Chapter 40
That night, Elise fell into a most deserved rest. She spent the long hours of slumber with a smile, dreaming of Kurt. Morgaine and Sebastian found their way into her dreams that blessed evening as well, but it was the memory of Kurt that kept her so peacefully asleep.
After Morgaine had left, Elise had little to say to Sebastian.
She was far too exhausted to make sense of whatever it was between the two of them.
She went straight to her room and changed into the first clean clothes she could find.
Then, sooner than she could remember, a most welcome sleep had claimed her.
She rested so peacefully that one might have guessed no demon or creature of the sort lingered anywhere near her worries.
The inclement weather reached Metz once more, and thunder rolled across the dark sky. But in Elise’s room, she lay blissfully unaware of the tempest outside and the troubles drawing ever closer.
As fortune would have it, her ever-faithful guardian was sensible enough to wake her with a loud caw before danger reached her room.
“Kurt?” she murmured, blinking awake.
But it was no duke who had come to surprise her. Elise’s eyes flew open to a curtain of smoke. She lurched upright in bed, her heart pounding as she searched for the demon responsible.
“I know what you did,” Seth whispered.
Before the smoke had fully cleared, he emerged from the clouds of Hell. His dark eyes settled on her, as though torn between anger and longing.
Elise was on her feet at once, clutching her thin chemise around her. Her bare feet felt the warmth rising from the floor as the demon made his way toward her.
Seth’s usually immaculate hair was wildly tousled, his breath came quick, and his eyes held an intensity Elise had never seen before.
His jaw tightened as his gaze fell to the neckline of her chemise. It lingered there for the briefest moment before drifting to her hips. Only then did he force himself to meet her eyes again.
Much to her alarm, her body answered his presence with an involuntary shiver.
“I told you not to come back. I’ll keep my part of the deal. Just give me one year.”
Seth’s gaze continued to roam over her as steam poured from beneath his cape. Something in his demeanor felt unfamiliar, menacing.
“That’s not what brings me here,” he said, now standing only a few inches from her.
Elise lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
“Why are you here, then?” she asked, wondering if this visit had something to do with their kiss and whether he had indeed come back for more. But she did not have to wonder for long as Seth was not one for small talk.
“You used your powers to aid Bromheim in this war.”
“I did not.”
Seth shook his head with the faintest smile.
“That man was meant to die. As an Oracle, your duty is to remain neutral.”
Elise gasped in fear. The words echoed in her mind.
“No,” she managed. “I only wanted to help. Kurt didn’t deserve to die.”
“That’s not up to you to decide.”
His breath brushed her neck as he drew in her scent.
“Besides, you don’t need to go as far to get what you need,” Seth murmured.
As though unable to resist a moment longer, the demon rested his hands on her hips.
Elise stood motionless. Her eyes wide. Her body betraying her for the briefest moment. The nerve of this demon.
They held each other’s gaze for a second before Elise stepped away.
“What are you doing?”
A frown creased Seth’s brow. He swallowed hard and lowered his head. This was clearly an attempt already well beyond his pride.
“It was never my intention to interfere in the war,” she said.
Seth let out a deep breath.
“That doesn’t matter,” he said brusquely. “From now on, you will keep your distance from that man.”
Elise lifted her chin.
“And if I don’t?”
“You already know the alternative…Elise.”
A curtain of smoke swallowed the room. Elise looked for Seth, but he was gone without a trace.
END OF BOOK 1