Page 200 of Bedeviled

My gaze rises to meet Memnon’s.

“Whoops,” he breathes, the corner of his mouth curving up into a smirk.

I give him a sly, knowing look as Nero moves to our side. Seems as though Memnon found a workaround to Eislyn’s command.

He squeezes my hand again. “Command me, my queen,” my soul mate says quietly.

It’s been a while since I did this last, but that strange, terrible power of holding another’s will in the palm of my hand comes back to me now.

“You will obey no command except mine,” I say. “Any orders that have bound you until now, you will not follow. And any future orders given by anyone other than me will be disregarded.”

Memnon draws in a deep inhalation, his chest rising and falling faster and faster.

“Memnon, I command you to act of your own free will.”

I still don’t fully know if it worked. I don’t⁠—

A wave of Memnon’s power rushes out, moving in all directions. I hear a steaming hiss as it hits the shelves of burning scrolls. Within seconds, the fires that threatened to consume this entire mountain are doused.

All that’s left is rapidly dissolving smoke.

I glance down at Memnon and part my lips. Before I can speak, he surges up, his mouth finding mine. He takes advantage of my parted lips, his tongue sweeping in and devouring me.

I fall into the kiss.

My radiant, clever queen. Memnon’s voice rushes through our connection, and I smile against his lips, enjoying the press of his mind so close to mine. You have a warrior’s heart and a strategist’s mind.

Well, okay, I’m impressed with me too, but maybe that’s a tad too generous on the compliments.

You saved me yet again from Eislyn, Memnon continues.

I pull away to marvel at his face, tucking a stray lock of his hair behind his ear. And this time, I made a bargain with a more benevolent being than the Hungering Ones. Seemingly of its own accord, my gaze drifts over to where the Bargainer still lies sprawled out.

Memnon scoffs. “We’ll see just how benevolent he is when he asks me to pay up.”

With that, Memnon sits up, dragging me up along with him.

Nero steps in close, rubbing his head along Memnon’s arm.

The sorcerer reaches out and pets him. “You are a fierce creature and valiant familiar. I trust you protected Selene when I couldn’t.”

I mean, mostly, I just rode him like he was a show pony.

Memnon’s eyebrows go up, and oops, I must’ve thought that thought too loud.

“Long story,” I say softly.

My soul mate nods, the mirth slowly draining from his face. He looks around at the damage his power wrought. There’s mostly ash and charred remains of the scrolls once housed here. Countless judgments were erased as though they’d never been.

I push myself to my feet, Memnon following.

“Do you know if you burned Eislyn’s judgment?”

Memnon shakes his head. “She didn’t know which one was hers. Her plan was to have me burn them all.”

My eyes sweep over the damage. “So there’s a chance you didn’t burn hers?”

“There’s a chance,” Memnon says darkly. He doesn’t sound at all confident about that chance, however.