Page 71 of My Karmic Destiny

“Geez, keep your panties on!” Megan snaps when she appears in front of me, in her full pink glittering glory. “What’s so urgent you have to interrupt a reap?”

“Sorry, but it’s important.” I gesture for her to follow me into the circle.

She looks at Evan and Kurtis and then seems to sense the magic boundary. “Is this a trap? What’s going on? Where’s Tessa?”

“It’s about her. Please,” I beg.

She must see the fear in my eyes because she takes the step and joins us inside the silencing bubble.

“Explain. Now.”

We tell her what we know, and I finish with, “Donotgo to Tessa with this. We can’t alert Instant if it’s her.”

“I won’t say anything, but I should assess the situation for myself before I go to Death to ask him about this.”

“Can I go with you when you talk to him?” I plead.

Kurtis and Evan chime in that they would like to go too.

“Fine. But Dante and I will see what’s up first, then come back for you before I return to the underworld.”

Megan steps out of our sacred circle and closes her eyes briefly. “She’s in Dante’s bedroom.”

“She is?” I gulp, suddenly nervous about what I’ll find. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“I’m going to let you go ahead. I’ll knock on your door after a minute.” Megan flicks her fingers for me to scoot along.

Using my new Karma powers, I transport back into my bedroom. I find Tessa under my covers, clearly naked.

“Hey, handsome. Where have you been?” she asks, trying to sound casual. But she’s off, just as Kurtis said. Her aura flickers around her head.

“Just working on a Karma job,” I say. It isn’t too far from the truth, I just hope she won’t be able to sense the deceit.

She sits up and lets the blankets fall down from her breasts. I keep my eyes on hers. Until I know what’s going on, it will feel like cheating if this isn’t really Tessa I’m admiring. She curls her finger in a beckoning motion. “Come here and give me some sugar.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Tessa say that. “Don’t you mean warm cookies and milk?”

She smirks and giggles. “You mean hot cocoa?” she corrects with our inside joke.

That knowledge could be explained away if Instant is probing Tessa’s mind. “So youdolike my treats.” I play along. This would all seem like normal banter for us if it weren’t for the dread sitting in my gut.

“I sure do. Let me swallow your cream.” Tessa pulls off the covers and stands in front of me. She’s about to reach for me when there’s a knock at the door.

She glares at the intrusion and mutters angrily under her breath. Then she storms to the door, flinging it open without covering up or asking who it is. “Why are you knocking on my man’s door,Megan?”

“I was looking for you,” Megan answers, ignoring the nakedness altogether.

“Why?” Tessa cocks her hip and waits for an answer.

“Allison was thinking of having dinner with a bunch of the Death crew. You can invite Dante along if you like.”

Tessa’s shoulders relax, and she shakes her head. “No, thanks. I’m going to stay in with my guy tonight.”

“Okay, cool. Maybe I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” Tessa says, though it sounds insincere.

When Tessa turns away, Megan tilts her head ever so slightly, indicating she’ll meet me back at the circle. I can see it in her eyes. She senses something is wrong, too.

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