Page 112 of Dead Heat

Gods, that was tempting. A firsthand glimpse into their operations might allow me to identify a few weaknesses.

Not that I was considering revenge.

Dammit, Gunther.

“You have my card,” Posy sang. “Don’t be afraid to use it.”She gave the iron bars a final flick with her perfect fingernails before retreating.

I held my breath until she disappeared from view. I turned toward Kane, whose grin was as wide as the moat.

“You look awfully chipper given how vehemently you objected to her proposal.”

His grin remained intact. “You referred to me as your boyfriend.”

“I can’t help it. The English language doesn’t have a more suitable word. Partner. Significant other. Better half. Main squeeze. Bae. I dislike all of them. If we were shifters, we could say ‘mate.’”

He grimaced. “We’re not shifters.”

“You might reconsider mate when you hear Gun’s proposal—demon candy.”

Kane suppressed a smile. “I’ve always been partial to inamorata.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s Italian for lover, but it’s gender specific. I would be your inamorato.”

“No surprise it’s Italian. They have all the best words.”

“The French would disagree.”

I considered the term. “It sounds nice. Let’s use that one.”

“It might confuse people who don’t speak Italian.”

I kissed his cheek. “That’s what context clues are for.”

His smile evaporated. “You’re not genuinely considering her offer, are you?”

“I haven’t ruled it out.”

“Why? What could you possibly have to gain? It isn’t as though you’d ever join them.”

“No, but it might give me insight into their operation.”

“Aite told you everything you needed to know.”

“Not really. She told me how separate the departments are from each other. If I could feign interest in multipledepartments and convince them to let me peek behind the curtain, as Posy said, I could learn something of value.” Like whether Hades and Persephone had, in fact, been obliterated.

“Or you could find yourself locked in a cage with a magical collar awaiting an assignment.”

“I agree with your inamorato,” Ray said. “This is a bad idea. You’ve shored up your defenses, and when you get back from Helheim, we’ll stock up on supplies like the magma monster suggested.”

Helheim. For a fleeting moment, I’d forgotten about the impending danger. If nothing else, Posy’s visit had been a good distraction.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, noncommittal. “One crisis at a time.”

An image of Gunther shimmered in front of me. He bent over to address the mailbox. “Help me, Lorelei Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”

“You’re hilarious,” I deadpanned, although he couldn’t hear me.

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