Page 126 of Death is My Ride or Die

“Get in. Now.”

I crossed the threshold and whirled around right as his lips crashed into mine. His hands greedily slid up my waist, clutching the back of my head and prying open my mouth as he stroked my tongue. I slid my grip up his powerful arms to the back of his skull to have an excuse to touch that silky-soft hair again.

The sound of male voices and laughter echoed down the entryway.

I felt my strength return full force as I pushed him away, breathing hard. He thumped a little against the opposite side of the hallway with his black hair sticking up from my hands and gaped at me with dark, carnal eyes. He prowled toward me, but I pressed my hands against his concrete chest.

“Stop,”I hissed. “There are people here.”

“It’s the Seven. They each have a key. Probably thought we were spending the night at the warehouse. I’ll kick them out.”

Death stalked down the hallway, and I followed him.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered the reapers watchingJurassic Parkin the living room. Death motioned for me to get back behind the wall dividing the kitchen and the dining room, so that we were hidden.

We observed his subordinates as if we were at a zoo.

Gunner and Wolf were sprawled on the large couch facing the TV, fighting over Gunner putting too many “gourmet spices” in the popcorn. Romeo wore a sleep mask and drooped in a beanbag with one hand resting halfway down his pants and the other holding a bottle of liquor. Denim sat rigidly upright watching the television, fully dressed in gear. Leo was playing some sort of shooting game on a Switch that made him rage quit at that exact moment; Blade had situated himself on the ledge of the fireplace, swiping his dagger over a sharpener; and Flash lay haphazardly on the coffee table in the middle of all of them, snoring noisily.

“I can’t believe these seven bozos are your reapers,” I whispered over Death’s shoulder.

“They’re focused when they need to be,” Death replied.

As Gunner and Wolf’s popcorn argument elevated, Romeo, still blindfolded by his sleep mask, slapped his hand against the floor.“Excuse me!”he screamed, as if he could hardly hear himself talk over his earbuds. “I’m trying to relax here! Can’t an ex-animated creature of the night enjoy his steamy audiobook in peace?”

“Disgusting,” Blade hissed. “Didn’t you get enough bloody action tonight with those twins?”

“You’re jealous because he did, and youdidn’t,” Wolf said with a grin.

Blade feigned a laugh. “How about I punch your face down your throat and screw your mutilated head?”

Death looked back over his shoulder with a “we should try that” face. I punched him in the bicep, suppressing my laughter at his silent, theatrical reaction.

“I think you should make your entrance now,” I whispered.

Death’s fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, and he released a bestial noise. “Well, isn’t thiscute,” he boomed, charging into the living room. All the reapers froze like children caught misbehaving. “My seven feared soldiers of death having a slumber party . . . in myfucking living room.”

Leo stuffed his Switch in the crack of the sofa. Denim, perhaps recognizing he looked overly invested in a dinosaur movie, hoisted himself up too fast, which resulted in catapulting the TV remote off his lap and hitting Wolf in the head with it. Wolf scrambled for the remote to shut off the television as Gunner panicked, tried to hide the popcorn, and lounged on the floor to cover it with a big, goofy grin.

“Before you get mad,” Flash said, wiping a bit of drool from his mouth as he jabbed a finger at Gluttony, “Gunner’s the one who locked Glenn in the coat closet with a confining spell.”

Romeo flipped up his sleep mask. “Mumzy and Zaddy are home!” His neon-pink eyes landed on my torn clothes. “Well, I’ll be hanged. That’s a lot of blood. Hath the Prince of Darkness slayed the forbidden maiden?”

Curious eyes bounced back and forth between us as they took in my bloodstained clothes and Death’s lack of shirt.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said. “Death—er—healed me . . . ”

Romeo raised a sly eyebrow. “Where’s your shirt, my lord?”

“Yeah, where’s your shirt, virgin killer?” Wolf pressed.

“We weresparring,” Death sneered, his nostrils flaring. “Which one of you morons had the bright idea of trashing my apartment? You got shit all over the floor.”

“Deflection,” Romeo sang.

“Indeed,” Denim said, “the subject has been changed.”

Death made a monstrous noise at the back of his throat.“Enough,”he snarled. “I want all of you out of here, and all of this cleaned up. Tomorrow we meet at the agreed time.”

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