She was an utter terror!

I snatched the back of her neck, tugging her against me. “Your soul already belongs to me, human girl!” I growled. I snatched the Soul Token from my pocket, holding it up in front of her face.

“I prepared this earlier, just for you, Mouse,” I murmured and pressed it to her sternum. It warmed, glowing pink.

It was working! The Soul Token was working!

Of course her soul would be pink.

She struggled, but I clasped her neck tighter. My thumb skated up and down along her delicate throat. Her fingers gripped at my arm, clawing desperately.

“What are you … is that my soul?” she demanded shrilly.

I shook my head. “A mere smidgeon of it. Just enough that I will always be able to find you, Mouse. Always. You cannot run from me. You cannot hide from me. I will collect your debt, one way or another. If you succeed, I will return this piece of your soul to you.”

She swallowed, her throat bobbing against my thumb. A low rumble burst unbidden from my throat. It sounded suspiciously like a … purr.

“And if I fail?” she asked, her voice soft. I met her brilliant blue gaze with my own dark one.

“Then I keep this piece … and take the rest.”

The Token began to vibrate under my fingers. I released her, the Token disappearing inside my palm.

“You are free to return to your home now,” I told her, stepping back. My traitorous gaze roved hungrily over the exposed skin of her belly and that tiny scrap of red. I bit the inside of my cheek. “I will contact you as soon as I see fit, in order to determine your first payment.”

A thrill of anticipation lit up my insides at the thought. I had unfettered access to Jemma Bliss, and I owned a portion of her soul … with the rest no doubt coming to me in short order.

She regained her composure, raising an eyebrow at me. “What if I said I wanted to relinquish my soul to you now?” she asked.

I flinched, quickly masking it with a sneer. “You expect me to believe that you’ll hand over your soul so easily? You seem a stubborn little thing.”

“I think you desperately want me to try the tasks,” she retorted. “What’s your angle?”

I shrugged in what I hoped appeared to be a nonchalant gesture. “I enjoy making bargains with humans.” I’d never made one before, but she didn’t need to know that. “It’s … fascinating, to watch your attempts to win back what now belongs to me.”

Her withering glare told me she didn’t believe that for a second. Why was she not afraid of me? I was over seven feet tall, red-skinned, horned and tailed and … enormous in every aspect.