You promised me you’d look after her.
And I would. But she would perish all the same. Even now, I feel it. Surely you can as well.
I felt it. I’d been choosing to ignore it, but that had gone over about as well as an Uzi in a church. Since I’d confessed the truth, the weight of it had been crushing us. Had been crushing her.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You’re saying you’ll move out? Shuffle off the earthly plane?
Correct. I felt a tremor of amusement. For now, at least.
Because of Sam?
I shouldn’t question it. Never punch a gift horse in the balls, right? But the demon had tricked me before. I wanted to make sure I had this straight.
“Jax?” Sam’s voice cut through my fog, momentarily pulling me from the conversation. “You seem…you aren’t…” An explosion of gray burst into the air.
“Biting it?” Her face paled, and I regretted the joke. “Sorry to disappoint, Sammy. You’re stuck with me for a little while longer.”
She laced her fingers through mine and squeezed once. To comfort me, or herself, I didn’t know. I didn’t care. If what Azi was saying was true, then none of it mattered. I stole a glimpse of the stone, then refocused on the demon.
You were saying?
I am not human, it said. I do not feel things the way you do. But what I do feel for her is immeasurable. My overwhelming desire is to see her happy.
That’s love, I replied, trying to ignore the insane prickles of jealousy. Because, really? What the fuck?
Perhaps. I have felt human love before, through the lives of my previous hosts. It has never been like this.
Sammy and I aren’t like other people.
You are not, it agreed. And maybe that is why I allowed you to live. It bristled and then let out a contented sigh. You are an enigma among humankind, Jax Flynn. And you have my word. As soon as the stone is in your hand, I will depart.
What should I do with it? Zenak won’t have any reason to off me with you gone, but Sam is still a Pure. And what about the half it already has?
Give the stone to Samantha Merrick. She has the power to destroy it.
I’d bet my balls Sam had no clue how to go about that, but I gave an internal nod. And the other half?
That will not be my concern. Once I am gone, you will have to figure it out on your own. To remain and offer aid would mean your demise. Even now, I can feel your essence detaching. We must hurry if you wish to survive here.
There was a moment of hesitation.
You will never be clean, Jax Flynn. You must understand that. Though I will leave you to live out your natural life, you will always be Tainted. My essence will always be with you in some way.
I can live with that.
Good. Then I have but one last request. I wish to say good-bye to Samantha Merrick. Alone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sam
There, only a few feet away in the center of a small grotto, sat a small stone. It was at the center of a formation of rocks that sat on a mound of dirt surrounded by a pool of the clearest water I’d ever seen.
I gave Jax’s hand one final squeeze and started forward. Water splashed, increasing the bone-numbing chill that already racked my body, but I didn’t care. In fact, I’d never felt as numb as I did right then. I wanted to hope for more, to think that maybe Jax was wrong and maybe—just maybe—Van could purge the demon. But I’d seen it in his eyes. Resignation. Truth.
With a deep breath, I reached for the stone, but hesitated. I held my breath, almost expecting some witchy booby trap to come zooming down on us, but when nothing happened, I leaned in for a closer look.
It was beautiful. Deep red and slightly bigger than the one Sadie wore around her neck. “I can’t believe we did it. We beat them here…”
And without further ado, I wrapped my fingers around the rock and lifted it from its prison with great care. It was warm to the touch and felt…right. Like it belonged in my palm. Like it had been made to sit exactly there.
I couldn’t help it. Regardless of what he’d said, despite the fact that Van wasn’t here, I had to try. I was this amazingly powerful thing, right? There was an unparalleled source of energy humming through me. There had to be a way to tap into it. To make this happen.
Stone in hand, I turned to face Jax. He was confused—with his brows drawn in a deep V, he shook his head in a question. I stepped forward and brushed my fingers across his cheek. I let them slide slowly down his chin to his neck, almost lovingly. Then, without giving him warning, I wrapped my hand around his throat and squeezed hard.
“You’re finished, Azirak.” I jammed the stone against Jax’s forehead and closed my eyes. I concentrated like I never had before and pictured Jax—whole, happy, and alive. Free from the demon who’d shadowed his every moment from the second he drew first breath. It wasn’t until I heard a soft snickering that I opened my eyes. “What the—”