Soulbound

14. Ashe

This is the best thing I could have done, the only thing that made sense in the short amount of time that I had to decide.

It was not like I had any forewarning.

The witches at headquarters had sensed the backdoor open up the moment it pulled me through the Veil. Once Public Affairs got involved, the path would only lead them back to Dani's apartment. Even if the secret of my ring somehow remained hidden, they would know who she is at that point.

At best, they would suspect that she was an unregistered witch practicing forbidden magic. They would pry into her routines as they assess her threat potential, but our laws would not allow them to act in broad daylight or without probable cause. The Tribunal loved their legalities and paper trails but the dirty work they often left to the shadows, and while Public Affairs usually dealt with trivial domestic disputes and with keeping the supernatural out of the public eye, only Reapers were authorized to carry out executions.

The balance scales and the sickle. Two arms of the same regime upholding the Tribunal's decree of secrecy in two very different ways. One keeping order by day, the other dealing death warrants at night.

At worst? They would uncover my secret. There are far worse fates than death for a demon bound to a soul ring, and although Dani's death was the quickest way to break the binding magic and return my life to normal, I knew it was not that simple. The ring would not let that happen.

Burning her apartment down was tempting, but that would only raise further suspicion and risk garnering the attention of humans. I might as well turn myself over and save them all the trouble with an obvious signal fire like that. No, bringing her here was the only way to keep my ring safe. It was also the only way I could guarantee that she would not summon me again. I got lucky today, but I doubt my luck would hold out now that she was on their radar—even if they did not fully know what it was they were searching for, yet.

Keeping her here until the threat of discovery passes? Well, I'll figure that part out eventually.

This is stupid. It was hard to argue with that logic, and it was not like I exactly thought this situation through. But what choice did I have?

“Do you have anything to drink?”

I look over at Dani, who has been sitting stiff-backed on the couch ever since we got to my apartment. Right, I should probably be hospitable or something.

“You good with whiskey?” I glance at Catalina's wine fridge in the corner. “Or wine?”

“Is alcohol all you ever drink?”

“Mostly.” I shrug as I make my way into the kitchen. “And coffee, on occasion.”

I had actually taken a liking to drinking coffee over the last six months. It was like a dose of normalcy, grounding me in a world that was constantly shifting, and my time at the café was the closest to being human that I had felt in a long time.

Dani helped with that, too.

I grit my teeth at the thought. This has gone far beyond harmless fantasies now. I may have indulged in the fascination of not being able to read her mind, allowing myself to enjoy the mystery of not knowing her innermost thoughts and desires as any mortal would, but it only served as a frustrating handicap now.