Page 84 of Death is My Ride or Die

Death produced an inhuman noise that landed between a bestial growl and a menacing hiss. “The fuck she is. Get out of my goddamn house.”

Death stormed toward the warlock, but Ace turned sharply around, striking the Grim Reaper hard in the side. Power exploded. Death grunted as his massive frame was thrown back, magic bolting him to the wall behind him.

I covered my mouth with my hand to suppress a gasp.

“Tsk-tsk,” Ace said. “A deal is a deal,Alex.”

God, this was perfect.

I put a finger to my chin, appreciating how similar this was to the position Death had had me trapped in moments before. “Karma is a bitch, ain’t it, big boy?”

Death strained against the binds on his wrists so hard that the tendons in his neck and shoulders bulged. “You wait until I get my hands on you, cupcake.”

His untraceable accent had thickened, and the threat swept over me like a stroke of heat.

“Our carriage awaits,” Ace said, ushering me forward. “Should you need us, don’t. I’ll be wooing Faith tirelessly until midnight.”

Death spat a foreign sentence, at which Ace laughed. He twirled me into the hallway like we were dancing, slamming the penthouse door closed behind us.

We rode the elevator down, all smiles and giggles. Outside, a limo waited. Ace opened the door in a gentlemanly manner and helped me inside.

“He’s going to kill you, you know,” I said.

“Eh, he can get in line. I’d give him an hour or two until he breaks free of those bonds. By then, we’ll be in my shop, safe and sound.” Ace shrugged out of his fur coat. “Gods, that thing is hot.”

“All this just to piss Death off, huh?”

“Absolutely.” Ace snapped his fingers, and the limo rolled forward. “I’m embarrassed that I was ever friends with the selfish prick. Death possessing my body was low, even for him, so I appreciate your assistance in settling the score.”

I wanted to know more about Death and Ace’s feud, but my own emotional distress from the day caught up with me. “Anything to get the hell away from him.”

Ace hung his arms over the seats behind him. “Trouble in paradise?”

“If by ‘paradise’ you’re referring to my prison sentence with a psychotic Grim Reaper, then yes, loads of trouble.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Your vision didn’t land well. He had me convinced he was training me to go with him to get his scythe.”

The rest of the car ride to Pleasant Valley, I gossiped with Ace about how Death had wasted my time, leaving out everything about our meeting with Lucifer and theBook of the Dead. Frankly, the book was the last thing on planet Earth that I wanted to talk about. I told him about Marcy and how she’d been the only reason I’d signed with Death in the first place, and at least now she was safe. When I mentioned her kidnapping, Ace jutted his head forward and frowned in puzzlement.

“You will have to tell me more about this friend later,” he said.

When we arrived at Ace’s shop in Pleasant Valley, he took me by the elbow to guide me inside. Warmth passed from his body to mine, and oddly it calmed me.

“It must be difficult for you, coming back to Pleasant Valley.”

“Death said that they brainwashed my parents. Made them think I’m in an advanced college art program. Do you think you can take me to visit them?”

“The mind is a delicate place, Faith. I could take you to see your parents, but you would risk confusing them to an unsurmountable degree.”

I took a long, deep breath. “I don’t think now is the safest time to see them anyway.”

We strode through the shop, entering the cavernous space of his library. The only sound between us was the clack of his dress shoes against marble.

The warlock slid my arm from his elbow and held my hand. “All of this stress and emotional turmoil is affecting your mental health. I am sure it is affecting your ability too. I’m sorry I cannot be more helpful with your situation.”

“It’s not your fault I sold my soul,” I said bitterly. “Very littledoesn’taffect my ability these days. Death has barely taught me to control it. We’ve mostly been practicing self-defense so I can protect myself. Death’s boot camp, if you will.”

Ace turned toward me before parting the curtains in front of his séance room and arching a brow. “Has Death been patient with you?”

I burst out laughing. I mean, I had to. “Hell no! The guy went on a wild rampage the other day because I drankhalf a glassof his chocolate milk. He’s literally just a bigger, cloaked, more terrifying version of a bitchy old cat, and nobody can convince me otherwise.”

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