Page 146 of Death is My Ride or Die

Malphas’s onyx eyes flicked to mine, amusement dancing within their endless depths. “Is that any way to talk to family, Faith? I’m practically your father-in-law.”

I stormed toward him, but Leo’s hand gripped my upper arm and stopped me.

“You stole theBook of the Dead,” I growled.

The Seven moved in behind me.

“We killing the bird or what?” Blade demanded.

“Bird?”A muscle in Malphas’s face twitched. He sauntered into the room. “Ever seen a moron with his dick attached to his forehead like a unicorn?” He paused. “Would you like to be the first?”

Blade snarled a little.

“Here’s how this is going to go,” Malphas continued, his dark gaze sweeping over the Seven. “Surrender to Ahrimad. All of you. Or don’t.”

The sly smile that tilted one side of his mouth communicated he’d very much rather they didn’t.

My fingers rolled into fists. “So, this is what rock bottom looks like for a demigod. You’re just Ahrimad’s bitch.”

“Excuse me, holy dove,” Malphas said, holding up a finger for me to be quiet. “I am talking to the Seven Deadly Shits.”

Suddenly, Denim and Wolf lunged forward on either side of Malphas. They both cried out in agony and dropped to their knees, their bodies arching back as their faces locked in twisted distress. Darkness had webbed out of Malphas’s eyes, spreading outward across his pale skin. Blade lunged forward to strike the raven demigod, but he too was crippled by pain and dropped to his knees.

Chills raked through my body at the awareness that I couldn’t move either. He’d affected me without me even knowing it. Every part of me was locked into obedience.

The reapers were paralyzed on the ground, their screams of raw torment unbearable. They clawed at their skin and thrashed their heads like they were trapped in a nightmare with their eyes wide open.

Malphas stood motionless in the middle of this violent torment, his expression void of any emotion.

“Don’t do this!” I screamed at him, the muscles in my neck so tight with his power I could barely breathe. “Please, Malphas. You’re going against your own flesh and blood!”

Malphas’s onyx eyes slithered to mine. “Maybe next time he’ll make sure I stay dead.”

The sensation of talons scraped the inside of my brain.

My knees locked as the floor moved beneath my feet. The reapers’ screams were muffled as I was thrust across a threshold into another room. I hit the floor and landed on all fours, still unable move any of my limbs on my own. I stared down at my hands and tried to move my fingers, but my brain betrayed me. The ringing grew louder, my head tilting up to gaze at the massive mirror across the way. The portal.

Malphas’s power wore off as I inhaled a sharp breath and regained the ability to move. I lurched up onto my feet. The archway through which I’d entered closed, leaving behind a marble wall. I banged my fists against it, begging my power to unleash as I imagined the horrible things that psychopath was doing to the reapers on the other side. But my body was drained, fatigued, and nothing sparked from my hands. I pressed my back against cool marble and desperately tried to keep from panicking, but my emotions were spiraling out of control.

Coldness washed down my spine.

I turned my head to the side and froze.

Death.

Hanging limply from the ceiling by chains.

XXXVIII

I rushed to him, my hands lunging for the cuffs around his wrists, but when my fingers touched the chain, some sort of magic fired back at me. A surge of electricity rushed through me, and I fell to my knees, my teeth gnashing together.

“Cupcake.”

My head jerked upward. Death looked down at me through half-open lids, his irises pinkish red with Layla’s charm. “Hey,” I said gently. “Hey, you’re okay. I’m going to get you out of here. I’m going to figure this out.”

“Pretty.” His eyes clung to my lips with a less intense version of Ace’s goofy, lovestruck grin plastered on his fanged mouth.

My mouth tightened. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Glancing over my shoulder, I started brainstorming. How could I break Layla’s spell on him?

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