Free Embraced (Eternal Balance) by Jus Accardo Page A

knows you would never willingly allow him to gain the power to destroy his brother. My guess is that he believes you won’t be able to take down Malphi, which will enable him to bargain for removal of the cuff.”
    Just like my brother to assume victory before the battle even began. My gaze fell to Sam’s wrist. The cuff looked slightly different than it had before. It was tighter, and the color darker. The symbols were lighter. “What will that thing do to her?”
    Heckle’s expression was grim. “All demon cuffs are different. This particular one will siphon her life force until there’s nothing left—and in Sam’s case, it will work quickly. My best guess is that unless you can find a way to break that link between the two of you, the cuff will kill you in a matter of days. If you could break the link—”
    “The link?” I started for him, but Sam beat me to it. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
    Heckle didn’t struggle. “Why do you think I told you to calm down? The higher your emotions get, the faster the siphon works.”
    “And that has what to do with the link?”
    “You’re tied to a demon, Sam,” Heckle said with a roll of his eyes. He gently pushed her away as a car passed by, the driver leaning on his horn. “And not just any demon, but a Tainted. A Son of Cain. That comes with some hefty drawbacks.”
    “Drawbacks?” I was instantly alert. If he knew that the link was dangerous, why the hell was he just saying something now? “What kind of drawbacks are we talking here?”
    “As far as demon infested humans go, you’re not a bad guy, but at the end of the day, you’re still you. And you have some significant darkness. She can feel your emotions through the link whether she realizes it or not. Since the cuff heightens her emotional state, the stronger the intensity, the faster the decline. It’s like you’re polluting her.”
    “ Polluting her?”
    “Stand too close to a fire and you’ll get burned. Rub up against a muddy car and you’ll get dirty. It’s inevitable.” Heckle frowned. “You’re rubbing off on her, Jax. Literally. She’s feeding on your emotions through the link, which in turn, is amplifying the speed at which the cuff works. You need to keep a level head, or you’re going to drive her right into the grave.”
    Was he fucking serious? “I have a demon buried inside me. How the hell do you suggest I keep a level head ?” I yelled over the passing traffic.
    In response, Sam cursed behind me and the scent of anger in the air intensified. Shit. In the back of my mind, a voice whispered, “I told you so,” over and over. I was essentially poisoning the person she was. This was why I’d left Harlow to begin with—to avoid destroying her by simply being myself.
    “As for what you were doing when I arrived…” Heckle held up his hand. “Obviously the deal you made can’t squelch your feelings for each other. A little tongue action here and there isn’t going to bring the world crashing down. But that’s as far as it can go for now.”
    “We haven’t—” Except we had. We’d been toeing the line for weeks now, taking things farther and farther, unconcerned by the possible ramifications.
    “I’m serious.” His lips pressed into a hard line. “It must not go too far. The consequences would be far more damaging than you can imagine.”
    “What does that mean? If I kiss her my dick falls off?”
    “That would be a bit dramatic.” He laughed. “And as I said, a little smooch here and there won’t end the world, but don’t go farther than that.”
    Sam’s eyes grew wide. “Wait. ‘Don’t go farther than that,’ meaning we could ?”
    Heckle frowned. “You have free will, Sam. There’s nothing physically standing in your way… But I advise you not to test the deal’s limits. You especially won’t like the result.”
    I opened my mouth to protest, but Heckle kept going.
    “Your jobs—my job—is about maintaining