Page 94 of Half Dead

“Inch by inch, life’s a cinch,” Nana Pratt said in a singsong voice.

Gun glanced at the microwave. “Speaking of clocks, what time will Kane be here to pick you up?”

“Any minute now. Let me grab my weapons first.”

“We’ll walk you out,” Phaedra offered.

I felt like I was in a parade of mourners as we exited the house.

“Try not to look so worried,” I told them. “Lucifer wants me to succeed with this one.”

“Except no one ever has,” Gun reminded me. “Not even Lucifer gets what he wants all the time, otherwise he’d have found Kane ages ago.”

Camryn swatted her cousin. “Up tempo only.”

Phaedra pulled me in for a hug. “Stay safe, friend. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

“I’ll be thinking of you,” Cam said. “Except when I’m thinking about Leo’s biceps.”

Gun gave me a dour look. “That will leave very little time for you, I’m afraid.”

Kane’s car pulled alongside the curb. He waited in the car until I’d finished my goodbyes. He drove to the woods in pensive silence. I made up for it by babbling like an idiot about the atomizer and the tablet.

Finally, I stopped blathering and asked, “What are you thinking?”

He pulled off the road and ground to a halt. “That I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”

My stomach rolled. “Excuse me?”

“I knew it was a bad idea, yet I couldn’t help myself.” He slammed a fist on top of the steering wheel. “And now I’ve subjected you to this.”

“You haven’t subjected me to anything. Lucifer has.”

“I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to you.”

I curled my fingers around his fist. “Our fates are tied together now, Kane, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I live; you live.”

He forced his gaze to mine. “And if you die…”

“I won’t. I’m a goddess, remember? It will take a lot more than the isle of misfit monsters to defeat me.”

Kane shifted in the driver’s seat, cupping my face in his hands. “You were able to bring light to this dark soul. I know I should have more faith. I just don’t trust Lucifer, and this tablet…”

I pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. “One step at a time. I complete the trials, then worry about whatever power this tablet allegedly has.”

“I’ve been thinking… There’s something I’d like you to consider while you’re down there,” he said.

“Whether purple is, in fact, the new black?”

The hint of a smile touched his lips. “If our fates are tied together, then why not our mailing addresses?”

It took me a split second to grasp his meaning. “You want to live together?”

“I’ve been content on my own for a long time, Lorelei, but the truth is that I am far happier when we’re together. I’d like to make the most of whatever time we have on this earth.”

“We’re immortal, Kane.”

His thumb grazed my cheek. “And it took me this long to meet you. I hate to think of all those years wasted. At this point, the end of time won’t be enough. I’m a greedy bastard. I’ll still want more. No need to answer me now,” he added quickly. “I only want you to consider it.”

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