Page 82 of Death Deals

“And alone,” he emphasized.

“Andalone,” I repeated.

Seeming satisfied with that, he tilted his head and pursed his lips. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about it, and quickly swooped down. The kiss was short, only a brush of our lips, but the strange zap of electricity that shot through told me the deal had been solidified as real. Binding.

My stomach turning, I rubbed my mouth with the back of my hand, but Monnie couldn’t stop smiling.

“Now, be a good girl and let me out,” he said.

There was no turning back now. Holding my breath, I stepped back and used my boot to scratch off a part of the trap’s outer circle.

The moment the paint smudged off, Monnie rose to his feet, suddenly full of strength, and yanked himself out of the chains. The shackles snapped as if they were made with paper mache, not reinforced steel.

My heart jumped into my throat. Okay, he was ridiculously strong. That meant, really, the only thing holding him, weakening him, had been the magic of the demon trap—the very one I had just freed him from.

He stood and stretched, his bones making a terrible cracking sound when he did.

I winced.

“Oh, that’s right,” he began with a quick laugh. “Don’t break the merchandise.” Then, he held out his bent arm for me to take. “Are you ready to go?”

“Go?” I asked. “You have to get out of Cole first. That was part of our agreement.”

“Oh, I know all that, but I’m not going to be doing that here, where your Guardian can flash back in when he feels like it. Or any of the rest of them, for that matter. No, we will be taking this somewhere else.”

Uh oh. That hadn’t been part of the plan.

I glanced at the elevator. Maybe I had written off telepathy a little too soon because being able to tell Eli what was going on sure would have come in handy right now.

“Well?” Monnie pressed and wiggled his extended arm for me to take.

Knowing I couldn’t object without revealing my motives, I stalked past him, shoving his elbow away as I headed for the same door I’d followed Cornelius out of the other night.

Monnie caught up to me rather quickly and held it open for us to walk through. “I have to say, I didn’t expect you to be so eager,” he said.

“Yeah, well, a lot has happened in the last few months, so not much surprises me anymore.” I rubbed my hands as the cold air bit into me again. I should probably live it up now since I’d be going to Hell if this all went to shit, and there it was ungodly hot 24/7. “Let’s just get it over with.”

He gestured for me to follow him down the sidewalk, the same way Ricky and I had gone to find the Omaris’ theater. We followed the same steps, but when we passed the vampire’s hiding place, a part of me wished one of them would jump out, surprise us, and stop Monnie from leading me away from The Grand and my friends. But then, that would more than likely end in a fight, and with the demon still in Cole’s body, I couldn’t let that happen either.

We kept walking, and my heart sank a little more with every step. I hadn’t anticipated a change in venue, and that was going to cost me.

When we reached the darkened boat harbor—the same one I’d observed from the balcony—he finally stopped. The docked sailboats waded in the water as the waves rose and fell with the breeze. The only light was from a single post on the dock, which was mostly rusted over with a bulb that flickered every so often.

“Why did you bring me all the way out here?” I asked as I peered out. The lake disappeared into the blackness of the night.

“Some privacy, mostly,” he replied and raised his arms. “But also because of this view! It reminded me a bit of your home away from home, Fairport. Don’t you think so?”

I guess. With the docks and the water, I could see where he made that connection. “Drag my soul to Hell while admiring the scenery? How… sweet.”

He smiled. “I like to think of myself as a bit of a romantic.”

Oh Lord, help me.

“Can we just cut the bullshit and get going?” I said, aggravated. “I'm sure you're busy running a Hell Dominion and all.”

“You're right,” he replied. “I am. But things will be even busier once we get down there together. Have to start on our brood, you know.” His brows rose and fell suggestively.

Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross.

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