Page 69 of Death Trap

The moment the last words left my mouth, I wished I could suck them back in.

That was a mistake. A BIG mistake.

Tamara’s hand whipped out so fast, it was a blur of motion. I flinched, throwing up my arms to block whatever was coming my way, remembering the last time I’d been hit with a spell. Even though it had been by a level two sorcerer in his new spirit form—which weakened him some—it still hurt like the dickens. And Tamara was a level three. I couldn’t dieagain,but pain was still pain. No matter what side of the veil you were one.

But when I was left standing there, untouched, I cracked my eyes open but stayed in a defensive position in case the blow was delayed coming.

Instead of releasing a spell, she pulled her hand back, as if rethinking it.

“Tell me,” she snapped. “Did Marla send you down here for me? For revenge?”

“What? No.” Talk about vanity and an extreme case of distrust. “Your sister may have said you were a real bitch, but me being here has nothing to do with you or her. At all.”

Tamara hesitated, raising her chin. “My sister would never call me that.”

“Not in those words exactly, of course. She didn’t curse, but I can put two and two together. I got the picture.”

“Where is my sister? And Arianna? Are they here, too? In Hell?”

Every muscle in my body felt unnaturally tight. Maybe it was because I couldn’t help but have my guard up at all times on this side of the elevator. And with Tamara around. I rolled my neck side to side to ease the ache growing between my shoulder blades.

“No and no,” I said. “Marla’s in the…good place.” I didn’t really feel like describing what the afterlife was really all about. A middle ground between Heaven and Hell where souls get to keep living, sort of? Something like that. But the good place implied Marla was in a better place than her twin, and that was the point I really wanted to drive home. “And Arianna is still alive and doing well.”

Tamara looked away for a second and closed her eyes, as if she were searching within herself for some kind of confirmation of what I had said. That’s when I remembered what Marla had said about the two of them being able to sense when the other one was hurt or when they died.

She nodded once and turned back to me. “Yes, it seems like you’re right about that. Marla is dead but not here.”

Tamara was only getting weirder and weirder. I’ve seen some weird things, but her sixth sense was really starting to freak me out.

“So, if this has nothing to do with my sister and you aren’t the reaper who brought me here, then why did you save me from purgatory?” she asked.

“Honestly? I…made a mistake.”

Her gaze hardened, not pleased by my answer. Should I have lied?

“I thought you were Marla and had somehow been brought here by accident,” I went on.

I glanced down at Monnie’s ring on my finger and wondered if the thing could somehow snap Tamara back into her place in the purgatory line if I touched her again. Did it work both ways?

“And if you’re using a perception charm to hide your identity because you’re not supposed to be here, then there must be a reason for the risk.” It was a statement, not a question. She raised a perfectly sculpted brow in interest as she scanned me over. “Maybe something I could help with?”

She was offering her help now? Well, that was certainly out of character for her.

Unless she wanted my help in return.

But what could she want from me?

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, no.

I scolded myself for not seeing it sooner.

I knew exactly where she was going with this. She wanted me to get her out of Hell. Even though we both very well knew she belonged here.

“No thank you,” I said, probably a little too aggressively. “I got it under control.”

Not to mention I was not a taxi service. That was for damned sure.

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