Page 17 of Death is My Ride or Die

I reached for his hand.

VI

In one swift motion, Death drew me to him. The air fizzled, currents of rippling energy crackling against my bare skin like static electricity. A popular, mellow electronic R&B song blared around us. It was as if we’d entered another world, burst through an invisible fishbowl in the ballroom, and were now at a club instead of at a fancy party. Couples around us were pressed against one another, grinding sensually.

“Not what you expected?” Death asked as a feral grin spread across Ace’s face.

“I thought this would be a ballroom dance.”

“It is. The hex has to settle in, become acquainted with you.” Death closed the space between us with one smooth stride and seized my waist. I froze. Heat splayed through me as his fingers spread down the small of my back. “Relax,” he whispered at my ear, guiding my hips into a sway. “Play with me. Let go.”

“I shouldn’t be doing this with you.”

“That’s what makes it fun.” His breath was a hot caress against my ear as his fingers smoothed over the exposed skin of my back. Where I was quivering and unsure, he was steady, confident. The air around us vibrated, and the sensual beat of the music pulsed through my body, leaving a heavy lust in its wake.

With lowered eyelids, I moved rhythmically in place. Death pulled back slightly and watched with the warlock’s violet eyes.

“And now, feel free to gather around for the Eternal Ballet of the Seraph,” Devin Star announced. Death watched Devin like a hawk as he descended the stairs and headed to the dance floor.

“He’s joining the performance,” Death said.

Which would make it much more difficult for us to speak to him.

The music shifted to classical, and we shifted with it. My movements gradually slowed, as did my rampant hormones, but the hex remained, pulsing in my veins like liquid fire. Everyone in the middle of the floor maneuvered into a formation.

While Death was distracted, trying to spot Devin again on the floor, I homed in on a man who wore a silver mask that covered most of his face. He stood like a statue at the far end of the ballroom, hidden amongst other guests who were trying to get a better view of the spectacle. When he caught my gaze, he stared back for a prolonged length of time, then turned, melting into the crowd.

What the hell?

Applause drew my attention elsewhere. There was an upheaval of praise from the seated guests as couples twirled around the dance floor with elegance and grace. Women were occasionally flung into the air and hung there by tendrils of colored light, as if abandoned by gravity. My jaw went slack.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of being tossed two feet into the air?” Death taunted, his fingers grazing the back of my tulle skirt as he guided us into formation.

“If my feet lift so much as one inch off the ground . . . ”

His smile was slight and close-lipped. “It wouldn’t be so bad with me. I’ve had wings for hundreds of years.”

I snorted. “Why make dramatic exits into black mist if you have wings? Trying to one-up Dracula?”

“I manifest when I’m not traveling long distances. Like I’ve said, an angel’s wings are considered an intimate part of their body. I choose to conceal mine.”

“How come? Because they’re the size of buffalo wings?”

He grunted something vile under his breath.

“My wings are scaled to fit the rest of me,” he hissed.

“You seem defensive. You know what they say about the size of a guy’s wings.”

Like a taunted animal unleashed from its cage, Death snatched my left hand with his right and yanked me closer by the small of my back with his left. Captured.

“Careful, cupcake,” he rasped at my ear. “Once I have my corpse back, I can make you eat your words.”

For a second, I was rendered speechless by the sinful thrill his threat brought me. My knees jiggled as I placed a stiff hand on his shoulder. In heels, I was nearly level with Ace’s six-foot height. Staring into the warlock’s violet eyes, I imagined what this moment would have been like if Death were in his own body. His broad shoulders, the strength of his hands, the loom of his menacing height. This was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. Now I had a lot more nerves and a lot more uncertainty about putting myself through this night.

“Devin,” Death said, indicating he’d found him in the crowd with a nod of his chin. “He’s right ahead of us.” As we neared the back of Devin’s flawless tuxedo, I investigated his blond partner. Her body type and facial structure were nearly identical to my aunt’s. However, it wasn’t her.

“We have to briefly break out of the hex to get to them,” Death said. “Hold on tight.” I held on to him for dear life as he yanked us against the force of the hex. The air whipped painfully against my skin, as if we were going against the ocean tide. We flowed back into the dance beside Devin and his partner.

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