Page 111 of Death is My Ride or Die

“A Familiar?”

Malphas finally lifted his black gaze from the pendant and blinked at me. “A Familiar is a species of demon. An entity that follows witches. It was trapped inside her necklace.”

We stared at one another for a long, confusing moment. “Did . . . she trap it there?”

“No.” I almost missed the small flare of anger that sparked behind his cold, dead eyes. “The Familiar was put there as a price. A consequence.”

“A consequence of what?”

Malphas shifted his attention to the willow. “I have done unspeakable things in this world that have left me entrenched in sin, but my greatest offence is my most painful secret. A secret that I will take to the grave. You must discover these answers on your own.”

A riddle.

He’d given me a riddle. Just like he’d given Alexandru a riddle in the gladiator arena two thousand years ago.

“Your warlock, Ace,” Malphas said at last. “You trust him?”

I nodded once.

“You shouldn’t. Let’s just say Ace and I crossed paths recently, and his mind had a lot of secrets to share with me.”

I turned my head to follow him as he moved around me.

“There is a glimpse into the future that the warlock has kept from you,” Malphas said in a solemn voice. “A fate only you can stop. Ahrimad will destroy him, Faith. He will kill my son.” Wind swirled suddenly and threw his warrior braids to the side. It coiled around us, the cold slate of his face unflinching against our chaotic surroundings as they faded. “Unless you jump.”

The world was melting away like a dream, and coldness washed down my spine.Death. He was close. But I was far away, and I didn’t know how to get back.

My breath came out fast and unfulfilling as I swung my gaze around the shattering world, searching for a way out. Suddenly, I heard a clicking noise and whirled around. My scalp prickled with fear. The creature standing before me had reflective skin like a mirror, with no visible features. Gazing at me with its eyeless face, its body swayed like a charmed snake. All at once, the mold of its face shifted, and it opened a large jaw filled with piranha teeth and howled.

I jumped back and hit a warm body. I turned, and violet eyes met mine.

“Return,”Ace commanded.

I awoke with a sharp inhale.

XXIX

As I came to, Death’s furious features hovered over mine, and I knew I was in trouble. “Welcome back.”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a stabbing headache. “Lovely to be back. Feels like a hydraulic press is smashing into my brain.”

We were in Ace’s library. Books upon books surrounded us, and the lights were dim.

“How long was I out?”

Death breathed hard through his nose like a dragon. His fingernails grazed my shoulder, the ends of his gloves hiding razor-sharp talons primed to release. “Two hours.”

Damn.

I put a hand to my throbbing skull and looked down at the black blanket strewn over us both. His cloak.Oh my God.The firm pillow underneath my head was his muscular thigh. We were on a couch made of blue velvet,and my head was in his lap.

And I was way too comfortable to get up.

“You fainted in the greenhouse,” Death said in a gruff voice.

“So you carried me all the way here and wrapped your cloak around me? How romantic.” I thought a playful smile might crack the irritated expression he’d loved wearing lately, but all it did was train his vicious gaze onto my mouth.

“I thought you were dying,” he said, grinding out the words between his fangs. “Your scent changed. Your pulse was almost nonexistent. And your mind slammed closed.”

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