Page 44 of Thane's Demon
The world might have believed it was impossible for something of its importance to be guarded by a man like me in a place like this.
My demon pushed forward eagerly, sensing what lay inside. The Heirloom Seal sat there, nothing exceptional to the mortal eye, but pulsing with a dark radiance that only creatures like me could feel.
I reached in and lifted it with both hands, and the energy surged up my arms in a flash of cold, like liquid night racing through my veins. My demon shivered, a low rolling purr rising in my chest as it fed from the power, drinking it in, smoothing its edges with greedy satisfaction.
‘Stronger,
We are stronger.’
It whispered, pleased.
The Seal pulsed once in my grip, as if acknowledging me, then quieted under my will. I pushed my energy into it carefully, binding it tighter, stabilizing its hum until the air stilled once more. It felt like wrestling a storm into silence, a familiar struggle that left my hands tingling long after I placed it back inside the safe.
Yet even as my demon basked in the remnants of power spreading through us, I felt its discontent flicker, sharp and undeniable.
‘Not enough.
Not like her.’
It growled, impatient, andI exhaled slowly, my fingers curling against the open safe. No, it was not the same. The power of the Seal sharpened me, steadied me, fed the creature inside me. But when she touched my hand… when she looked at me with those soft eyes… when she spoke my name as if she were tasting it…
That fed something else entirely.
Something far more dangerous that frightened me more than any relic or enemy ever had.
I closed the safe gently and rolled my shoulders, letting the faint hum of leftover power settle under my skin. The room felt different now, the air heavier, my body coiled with both strength and frustration.
Then my phone pinged.
My heart reacted before my thoughts did, a sharp spark of hope flaring through my chest. Her. It could be her. Another message. Another moment I had no right to want but craved anyway. I pulled the phone from my pocket, already bracing for the warmth that would follow seeing her name on the screen.
Instead, my brow tightened.
Not her.
My employer.
The irritation that swept through me was instant and absolute, clamping down on the fragile thread of anticipation that had risen so easily inside me. I opened the message unwillingly, already predicting the words.
Is the job done?
Report to the club. Now.
I stared at the screen, a growl slipping beneath my breath before I could bite it back. The last thing I wanted tonight was that world. That noise. That blood-soaked velvet nest of greed and power, and the criminals who worshipped both.
But I would have to go. If only to end whatever loose ends my employer believed existed. My demon grumbled low, displeased, claws scraping against my mind.
‘Waste of time.
We should be with her.’
I slid the phone back into my pocket.
“Agreed,” I muttered under my breath. “But we will get this over with.”
Then we would return to what mattered.
To her.
