Released (Eternal Balance) - Jus Accardo Page 0,3

the sound of it stirred something primal in Azi. The demon took a step closer to her.

Heckle sighed. “As I said, Azirak would have to leave of its own accord.” He glanced toward me. “Is that a possibility?”

A rush of images flashed before me. A swarm of pictures involving the witch Sadie Gray—also known as Malphi, Azi’s intended mate. They ended with the memory of me, wide-eyed and furious, standing over her bleeding corpse. “No,” the demon said. The tone left no room for argument. No room for forgiveness. I’d killed the demoness to save Sam, and in doing so had lost control of my body to the demon.

“Then this conversation is moot.” Heckle folded his arms. “I have a task for you. Something suited for your particular talents.”

“A task?” Sam balked. “Are you high? It’s your fault I have a permanent supernatural target pinned to my back. Because of you, I have to sleep with one eye open, and Jax—”

“Enough,” Heckle said. He appeared calm, but Azi sensed an underlying storm. “You belong to me. Both of you. You each made a bargain, and you will fulfill your end of it.”

“I made no bargain with you,” Azi said calmly.

“But the body you’re currently residing in did. Therefore, you are bound by Jax’s word.”

I took satisfaction from the demon’s ire. Keep me locked away in my own body? Well, fuck you then.

Suck it up. I gave him my word. His help in exchange for my service. Nothing you can do about it.

But the demon didn’t see it that way. Fury filled me, a barely contained simmering rage. My hand came up and wrapped tight around Heckle’s neck. “You dare conspire to enslave a royal of hell?”

Heckle was silent for a minute. He blinked once. Twice. Then, with a sigh, he pried my grip from his neck with alarming ease and had our positions reversed. “Don’t push me, Azirak.” His voice still rang with the utmost calm, but the demon’s enhanced senses afforded me a glimpse of something deeper. Heckle was not one to be fucked with. Under his mellow exterior lay unparalleled raw power. “If you wish to remain in control, you will keep Jax’s end of the bargain.”

“As you wish. But I will do nothing that puts myself, my clan, or the Pure in danger.”

Then leave. You being here puts Sam in danger.

The demon ignored me, calm on the outside, but on the inside, the rage was palpable. It was barely able to refrain from lunging at Heckle again.

Heckle adjusted his shirt. “Now then. The task is simple. Recover the Brim Stone and bring it to me.”

“Brim Stone,” Sam repeated. She tapped the side of her chin and chewed on the corner of her lip, while at the same time stealing a glance at the still-frozen carnivus. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“Because it’s the stone that enabled Malphi to tap in to the Gray line’s magic.”

“Wait.” Sam’s eyes grew wide. “If it’s the stone Malphi had, and Malphi is dead, then who has the stone?”

Heckle pinned her with a pitying frown.

Sonofabitch…

She blew a stray hair from her face and rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotta be shitting me…”

“I wish I were.” He sighed. “I’m afraid a grievous oversight on my part allowed Malphi’s stone to fall into the enemy’s hands.”

Sam’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, but Azi wasn’t interested in anything she had to say. Suspicion swelled, and the demon focused on Heckle. “And what do you want with the stone?”

“As you can see…” Heckle hitched a thumb over his shoulder at the carnivus. “Something is just a bit off.”

He was right. Azi’s memories swirled, and I knew that carnivi, like most other creatures that inhabited hell, were unable to cross to this plane. At least, not on their own. “How did it come to be here?”

“You can thank Zenak,” Heckle said. He flicked a finger at the beast, frowning. “And there’s plenty more where that came from. I’ve gotten reports from all over Harlow. These things have been running rampant around town for the last few days.”

Sam snorted. “I call bullshit. If that’s true, how did we not know? I work in a bar for crap’s sake. If there are rabid dog-beasts the size of Toyotas running around, people are gonna talk.”

Heckle rolled his eyes and fixed his gaze on me. “You’ve been a bit preoccupied lately…”

Asshole has a point…

Azi ignored me. “And you believe this is Zenak’s doing?” My muscles tensed, my body’s natural reaction to