He grunted. He shouldn’t let her sleep until she’d been securely processed, now that their bargain meant he didn’t have to spend time gentling her first.

But… She looked so damned weak. Like she was teetering on the edge, only pure desperation still keeping her upright.

Had she eaten? He’d spent enough time around humans to know they needed to feed frequently.

“It’s here.” Georgia interrupted his spiraling thoughts as she stopped in front of a closed door. She drew in a slow breath before she pushed the door open.

The room housed three sleeping humans—one female and two males, one of whom was occupying the hospital bed. The other man and woman sat on each their side of the bed, sound asleep in uncomfortable-looking chairs. The brimstone touch of demonic magic hovered over the cloying scent of lingering death.

“The demon you were with was here?” he asked, keeping his voice low. It wasn’t particularly strong magic—unsurprisingly. The goon who’d brought her to him wouldn’t have had the power to do anything for a sick human. He was surprised he’d even tried.

“He said he wasn’t strong enough.” Her gaze didn’t leave the male on the bed. “Please tell me you are. If he dies, I… Please.”

Kesh shuddered at the whispered plea. It slid like a silky caress up his spine and into his chest, squeezing his lungs with the urge to soothe. To take away the pain so clear in her hoarse voice.

Her fucking pheromones again.

Kesh bared his teeth in a silent growl, taking a moment to force his brain back into control before he crossed the room and stopped by the bed.

The young man’s breathing was shallow and uneven. It wouldn’t be long before death claimed him.

Kesh placed a hand on his chest and, grunting with the effort, shoved his dark magic into the boy.

Strictly speaking, demonic magic wasn’t particularly useful for healing—but as with all things in life, with enough power, most problems could be forced into submission. Including this kid’s illness.

Cancerous cells had spread through his system like a network of underground fungi, and the damage was vast and went deep. Stronger than he’d ever seen before.

No wonder the third-rank demon who’d exploited her desperation hadn’t been able to help.

Kesh gritted his teeth as he forced his power through the boy’s spine, tensing his muscles to overload his magic enough to catch a spark. The flesh below his palm was like a dry sponge, sucking up every drop of power he poured in, and it took a long time before a flicker of energy moved along his backbone.

Slowly, so, so slowly, his magic chased away the shadow of death. In response, the young man’s breathing turned deeper.

More and more power syphoned from Kesh’s body to the boy’s, driving back the disease with sheer force, until finally, there was not so much as the shadow of a tumor left.

Breathing in harsh pants, Kesh stepped away from the bed, propping himself up against the wall with a shaky hand. Shit. He hadn’t anticipated how much of his energy it would take to cure the little prick.

“Is he…?” Georgia’s voice ripped him from the haze of exhaustion as she cautiously stepped toward the bed as if frightened her mere approach would send the boy to his death. “Did you...?”

“He is healed,” Kesh growled, irritation sparking at the roughened state of his voice. The last thing he needed was the girl to clock on to how weak he was right now. She’d already proven herself exceedingly skilled at manipulation when he’d had more strength to resist.

But Georgia didn’t pay him any notice. Stumbling, she moved to the other side of the bed. “Larry,” she whispered, touching her brother’s pale face with a gentle hand. “Larry, wake up. Show me he’s telling the truth. Please. I need you to wake up.”

The kid’s eyelids fluttered, his lips pulling into a sleepy smile at the sight of her. “Georgie? What time is it?”

She drew in a small breath, her hand against his face shaking as she stroked his cheek. “It’s still early. How are you feeling, Lar?”

“Oh, you know, great,” he said, voice dry as if delivering a well-rehearsed line of sarcasm. Then he frowned, his brows knitting. “Actually, I… I do feel good.”

“How’s the pain?” she asked.

The boy’s frown deepened. “It’s… it’s gone. Did they give me new pain meds?”

The Breeder let out a little sob, her trembling fingers still caressing his face. “No, Lar. You’re cured. You’re gonna be alright.”

“What? How is that even—?” Larry’s voice died when his gaze landed on Kesh. He stared at him for a long while, then returned his focus to his sister. “Georgie… who’s that?”

“He’s no one,” she said, smiling through tears. “No one that matters. All that’s important right now is that you’re okay.”

No one that matters. Only the demon here to take her away as payment for a second lease on this sorry human’s life.

“It’s time to go.” Kesh pushed off the wall and closed the distance to the Breeder, planting a large hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the contact, drawing in a shallow breath.

The boy in the bed jerked at his sister’s reaction, pushing himself up as if he were thinking of coming to her rescue.

She must have thought so too, because she raised her hand to stave him off. “It’s alright, Lar. I need to go.”

“Go where?” Larry asked, his gaze darting back to Kesh. “Georgia, go where?”

“Away. For a little while.” She smiled at him and let her palm fall from his face, catching his hand between hers without disturbing the tubing sticking out of it. “Please, Larry. Don’t worry about me, okay? You have a whole life to live now, and I’ll be alright. All I need is to know that you’re happy and healthy.”

Larry looked at her, his gaze flickering to Kesh for another glance before he returned his focus to his sister once more. “Who is he, Georgia?”

“He’s a friend.” She still smiled, though the scent of her tears was becoming strong enough to put Kesh on edge. Noises from beyond the closed door alerted him that the hospital was waking. He tightened his grip on her shoulder.

“Now, Breeder,” he grunted.

She winced at the unspoken threat in his voice and nodded. “I’m coming. Bye, Lar. Take care of Mom, okay? And tell her not to worry about me. You both deserve to be happy, and I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Georgia, no.” Larry clamped down on her hand, strength he hadn't possessed in a long time keeping her by his side. “Is he… is he one of… of them? Are they… are they real? Is that why I’m better? What did you do? What did you give him?”

Georgia grimaced, stroking her brother’s arm with her free hand, trying to calm him, but Kesh was out of patience.

He reached down and wrenched the mortal’s hand off her, yanking her back from the bed. When the kid protested and tried to scramble off the bed to come to her aid, Kesh sent him backward with a push of energy.

“Your sister made a bargain to save your miserable life, kid. Don’t waste her sacrifice by trying to play the hero now,” he warned, giving the human a glare so dark it made Larry gasp with terror despite the human disguise he saw. “If you think to come looking for her, know that not only will I undo what I’ve done for you this morning, I will seek out every blood relation you have and break their bodies apart while you gasp for your last breath. The last thing you’ll see before you meet your own death is their intestines pulled from their guts and their bones snapped and sucked for marrow, one by one. While they still scream. Understand?”

Neither of the two siblings said a word, but the sharp stench of fear hit his nostrils with all the confirmation he needed to know that his warning had been heard.

Without another look back to the bed, he pulled Georgia from her brother’s grasp and out the door. Leaving her family behind for good.