Chapter 45: The Devil's Bargain

The air was thick, save for the persistent pounding of Ben's heart in his head.

Jack's arm was still around his neck—neither tight, just holding, reminding him who was boss in this case. His golden eyes burned with something that was off-limits, something bitter and hungry.

Ben wasn't afraid.

Not of Jack.

But something was different about him. There had been darkness that fell on Jack, coldness that came before the old intensity. It was not so much the power that emanated from him; it was that being near him produced a change, one that made him familiar and enchantingly strange. Ben recognized that he would have to have the help of Jack, but he was beginning to wonder if the price was too steep.

Jack had always been dangerous, possessive, relentless. But now? Now he was changed. The air around him seemed heavier, darker, more intense with a presence that had nothing in the world to do with the man Ben had known.

Something had occurred.

Something had broken.

Jack tilted his head to the side. "You look like you have something to say."

Ben didn't shift. "Gonna let me go, or do I take this as no?"

Jack's lips twisted into a cold, gradual smile. But then, after a beat, relaxed his hold and took a step back.

Ben drew in a breath, rolling his shoulders back into reclaiming space. Max hadn't moved, knife still pressed against Jack's side, eyes flashing warning.

Jack hardly even saw him. He was absolutely concentrating on Ben.

"You need my help," Jack told him, voice smooth. "But the last time we were in this room, you were sure that you no longer needed me."

Ben clenched his teeth. "Circumstances have changed."

Jack's eyebrow went up. "Oh? You've changed, then."

Ben didn't flinch, but he didn't even protest.

Jack smiled, creeping inch by inch closer, a hunter weighing the possibility of his quarry being more trouble than he was worth. "Let me get a shot," he said. "Your little rebellion wasn't exactly on the agenda, and Viktor's men are in pursuit now. And looky-loo, now you know you didn't have the manpower you needed to deal with it on your own."

Ben said nothing.

Jack turned back to him, his eyes locked on his. "Well, now that you're here. Begging me to restore the balance."

Ben struggled to stay even. "I didn't come visit you for you. I came to visit your army."

A telltale waver smoothed the surface of Jack's smile.

For one second, a moment flashed across his eyes. Something unreadable. It disappeared as fast as it had begun.

Jack smiled to himself afterwards. "You actually believe it works like that?"

Ben crossed his arms. "If you're going to get your revenge on the man who attempted to kill you, then we want that too. You owe me nothing. Just the victory."

For an instant, Jack gazed at him, the air thick between them, charged with unspoken knowledge, what they had been and what they might be hanging in the balance.

Then—

"Fine."

Ben blinked, his mind whirling at a change so sudden. ".Okay?"

Jack's grin expanded, a famished light in his golden eyes. "You can have my assistance."

Ben was only beginning to release a sigh of relief when Jack added, "But on my terms."

Ben's stomach twisted, a fist of fear clenching his belly. "What terms?"

Jack strode in, occupying Ben's space, his voice dropping to a deep, husky growl. "I give the orders. You and your little pack? You take orders from me."

Ben gritted his jaw, his instincts protesting. "That's not—"

"You needed me here," Jack cut him off, his tone lethal, a cold edge that would be obeyed. "Which makes me in charge."

Max stood beside him, his hand jerking involuntarily to the knife at his waist, but Ben held up a warning hand, stopping him from speaking. He knew attempting to call Jack's bluff would be futile, would only serve to worsen things.

He knew Jack wasn't bluffing.

This was the cost of his help.

This was the cost.

The question was—was he going to pay it?

Ben drew in a breath, the heat scorching his lungs. He knew accepting Jack's terms meant to relinquish control, to surrender his dominance. It was to relinquish his future, and the future of his pack, to Jack. But he knew they had no other option. The Ancients were coming, and they needed all the assistance they could gather.

"Good," Ben answered, his own voice even and level, though a spasm of pain lanced through him.

Jack smiled, the feral glint in his eyes. "Good boy."

Ben's fingernails dug into his palms, the throbbing pain gripping him, holding him back from allowing the burst of fury to erupt. He forced himself not to shift, to maintain his facade of calm, though his gut churned with fury.

Jack had pledged. The war was inevitable. And now?

Now they danced on his terms, a game of risk with no promise of reward. Ben knew that he had to tread carefully, that he had to be cautious, that he had to navigate the treacherous landscape of their new alliance. He had to learn how to work with Jack, how to use his power without being used by him. They had to survive.