Free Infernal Bonds by Holly Evans

look at him as I called over to Elise, “How long until that collar’s done?”
    “Twenty minutes or so.”
    I crossed my arms and made myself comfortable. He lost even more colour from his skin and glanced around the door. Quin stepped a little closer, blocking Lysander’s movements somewhat.  
    Lysander brushed at his dark coloured jeans and ground his teeth together for a few uncomfortable minutes before he finally said, “Our master sent us to open up a hellmouth.”
    A cold chill ran down my spine; that would be disastrous for the city. There weren’t enough hunters in the country to deal with that sort of influx of infernal creatures. The city would be lost.  
    He leaned towards me and went to put his hand on my knee, a hint of pleading bleeding into his words. “I chose my freedom. I fled him as soon as the bond with you emerged and his control over me shattered.”
    I couldn’t trust such a beast, particularly when it came to matters as grave as that. He may not have even known how to tell the truth; the infernal creatures were notorious for their sadism and trickery. I gave a silent prayer to the moon goddess for patience and strength. I didn’t like leaning on her, but I needed something to help me through the moment. Quin’s eyes had lit up. The prospect of dealing with a hellmouth, of fighting that many creatures and potentially visiting the infernal realm, was a dream come true for him.  
    “How does the bond with your master work, exactly?” Quin asked Lysander.  
    The hound’s name felt comfortable in my mind and on my tongue; too comfortable. It was unnatural. I needed to find a way to remove the bond and send Lysander back to his home. The smell of lavender mingled with wood smoke filled the lab; a faint golden mist crept along the floor. It pooled behind the books and slipped around the table legs. I eyed it with suspicion; Lysander tucked his feet up and glared at it. His mouth was twisted into something of a snarl, but his indigo eyes smiled. I looked away from him. It was no good getting attached, we’d find a way to send him back where he belonged.  
    Quin stood over Lysander. They were a similar build; Lysander had some height on him, but not much. When my dear twin wanted to be imposing he rarely failed; Lysander shrank back a little and pulled his lips back. He was used to dealing with demons, and yet a human concerned him; a smile formed on my lips. He was just another beast after all.  
    Lysander finally gave and looked up at Quin, “My ex-, ” he spat, “-master branded me a few days after my mother birthed me. He used magic to bind my soul to him; that gave him control over my actions that I couldn’t fight. Evelyn’s bond overrode that, thankfully, and allowed me my freedom.”  
    He gave me a soft pleading expression.  
    It quickly hardened before he looked back at Quin and said, “Anything else?”
    I smiled sweetly and said, “Do you know how much your hide would bring us on the open market?”
    Kadrix called over, “I’ll pay you a flat million crowns for it, as long as it’s entirely intact.”
    Lysander’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened. He smiled and brushed it all aside as though nothing had happened.  
    “I’m yours to do with as you please, mistress.”
    The growl to his words sent a thrill through me. I stood and walked away. The mist had thinned, giving the floor a pale golden glow. Elise gave Kadrix a dark look. Her lips pursed and her brow knitted. The elf ignored her entirely, until she poked him firmly in the ribs and pushed him to one side. Kadrix tried to snake his arm around Elise’s waist, but she stamped on his foot and set about sprinkling the powder into the shallow bowl. A small plume of popcorn-scented smoke casually drifted upwards from the bowl. It shifted into a cloud of tiny butterflies. Each one rainbow coloured, they shimmered and fluttered around the lab, bringing a smile to my face. I’d