Page 151 of Death is My Ride or Die

“Deal.” Ahrimad braced his hands against the vat of blood before him. “Layla, my dear, come here.”

Layla abandoned her games with Ace and slid seductively across the floor. Her eyes playfully slid toward Malphas as she passed him.

Layla cuddled up against Ahrimad’s cloak with a small smile. “Yes, Master?”

“You are a true loyal servant, Layla.” Ahrimad’s long fingers drifted down the curve of her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “I’m afraid a traditional blood sacrifice of a high-level demon is imperative for the dark spells I seek.”

Layla’s eyes widened. “I—what?”

Malphas suddenly came up behind Layla and snatched her by the back of the neck, securing her in place.

“No, no,no!” Layla’s screams were horrifying, the anticipation of what was about to happen rattling my bones. “Malphas!Malphas!” She tore her head toward Ahrimad. “You lying bastard, you promised to free me!”

“You will be free,” Ahrimad said with a chilling smile.

Malphas grabbed Layla’s exposed throat andtore. Tore her throat straight out. An involuntary scream escaped my mouth. Layla gurgled out a choked sob. She fought, writhed, her hand reaching back and her talon-like nails clipping Malphas in the cheek, but it was no use. Malphas restrained her arm behind her back, her blood spilling like a river along the floor.

“Dump her,” Ahrimad said once the empath’s body stilled.

Malphas lifted Layla’s limp body and carried her to the marble vat at the center of the room. He lowered her into it until her body disappeared. The blackness webbing out across his features withered back into his eyes as he looked down into the marble container. I’d almost missed the flicker of emotion that danced across his face. Disgust. Malphas wasn’t proud of what he’d done.

I couldn’t shake this feeling. My intuition told me I’d missed something. Malphas still had a greater part in all of this. And yet, here he was, obedient to Ahrimad. Doing his dirty work. Why? What had Ahrimad guaranteed him? What was he holding over his head?

Malphas’s black eyes swept up and caught mine in what felt like a surreptitious moment before the blank void slid back over his pale features, and he returned to his station with his hands clasped behind his back.

“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 cold chill of fear slipped down my spine, and suddenly it all made a little more sense.

“I know how you did it,” I announced to Ahrimad’s retreating frame.

Ahrimad faced me, cocking his head. “Dear child, I haven’t the faintest clue what you are talking about.”

“Malphas was the one who freed you from the Underworld. But he didn’t do it to spite Death, did he? No . . . ” I straightened my back, conviction strengthening my voice. “He’s been your slave this entire time. YoumadeMalphas free you that night. You keep making him do your dirty work because you have something over him. I bet . . . it’s a secret he must take to the grave.”

A slow grin tilted Ahrimad’s lips. “Youclever, clever girl. From the moment Malphas was freed from the Underworld, he was in contact with me, where my soul was trapped. He offered to bring me back too. In order for him to free me, I needed the purest of sacrifices, and Malphas needed to throw Death a little . . . off-kilter. Distract him. And what better than a disastrous family reunion?”

“You’re the reason Malphas went after me,” I speculated.

“That’s not possible,” Death hissed, seemingly alert. The demons gripped his chains tighter, as if anticipating him lashing out.

Ahrimad ran his finger over the edge of his dagger, laughing like there was some joke we’d all missed. “You know, I really should thank you, Faith Williams. I hadn’t a clue Malphas had arrived here until I ran into you in the hallway in Ace’s corpse and you mentioned that he had entered the mausoleum with you. Malphas was supposed to be in another realm, establishing my army of Forsaken like a good pet. Now I know to keep him on a much shorter leash.”

“You said your scythe was created by Hades,” I said, trying to piece this all together. “He punished you, didn’t he? That’s why you were imprisoned in the otherworld.”

“I was born with an endless hunger for mortals,” Ahrimad explained. “Let’s say it got a little . . . out of hand. Hades tried to control my violence so I wouldn’t tarnish his neutrality. I would reap the souls of the living for his kingdom and skim off their souls for sustenance. I was young and naïve. Naturally, I rebelled, and when Hades confined me to my prison in that mirror, I doubt he planned on freeing me.”

Death’s catlike eyes radiated. “Sounds like you’re the son he never wanted.”

“Oh, yes,” Ahrimad said. “Hadesismy father, after all.Ourfather.” His sudden pause left an unnerving feeling in the air. “Isn’t that right, Malphas?”

“Ho-ly shit,” Ace blurted, beating me to it.

“You’re brothers,” Death said in a flat, detached voice.

“Half,” Ahrimad corrected, clasping his hands behind his back. “Malphas’s mother was a different mortal whore. Speaking of mortal whores, Malphas and I would never even have crossed paths had it not been for his wife. Phoebe, wasn’t it?” He sighed, gazing out into oblivion as if reminiscing over a beautiful memory. “I suppose it would be a shame for us all to part ways without absolving the feeble innocents in this room. Do you want to tell this lovely story, Malphas, or shall I?”

Malphas’s features were so warped with stifled rage that he looked almost unrecognizable. “You do love the sound of your own voice.”

---