgetting for a second that he could absolutely murder me. I’d lived this long by a strategic self-preservation plan and apparently had forgotten that. I didn’t back down though. My fear was my own weakness to hide.
The demon prince watched me carefully. “Good. Because you must never break a bargain you make with someone from the Underworld. Do you hear me? Never.”
The weight in his voice made my throat tight. Why would he care? Why would he bother protecting me instead of trying to collect me? Unless his loyalty to Silas was truly more important than power. Which seemed unlikely.
“I’m confident Silas told you to watch your words,” Ramiel continued.
“He meant it. You’re free right now. Your soul is your own.
But if you break a bargain,” he leaned forward.
“Your soul becomes forfeit. And the princes will start a war to own you. You have too much of our stolen power. I can feel it from here. Fury fire. Magic that was ripped from us when they built their veil.”
“Whatever you think you can feel, it isn’t me.”
Ramiel laughed and threw back another drink. “Of course it is. My court is the Ash Court. And your flame?” He gestured vaguely at me. “It’s mostly mine.”
A grimmie darted through the curtains. Tiny black puffball in a blue bowtie with a gold-leaf pin, holding a rolled piece of paper. I was immediately smitten. No wonder Pip was obsessed. Those big eyes found mine and my heart stopped just as he looked away, zipping toward Dez.
He broke the seal, read the message and smiled. “There’s the Si we all know and love.”
Lore leaned over his shoulder. “That’s a death threat.”
Dez burned the paper with a candle from the table. “It’s a love note. You just have to read between the lines.”
“How does he know you’re here?” Ramiel asked, though he didn’t sound particularly concerned.
Lore hesitated. Then, quietly: “She’s bound to him.”
All eyes turned to me.
I said nothing of the bond or the bargain, simply stared right back.
Ramiel’s expression shifted into something I couldn’t read. “Of course he did that.” He stood, moving toward the curtain. “This just became infinitely more interesting.”