Page 8 of Death is My Ride or Die

We rose to our feet simultaneously, our faces inches apart.

“Calling on Malphas was a mistake,” I continued breathlessly, “but I didn’thelphim do anything to you. Let’s get one thing crystal clear. All I want is my life back. It was never my intention to hurt you. Youdeliberatelyhurt me! Once I saw you were in pain in that sigil, I tried to save you, and not because you’re my most prized possession. I did it because I’m stupid enough to care about you. When I was hurting, when I was really hurting and vulnerable and defenseless, you didn’t give ashit! You walked away and had a good laugh about a job well done! How am I more in the wrong here? Tell me!”

He wet his lower lip with his tongue. “Aw, are you going to cry? Do you want your precious sheltered life back, angel? Your life is never going to be the same. In fact, I fully intend to make it worse.”

My hand cracked across his face.

He clutched at his jaw and worked it, freeing a frightening laugh. The bedroom darkened, shadow consuming the ceiling until it looked like a black void.

Death came at me at full force, and I backpedaled, slamming into the wall as he ripped through my personal space and planted his hands on either side of my head. “The things I would do to you if I didn’t need you—argh!”

Suddenly, Death staggered, grimacing as his whole body locked up. He released a low growl, and my fingers gripped the dagger. I contemplated stabbing him now. Stabbing him while I had the chance to save myself.

“Ace is kicking you out, isn’t he?” I asked instead.

“He’s . . . trying.” He took three hard inhales through his nose and exhales out his mouth. The fight seemed to pass as his shoulders relaxed again. Hissing a foreign sentence to himself, Death stalked the width of my small bedroom back and forth.

“You said you need me,” I said, tucking the dagger back into my jeans. “I’m assuming you need my help getting your corpse back.”

“Not just my corpse, myscythe,” Death snarled, his fury at full force again. “Ahrimad is free. I suspect he’s feeding off my scythe’s power to remain corporeal. Once he finds a way to stay corporeal in the mortal realm without the blade, we’re all screwed.”

A realization struck me. “This is what Malphas meant when he told me he was the least of our worries now. He was talking about Ahrimad. It was never about you; it was about bringing Ahrimad back.” I maneuvered away from the wall to stand closer to him at the center of the room. “Why are you trying to bring me to the ball? To use me as bait?”

“No. I wanted to keep you by my side so I can protect you. Then you started babbling about Malphas and an escort, so I played along to get more information.” His gaze held mine for an intense beat. “But don’t get it twisted. I plan on keeping you safe tonight so that I can punish you myself after I get my corpse back.”

I sifted through my mental bucket list:Make the Grim Reaper fantasize about torturing me a trillion different ways.Check!“I guess chivalry is dead after all.”

“I could go on, and in great detail, believe me.” He stopped pacing back and forth and settled for circling me. My chest heaved. If I stabbed him to get away, it was game over. I stealthily gripped the blade at my hip again. “Would you like to hear what I plan to do to you, Faith?”

“Ignorance is bliss.”

He bared his teeth in a nasty smirk. “Shame. You’re not the only one who’s creative.”

Death struck like a viper; his hand positioned over mine on the hilt of the dagger. I jerked, but his fingers were strong as steel around mine. Our eyes connected, ice to fire.

“Naughty, naughty girl.” With a sly smile, he guided my hand up, pulling the weapon free from the waistband of my jeans, and then he released me. The dagger remained in my grasp.

“Why don’t do you just do it?” he taunted. “Put me down, Faith. Execute Malphas’s plan. I’m weak in this body. Unable to feed. All you’d have to do is slice me with that butter knife, and Ace’s body will be paralyzed within a minute. There’s your way out of tonight. It’s right in your grasp.”

My fingers tightened around the handle.

“I’ll make it easier for you.” He dropped to his knees with his arms spread out.

“You’ve lost your mind,” I gasped.

“Haven’t you heard, princess? You’re famous now.” Ace’s crazed violet eyes and sinister grin perfectly mirrored the delirious parasite possessing his body. “You need me tonight, just as much as I need you. Since you kept refusing my complete protection to shield you from my kind, rumors have spread. Now every wicked creature in this realm knows that I marked a mortal’s soul with the Kiss of Death and brought her back to life. Bet they’ll be curious as towhytoo. Can’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s hope none of them track your delicious scenthereto Mommy and Daddy first—”

I lunged forward with the dagger raised and clutched Death by the throat. Instinct kicked in, and his hand snapped out to grip my forearm as he bared his teeth like an animal.

Breathing me in, his mouth spread wider into a taunting smirk. He loosened his grip so that I stayed in his clutches, but not hard enough to break any bones. Then he did the unthinkable and dropped his arms completely and complacently to his sides.

“That’s right, baby,” Death purred, freeing a deep, sinister laugh. “Choke me.”

Heat splayed over me, and I propelled my arm to shake him, hard. “Shut up. Shut up, or I’ll fry you like I did the other night. I swear to God, I’ll do it!”

His jaw clenched shut at the mention ofthatnight, and his eyes narrowed to slits. He examined me that way, motionless, and made no move to fight me. Beneath my fingers, Ace’s pulse thrummed steadily, and I was reminded that if I hurt Death, I’d hurt the warlock too. Ridding myself of the Angel of Death wasn’t the answer. Not now, at least. He was the only thing standing between my family and the rest of his monstrous world. And he knew it.

“Question,” Death purred. “If you’re going to execute me—since I don’t get a last meal and all—could you take your top off first?”

---