Ties That Bind: A Muse Urban Fantasy (The Veil Series Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

takes you to curse the day you were born, I’d recommend option one.”
    A purely masculine chuckle rippled the quiet. I recognized it. At least, I’d heard it before, many times, but it wasn’t Stefan. I flicked my fingers out and turned slowly on the spot. The lazy stride of his athletic physique, the ruffled platinum blond locks of hair licking about his jaw—he looked like Stefan, even sounded like him, but the demon inside my apartment was not Stefan.
    “Who are you?”
    “You know me,” not-Stefan said.
    The element was wrong. “Why are you here?” I caught it then, the scent of burned flesh. Stefan’s scent was clean, fresh. This was the scent I’d breathed in while clutched against my father’s chest.
    “You are—” he began.
    “If you say magnificent, I’ll turn you into demon jerky.”
    “It is said you captured and tortured your bloodkin, Valenti. He witnessed the rise and fall of the netherworld. He was…gloriously demon.” Not-Stefan’s voice fragmented and crumbled, replaced by a demon brogue so abrasive it set my teeth on edge. “You destroyed thousands of your kin. You shaped the Prince of Greed into a creature of flame, a creature you yourself became to best an immortal prince.”
    “I can also whip up one hell of an omelet. What’s your point?”
    “Your place is by my side.” He took a single step forward, bringing him into the wash of light flowing through the living room windows. His Stefan act wouldn’t have fooled me for long. The face was too harsh, the lips too tight, eyes too flat. Stefan was bright, and alive, even when battling with himself.
    Not-Stefan gestured at himself. “This camouflage ensured you would not attack.”
    “You have no such guarantees now.” My heart fluttered. With every word, the certainty of who he was chipped away at my confidence. I’d invited him in. He was linked to me. My father. Asmodeus. The demon with enough clout to bend all others to his will. Even now, he manipulated my mind. The room might not even be real. And I stood virtually naked—but not vulnerable, never that—in front of him. “What do you want?”
    “You.”
    My focus rippled, the room tilted, and threads of reality unraveled, spilling open to reveal the terrifying truth of my father. His skin glistened a deep red. The Crimson Lord. Heat poured off him in relentless waves. Each of the countless hoop piercings riddling his vast, angular wings glowed white hot and sizzled against his flesh. Spiral horns twisted from a dramatic face made up of sharp cheekbones and a jutting jawline.
    I lifted my human gaze to meet his. Humans cannot look upon the princes of hell for long. Tears fell from my eyes in a steady stream and promptly evaporated on my hot cheeks.
    Asmodeus reached out a hand. Obsidian claws clicked together. “Come. Refuse, and I will ravage your human mind.”
    I didn’t doubt his words, but I did doubt he could ruin my mind before I brought the fire. If I attacked, he wouldn’t pull his punches. The resulting battle would likely bring down my apartment building and all the people in it. Lacy slept down the hall. Jonesy was curled up on my bed. This was not the place to throw down with my father. I could fight him, but it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Until I knew the stakes, I was better off playing his game. I was theMother of Destruction. I didn’t need to fight the Prince of Lust. As far as he knew, I was one badass demon-killing machine.
    I spilled my demon into my flesh. Between one breath and the next, ember-dashed skin consumed pink human flesh. Heat burned fear from my veins. My one ruined wing burst free. Finally, I witnessed my father through demon eyes. Superheated vapor spiraled around him, lending him a liquid aura of heat. He was the most terrifying—and yet the most wonderful—demon I’d ever seen. My father.
    “Stand beside me, daughter, and revel in the glory of two conquered worlds.” His voice resonated as though double-exposed.
    I