Page 204 of A Soul to Embrace

Oddly enough, Raewyn was the one to choke out a singular laugh before covering her lips with a fist and masking it with a cough. Mericato, on the other hand, held his throat to stop himself from laughing, before keeling forward with a hiss when pain must have struck his scarred throat.

Ulric shoved up from his table to stand and slammed his hands down on it. “How dare you! I am a respected–”

“A wise man listens before he speaks,” Jabez stated over the top of him. “As I said, this is merelyoneof the things I’moffering. I’ve already explained that my mate is the reason I wish to enter this horrid city, and I will do what is necessary to ensure her safety. I’m even willing to let my justified anger go. At leastIam attempting to make amends.”

He was even willing to be subservient if need be. He had nothing else to lose, and his pride would never falter no matter what he did for them, so long as they treated his tantalising mate well.

Seething, Ulric sat his arse down and folded his arms. “Get on with it then.”

“You are behaving much more calmly now,” Zerik commented.

Jabez smiled to no one at that. “You’ll be surprised how a little rest and a quick fuck can soothe me.”

The old man choked in surprise, while a few others gasped.

Considering the man was cupping his scarred throat once more, Jabez could tell Mericato was attempting to stop himself from laughing again. He signed when his coughing eased, and this time Cleth translated on his behalf.

“At least he’s honest.”

“I’ve been nothing but honest since I arrived in this city,” Jabez stated, looking down at the ground to find that they’d forgotten to power the truth-speaking spell.

They trust me more than they did last time.It likely wasn’t much, but enough to not use the spell or tether him to the ground. That should work in his favour.

“My second offer is that I will give you the answer my mother sought all those years ago.”

His voice echoed in the chamber as complete silence descended upon them. The weight of what he just said was heavy, not just for them, but for him as well. But if sharing his secret was the answer to his and Zylah’s admittance, then so be it.

Raewyn was the one to break the silence. She stood with one of her hands pressed against the surface of her table for support. With her sightless eyes wide, she licked at her lips nervously.

“Are you... are you saying you found the way to aid the Demons in reaching full completion?”

“Yes,” he answered, cocking a brow at the excitement in her tone. “However, I will only share this knowledge with three restrictions. Firstly, only the person who took over my mother’s work will be allowed to know about it. I understand this may make the other councilmembers uncomfortable, but I ask that you have faith I have good reason. Due to the nature of it, I have kept this secret from the moment I discovered it and have not assisted any Demons in their completion. It’s dangerous.”

“You are asking that we are kept in the dark re–”

Raewyn cut Ulric a glare in his general direction to quieten him before leaning forward. “What are your other restrictions?”

“Only I will volunteer for the role. I refuse to allow others to be brought into this, and the fact that my mate has made me deathless ensures this won’t have lasting effects.” When no one disagreed with that notion, he let his gaze dull to indifference. “And, lastly, my mother must never know the answer.”

Raewyn flattened her lips, obviously upset by his third restriction.

“Are you saying you want us to withhold from her the reason she brought you into this world?” Laele muttered quietly. “Even after everything she’s done and lost, you would be so callous as to not answer her life’s work?”

“The fact that my conception was nothing but a tool to further her science means I want her to die never knowing, while understanding thatwehave that answer. I want her to feel regret when she burns on her funeral pyre and greets her death feeling as empty as I have my entire life.”

Raewyn’s features twisted into dismay. Losing her enthusiasm, she sat back down in her chair slowly, with a forlorn expression on her face. Even her pointed ears drooped heavily.

“Ifwe allow you to remain in the city, we can only fully adhere to two of those restrictions,” Cleth stated, their eyes drifting to the upset woman. “Raewyn is the one who took over your mother’s work, and as you can see, she is vision impaired. Her assistant will be required to be well informed in order to aid her.”

Ah, so that’s why she was so excited.Her reaction made much more sense now.

“So long as it remains confidential, I have no problem with her assistant knowing in order to help her,” he answered.

“I must admit, what you’ve stated here this morning is rather convincing,” Teyen commented with her hand cupping her chin. “No wonder you walked in so confidently.”

“I’m not done. I ask that you hear me out fully before rejecting it.” He shot Ulric a death glare, and the bearded man rolled his eyes before turning his face to the side with a childish sneer. “I’m unsure if you’re aware of the devastation that is happening outside your walls, but the Demons have hunted most animals to extinction. They are starving and have resorted to eating each other, regardless of whether they have fully achieved completion or not.”

“We are aware,” Teyen stated, her red eyes narrowing on him.

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