The Demon Master's Wife (Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) (35 page)

She blinked and tried to push herself up.
Malachi, get Liam now,
she ordered
.

When Malachi lifted out of her and floated off, Ania fell sideways again, her energy depleted further without the demon’s additional strength accessible to her.

Unsure of how much time was passing, she finally saw Liam run into the room and stoop down to check her.

“Leave me and get the amulet. Put it in the chest. Conor’s spirit is now in it, but he and I are still engaged in a battle for control. I feel his energy screaming at me,” Ania choked out as she was lifted into familiar strong arms.

Synar reluctantly laid Ania gently down again and went to his brother’s body. He stood looking at it long moments. It had been years since he’d seen his brother in the flesh.

Ania saw his hesitation, but hardened herself to Synar’s emotional pain.

“Liam, I know this is difficult, but you must do as I ask,” she demanded. “Conor struggles against my power over him still. I fear blacking out again. If I do, he might escape and find a way back into his body. If that occurs, I may not be able to stop him before he hurts you or others.”

Taking a deep breath, Synar lifted his brother’s body into his arms. He couldn’t help his horror at looking into a face so like his own as he removed the chain from around his neck. Blank eyes stared at nothing while the amulet in his hands vibrated with what was left of Conor.

Lowering the body back to the floor, Synar grieved over what he had allowed to happen, condoned even. By helping Ania do this, he had suddenly become the only male left in his family. The reality was much harder to deal with than he’d suspected it would be.

“Hurry, Liam,” Ania implored, struggling to sit up once more.

Synar stood with the amulet pulsing along the chain dangling from his fingers. He retrieved the chest, opened it, and laid the amulet gently within its depths once more.

There was little sense of fulfilling his destiny. Instead, Synar’s heart was heavy as he closed the lid, sealing the rest of his brother’s fate with his own actions. All he felt was an overwhelming sense of failure as he placed his palms on top of the chest and chanted.

After that was done, Synar turned to look at Ania’s weakened body. He reminded himself he was lucky his mate was still alive. “It is done now.”

“Yes,” Ania said, relieved as the struggle she had been having with Conor’s energy finally eased. She sat up straighter and pushed back her hair. “Your brother’s energy was very strong. It was all I could do to restrain him once he became demon mist. I have more empathy now for what you endured learning to control Malachi.”

Synar nodded solemnly, kneeling beside her, not really comforted by her words.

“Now what?” he asked, his voice hard and devoid of emotion no matter how much he fought to view the situation positively. Grief was a ball of pain in his gut wrapped in the guilt of not having found a better way to stop Conor.

Ania looked at Liam’s sad face and sighed, wishing she did not have to say more, but time was critical. It might already be too late for what she had in mind.

“Now you get to decide whether or not to give me back more of my life,” Ania whispered, trying to be sympathetic to his pain. “I know this is going to shock you, but you can order Malachi into what’s left of Conor’s body. His Norblade physical form will start to decay shortly without a spirit to animate and care for it. Conor is not in there anymore and his shell can be used for a higher purpose.”

Synar looked at Conor’s body in horror, looking at the face so much like his.

“How can you suggest such a thing? You’re asking me to increase my misdeeds by putting the demon into the form of someone who was meant to be his master. It is a sacrilege.”

“Or perhaps it is the destiny of Conor’s empty form to be a demon host,” Ania replied logically, but as firmly as possible. “Open your mind to larger possibilities, Liam. Perhaps this is your chance to make the whole situation in your family more right. I no longer need to carry the demon to live, but Malachi must always have a host. You know how it works. This can be a good thing and save your brother’s form.”

“Did you intend this all along?” Synar asked coldly.

Ania drew away to look him, hurt by the question even though she knew it was reasonable for him to wonder about her motives. She knew Liam didn’t view life as she did, knew his sensibilities would be challenged by her request, but it truly was for a greater good. And it would ensure that all of Conor Synar was preserved one way or another.

“Did I intend to capture Conor’s spirit instead of killing him? Yes. It was in the last book, the one your brother did not get to read, the one you still haven’t read because you are afraid of the truth as well,” Ania said quietly, her voice firm in her resolve to speak as honestly as possible.

Synar looked at Ania in shock, unable to believe she would accuse him of fearing the demon when grief and guilt about turning his brother into one already haunted him. She stared back at him defiantly, almost without sympathy.

“Did I intend to give what was left of Conor’s physical body to Malachi? Not at first, but eventually I did see it as a possibility. I do realize it is a lot to ask of you, but the benefits to both me and Malachi would be great,
and it preserves your brother’s physical body
,” Ania explained. “Can you not see this benefits us all?”

Synar stood and walked away from Ania. “You used information in the books to do this. Now you ask me to defile the dead, and not just any dead. This is my brother—my family.”

Ania looked at him and shook her head at his reticence.

“How many nearly dead creatures, including me, have hosted the Demon of Synar in all the centuries your family has controlled Malachi?” Ania demanded. “Why do you hesitate to do with your brother’s empty, inanimate shell what you were all too willing to do with my body while part of my spirit still existed within it? At least you know for certain that Conor isn’t in his physical shell anymore. I’m the one who’s had to share my body with another entity. I’m the one who knows what that’s like.”

When Synar just stared at her, Ania pointed to the body.

“That empty form is no different than the severed hand of Boca’s captor. It is merely organic matter that can now be put to some good use if you can see past your guilt to the bigger picture. From the viewpoint of a person who’s been living with Malachi as a constant companion, putting him in his own space seems like a really good idea to me. I’m not carrying the demon out of choice. The merging has helped, but it has not changed the fact that my spirit and Malachi’s battle within me all the time.”

Synar closed his eyes, opened them again. “What will happen to Conor’s spirit if Malachi is in his body? Where will Conor go when his spirit is redeemed?”

“I don’t know yet,” Ania said honestly, seeing clearly now that Liam still didn’t understand that Conor’s redemption was not happening anytime in the foreseeable future. “Conor’s essence is in the amulet and could one day be put into a host body to start his own redemption process. Only at the end did Conor realize that he had gained ultimate power only to lose control of how he used it. He now shares Malachi’s fate and he answers to me. With the help of the creators of all, I made him the Demon of Looren. I would never ask you to control your own brother. So now I share your fate in other ways. I have become a demon master myself.”

“Ania—what have you done this time?” Synar asked in a pained voice, appalled at her lack of compassion for his grief, her lack of respect for his family’s heritage, the arrogance of her taking on something that was never meant for her.

“Clear away your grief and see the truth. I have saved your brother from certain death. I have bound myself to being responsible for his spirit for the remainder of my life,” Ania said. “I have spared you having to fight him for the rest of your days. There was no deviousness in my actions. I know exactly what I have done.”

“Yes, well I am still not so sure that this was the only way, or that it cannot be undone when something better becomes evident. Don’t ask me to do yet another even more vile thing to my brother. I don’t want to add to the evil of this day,” Synar pleaded hoarsely.

“
The evil of this day?
Fine. Don’t do it if you honestly find putting Malachi into your brother’s inanimate body an act more grievous than putting him inside
me—the female you swear is your mate,
” Ania said snidely, looking away from him.

“Ania, try to understand. Conor’s body is still my family’s responsibility,” Synar implored.

“Family—okay, he’s family. Am I not family?” Ania demanded. “Synar, even Malachi is part of your family.”

“That’s not what I meant. You are choosing to misunderstand me,” Synar said coldly.

“No, I think I understand you quite well, but I withdraw my request. It was just one answer that would allow both the Demon of Synar and the mate of Liam Synar some measure of peace from each other for the span of time that Conor’s physical form survives,” Ania crawled to her knees, finding it much harder than she’d anticipated.

“Let me help you,” Synar said, stepping to her.

“No—don’t touch me. I am angry with you again and do not trust myself not to lash out,” Ania said, her eyes flashing red at the thought of him touching her now. “There is much you refuse to see about my true nature, starting with the fact that I never give up. I
will
find another answer one day even without your support. Then you’re going to have to stop resisting your destiny and be the demon master you were meant to be. Your destiny is already outside what your family wanted. I hope one day you figure that out.”

To keep from responding to her with the full force of his own anger and pain, Synar walked away from Ania and into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

Unable to restrain his response after hearing Ania’s proposition and seeing Liam walk away so upset, Malachi left her body and hovered in the air of the room. It was one of the few times he’d ever come out of her without asking first.

“So this is a way you found to restore me?” Malachi asked Ania, shock in his wavering voice.

“Yes,” Ania admittedly reluctantly. “I blocked you from knowing and didn’t say anything because I knew Liam in his narrow view of life would likely object to it. Without Conor’s spirit, his physical form will not survive long. It could be a host body that you would not have to share with another spirit. I realize it is not living completely again, but it is as close as I could get you.”

“You’re trying to keep your word about freeing me,” Malachi said, surprised despite all he knew of her.

Malachi truly hadn’t believed Ania capable of such a level of objectivity about him. He truly had not believed she would keep her word. Something moved through his energy, realigning it. Suddenly many things he had not understood before were made clear.

For the second time in his very long life, Malachi actively felt the creators bending him to their will. But he was going to delay thinking about it all he could.

“How kind of you, Ania Looren—my most unusual demon host. You’re trying to grant your genie’s sincerest wish and release him from being tied to his bottle. I can only imagine the boon I would owe you for such a feat.”

Ania nodded and smiled wistfully, unable to laugh at Malachi’s attempt at humor this time. “Yes—I was trying to give us both more hope and grant my fondest wish as well.”

“Technically—it is still within your power. Liam’s agreement is not strictly necessary. You can order me into Conor’s body,” Malachi said, testing her resolve.

“Technically—yes, I could do that,” Ania said, climbing unsteadily to her feet. “If it was a random body, I would do so without another thought. But it’s
Conor Synar’s
body, and what happens to his brother’s body is Liam’s responsibility. As are you, Malachi. And Shades of Kellnor—as much as I hate the fact—
as am I
.”

Ania weaved unsteadily, but in the end staggered to the door on her own legs.

“Pay attention to this life lesson about doing good, demon. In the end you and I have accomplished our task of saving all other creatures from the walking evil of Conor Synar, but nothing has changed for us personally. Liam still holds our fate in his hesitant hands as much as any Lotharian tyrant does his captive’s,” she said.

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Malachi asked, seeing her mood was not going to be shifted by humor, but he couldn’t resist.

“One day I will find another empty body for you, my demon friend. Or raging fires of Helios—I’ll create one. Our time together is just beginning. Stay to look after your master or leave with me. You may suit yourself. I’m going to my room,” Ania said fiercely.

“Your mate is grieving and compromised in his reasoning at the moment. I will stay to see to Liam’s return to sanity. Remember, I see your feelings for him beyond your anger over his actions. Now go in peace and do not worry for him,” Malachi said gently, watching her holding the walls for support as she walked out the door.

Malachi did his misty version of sighing just as the bathroom door opened and Liam came out, looking around in panic when he didn’t see Ania.