Page 24 of Death is My Ride or Die

Devin’s amusement vanished. He stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair with a clatter. “I beg your pardon, young lady?” His face seared red, scales leaking through his human illusion as heat leapt across the table. I leaned back almost out of instinct to avoid getting caught in the blaze.

“Is that what Sarah told you?” Devin asked in a deadly whisper. “That Irapedher?”

“She didn’t have to.” I could hear the unevenness in my voice. “Death insinuated you two had something going on, and I know her. She’d never sleep with the Devil. Not willingly. Which means you manipulated her emotions.”

Just like Death manipulated mine.

“For your information, young lady,” he snarled, “you couldn’t be more wrong about me. I’ve had every opportunity to ruin Sarah’s life and her reputation in the Guild, and I haven’t once acted on it. We were never supposed to—”

Devin’s lips snapped shut, like he’d revealed too much. He lifted a hand and wiped it down his face, erasing any trace of his real identity in a frightening instant.

“Your aunt is here due to her own decisions,” he said with finality.

“She’s here because you want theBook of the Deadand you think she’ll get it for you.” I pushed on with my own assumption. “But why now? If you knew that my aunt had it all along, why not just take it from her? What’s stopping you?”

“This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the grimoire, or your aunt. This is about your soul, and that’s all.”

Dang. I could see where Death got his refusal to give me answers from.

Devin lowered back into his seat and calmly adjusted his cuff links. “I cannot force this contract on you,” he said. “You were not of legal age when you struck that deal with Death, and technically, according to recent amendments to Seraph law in the United States, you have to be a willing, legal adult to give your soul to Hell. All I ask is that you consider your options before you leave this tower.Allyour options.”

“Why do you want my soul so badly?”

“I won’t lie to you, Faith, I believe your power to be of great use to me.” Devin motioned his hand toward the table between us, where a thick stack of papers appeared on top of it. The parchment was oddly thick and off-white; upon a closer, disturbing inspection, I wasn’t so sure it was even made of paper. “If you sign with me, no harm shall ever come to you or your family from Ahrimad or Malphas. You have my word. It was never my intention to let this spiral out of control.”

“Yeah, because all of Death’s deception and scheming issobeneath you,” I said sarcastically.

“Despite the unfortunate events of tonight, only I have the resources to truly protect your loved ones from danger,” Devin replied, all business. “The second you walk out of D&S Tower, you, your family, and your friends will all be left unprotected. Think of your power too. Running away from your destiny will not change who you are. Who you’re meant to be.”

I felt so vulnerable, so alone in this, and so scared out of my mind. And yeah, a part of me wanted to give in to end all this. But I couldn’t trust thesefiends—these damnable monsters and their evil façades of Devin and David Star. I had almost been the perfect prey. Death had used David Star to toy with my inexperience with men, and when I fell for him, he’d used my emotions against me. All the things thatreallymattered to me—my family, Marcy, art, and school—had all faded into the background, until it was only him. Him, circling around me like a lion that had separated a gazelle from the pack.

He’d almost finished me off too.

Death had tried to weaken me. He’d tried to tear me from my ordinary life, and he’dfailed. He’d failed, and now I had the upper hand. I had all the power. Power that I would lose if I gave my life to them.

When I looked up, Devin’s glacier eyes fell to the table between us. He already knew my answer.

“Who I’m meant to be won’t be decided by anyone but me. My answer is no.”

“I’m disappointed, but I of course respect your decision.” The Devil stood, the contract vanishing in a plume of smoke. “Good luck to you, Faith Williams. Should you change your mind, you know where to reach me. Leo will escort you to an armored vehicle outside and drive you home.”

“Leo?”

“That would be me.”

I jumped and clutched at my chest with a shriek, looking at the man now standing directly to my right. Burnt gold eyes, slightly slanted in shape, flashed briefly with silent amusement, the only indication of emotion in his steely face. I recognized him as one of the reapers that Death had pointed out earlier.

When I looked back at Lucifer, he was already gone.

Leo placed a hand on my forearm. “Inhale, please.”

I hadn’t processed what he’d asked before my world spun. I stumbled forward with a sharp, wheezing breath, vertigo still overcoming my sense of balance as I took in the chaotic lobby of D&S Tower. A group of humans, some of whom I recognized as guests from the ball, were huddled on the sidewalk. Their eyes were glazed over, focused on a man with a pink Mohawk. He had the mortals enraptured, his arms outstretched like a conductor. What was he doing to them? Feeling my gaze, the man turned his head, and I recognized him as another of Death’s reapers.

Leo guided me down the sidewalk and opened the door of a black SUV. I peered inside and saw a familiar face.

“Aunt Sarah!”

“Hey, kiddo.”

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