Page 20 of Hell Sent

“Yes. To help me decide whether you pose a threat to me.”

“Oh? And am I a threat, in your estimation?”

Of course she was a threat to him. Allying with a mortal was one of the more dangerous things he’d ever done. But she knew that. She was mocking him.

“You know runes,” he said. “You read the runes in the dungeon when they tried to bind me. That’s how you knew how to break the mage’s spell so thoroughly.”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Are you a mage?”

Her frown deepened. “No. Nothing so glamorous.”

He believed her. She probably would have used magic against him by now if she were capable of it.

He glanced surreptitiously at the shimmering runes staining his palm. He needed her help again, and he had to convince her to give it willingly, because he could not force her to be truthful.

“I would like to amend our agreement,” he said carefully.

She looked suspicious. “How so?”

“I require assistance with this.” He showed her the marks on his hand, and she studied them with great interest—possibly too much interest.

“I was too late,” she said softly.

“What do they say?”

Tentatively, she reached toward his hand. Azreth stiffened as he realized she was going to touch him.

She put a slender finger to his palm. A prickle began beneath her finger and spread throughout his body, raising the hair on the back of his neck, and he resisted the urge to pull away. Raiya pointed to each of the runes one by one, explaining that they meant ominous things like “death” and “promise” and “forever,” but he couldn’t focus on anything but the odd sensation of her touch. Each soft, cool press of her fingertip sent a chill through him.

People in the hells grabbed each other, grappled, bit, and clawed, but they didn’t touch each other like this.

“What do they do?” he asked.

She looked almost sympathetic. “I think it’s a piece of a kind of soulbinding. A spell that will keep you partially bound to Nirlan.”

Memories assaulted him. The cage in the castle. The feeling of his strength draining as he starved. Helplessness. Lord Nirlan’s ugly, patronizing smile as he told Azreth what he envisioned for his future slavery.

He could not let that happen. He could not be helpless again.

“Bound in what way?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s half a spell. Since it was interrupted, I can’t know for certain what the effects are. It could mean nothing… or it could mean that something bad will happen to you if you’re away from Nirlan for too long.”

“Can they be removed?”

“I’m not sure. There may be a way.”

“Help me find one, and I will protect you from the mate you betrayed.”

She looked annoyed, offended by the reminder of her betrayal. “You’re already doing that, remember?”

He closed his hand into a fist, hiding the runes inside. He needed to convince her of his value, but he had little else to offer her. “I will protect you from any other dangers we cross,” he said firmly. “I will ensure that you are fed and sheltered and healthy. I am strong and capable, even in this unfamiliar land. If you do this for me, I will destroy anyone who crosses you. You have my word.”

She just raised her eyebrows, and Azreth feared he hadn’t impressed her.

“Do you doubt my abilities?” he snapped.

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