Page 3 of The Devil's Canvas

Julian:I am going to kill all of you.

Caleb:It sounds like they’re calling you specifically.

Julian:No.

Adrian:You’re the only one hearing it.

Julian:I hear: "I call to the ones who walk between shadow and flame. Let one who would bargain step forth." That’s not my name.

Owen:Sounds like it belongs to you.

Julian:I am not answering that.

Seth:But you kinda already did.

Julian:I am—

Owen:—Going to kill all of us. We know. Go see what they want first.

I grit my teeth, fingers flexing at my side. I could ignore it. Let the call fade into nothing, let the summoner grow desperate. But I don’t.

Instead, I stand, grab my black wool coat, and follow the pull.

Closing my eyes, I focus. The voice is weak, flickering like a dying flame, barely enough to get my attention. Blood must have been used sparingly. Amateur work.

When I open my eyes, I’m standing in the middle of a room. An office, it seems.

Candlelight flickers against the walls, casting shadows that stretch unnaturally. A man stands near the center, tense but composed, his eyes sharp with something that amuses me. Desperation. It’s always desperation.

I glance at the table in front of him, lined with the expected ingredients—salt, sigils, melted wax, and the faint scent of iron. And surrounding me, carefully drawn on the floor, is the thing that makes me want to laugh.

A demon trap.

Really?

I exhale slowly, shaking my head. Humans and their ridiculous ideas. They watch a few television shows by people who claim to know us, and suddenly they think magic is as simple as drawing a few symbols on the floor.

Just to show him that I am the one in power here, I step forward.

The man flinches, his confidence slipping as I move freely.

"You are?" I ask, though I already know.

"Cassius Arden," he says.

I lean back, studying him, unimpressed. "Cassius." I let his name settle between us like an afterthought. "What a surprise. And what, exactly, do I owe the pleasure of this intrusion?"

"I want to make a bargain."

"Do you?" My amusement is effortless, bordering on boredom. "And what makes you think I would make a deal with you?"

He doesn’t hesitate. "I have something to offer."

I exhale slowly, watching him. Humans love to think they hold power when they call to us, but Cassius Arden doesn’t understand the first rule of negotiation.

"You seem mistaken, Cassius." My voice is measured, even. "I make the rules. Not you." I pause, letting that settle before I continue. "You came to me. That means I decide the terms. I decide the price. And you, well—" I tilt my head slightly. "You decide whether or not you're willing to pay it."

Cassius adjusts his cuffs, exuding the confidence of a man who believes himself to be in control. "Tell me the price."

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