Page 25 of Demanding Discord
My jaw tightened, a sense of unease settling in my chest. “Elaborate, please.”
“My persuasion magic didn’t work when I went shopping, and I had to fight a centaur to get out of the store. My fire isn’t working right either.” She lifted a hand and dropped it into her lap, the gesture defeated.
Anger simmered in my gut. Toying with my magic was insult enough, but Lucifer had no clue the wrath he would face for harming my witch. My soulbride.
“I will ensure Lucifer’s demise is slow and relentless for what he’s taken from you.” I shot to my feet, fisting my hands as I paced the length of the bed. “How dare he strip your powers? His head will be the one on a stake.”
“I’m not sure he’s the one who did it,” she said.
I continued my rant. “He thrives on toying with others’ lives. Everything is game to him, but this time, he’s gone too far. This time, I will make him pay. I will raze the entire Underworld in your name.”
“Hey.” She clasped my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. “As hot as it is that you want to burn the world for me, I have another theory. Sit down.”
She tugged me to the mattress, and I obeyed her command despite the inferno raging inside me.
“Lucifer isn’t responsible for my misfiring magic,” she said. “You are.”
I snapped my head toward her, my eyes narrowed. “I would never harm you.”
“Maybe not on purpose.” She sandwiched my hand between both of hers.
“Explain,” I demanded, though my voice came out softer than I expected. Her grip was warm, grounding me, pulling me back from the brink of wrath.
She searched my eyes, inhaling deeply before speaking. “Our bond is doing it. My soul, my magic is tied to yours, like yours is to mine.”
I stared down at our joined hands, the pulse of energy beneath her skin subtle but undeniable. “Fate willed the bond we share. It would not cause you harm.”
“Again, not on purpose. But think about it. When Seraphine hit me with a poison arrow, you felt the effects too. Not because you were hit, but because our souls are bound.”
“You’re saying the stripping of my powers is inadvertently affecting yours?”
She nodded. “At the temple, you tore through Lucifer’s magic and called on your demon, but it wiped you out. You were sound asleep, still recovering, when I tried to call on my persuasion and fire. I couldn’t access my magic because my soul is part of yours now.”
A heavy silence settled over us, realization hanging in the air. Her strength waned when mine did. I tried to steady my breath, but guilt gnawed at the edges of my resolve.
“So every time I falter, you suffer,” I whispered, shame flooding my voice.
“It works both ways.” She squeezed my hand. “That’s the price of a soul bond, isn’t it? We can’t live without each other.”
My chest tightened. “I would never wish this on you.”
She smiled sadly. “Neither would I, but here we are. I didn’t mean to connect us like this. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
“I’ll find a way to break the bond,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “We’ll find a way together.”
“There’s a problem with that.” She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine and sliding a hand behind my neck. “I’m starting to like it…to like you…and I’m not sure I want it broken.”
10
CINDER
Holy Hecate in heels. Did I just admit that out loud? To his face?
More like in his face. I don’t know what came over me, but the vulnerability he was showing, mixed with his touch her and die attitude, had me feeling a lot more than the warm fuzzies.
Neither of us moved. We didn’t speak…barely breathed…as my words sank in. Good goddess, was it true? Did I like being his soulbride? Did I enjoy being so connected, so much a part of another person, that I literally could not exist without him?
Breathing in Hell’s sulfurous air must’ve affected my brain because, yes. Yes, I did.
