Page 24 of Till Death

“Not so fast, Jade.”

* * *

The strange tonetook me by surprise and I stilled mid-jump like a statue. I turned slowly toward the new voice and the unfamiliar hand keeping me in place, tightening its grip inch by inch. Long fingers attached to a tanned forearm complete with a gold watch encrusted with gemstones. Wide shoulders, pouty lips definitely fitting the sultry tone, and kind brown eyes.

My gut immediately plummeted even as my pulse shot through the roof.

“Do I know you?” I managed to get out.

Cute but entirely average looking was my first thought.I’m thoroughly screwed this timebecame the second, because I had a bad feeling that nothing I tried would kill this guy. His expression remained unreadable, and his slight smile was disconcerting for its warmth. Something about him didn’t rub me the right way.

Because no guy who looked like this would roam the halls of Hell.

The quiet halls, I realized. Not all of the Halflings who’d attacked me made it through the veil, but the rest of them had disappeared.

This didn’t bode well for me.

The man smiled at me for the longest time and his expression twisted my insides in an entirely terrible way. “You don’t know me yet, but you and I have something in common. You’ve also been looking for me. I felt it was time for us to have a little chat.”

Ah, crap. I knew exactly who I spoke to and that didn’t make the introduction any easier to handle. Sinking lower than I thought possible, I glanced toward the rip in the veil. The last view of Fairport I may ever have if this meeting went poorly.

“Another time, perhaps, we’ll get our long overdue conversation out of the way. I have a few more asses to kick at the moment,” I said, pointing to the veil. “My friends are in danger. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Amon waved his hand and the veil began to knit back together even though his gaze never left mine. “I’m sorry. I wish it worked that way. You’ll have to pardon me, Jade.” Soon the solid gray wall was back in place and his gaze moved over me without a hint of threat.

Almost worse, in my opinion.

“You came all this way to find me. Let’s not waste the precious time we have together.”

Okay, I wasn’t sure what seemed freakier to me: the fact that I stood in front of one of the original sin demons himself—nothing new there, to be honest—or the fact that he looked like an ordinary man.

I think the last part did me in. Because Amon might have been any guy I passed on the street. He might be your neighbor, or the clerk at the grocery store.

His already warm smile widened the longer I stared at him, but it gave me no glimpse of the demon underneath the skin he wore. “What?” he asked. “Did you expect someone else?”

“I’m not sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t a green Henley and jeans,” I went with.

Even more disturbing was how Bertha decided at that moment to disappear. I glanced down at my suddenly empty hand and tried not to let my jaw drop open.

Jeez, I had to be careful. I didn’t trust a warm smile or a demon who seemed like he liked me. I’d already learned my lesson when dealing with Monnie, the sin demon of Greed. A repeat would be overkill at this point.

“A man deserves to be comfortable,” Amon countered. “And don’t you think the color matches my eyes?”

“A man, perhaps, but not a demon.” Especially not a demon who currently had my not-boyfriend captured in Hell. One of the most powerful demons in creation.

Amon jerked his head over at the now healed tear in the veil. “Your friends will be fine while we have a chat. Trust me. I can see how this will turn out.”

I scoffed before I thought better of it. Still, his words gave me pause. “Oh, please.”

Now he had the gall to look shocked. “You have my word.”

“I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you. And you’re over six feet tall. I’m sure you get the picture.”

Bleeding from multiple places, my head spun in circles, even though I knew I had to keep my wits about me for this. The slightest misstep and I’d be smack-dab in the middle of another demon deal.

Never trust a kiss when the guy on the other side wants your soul.

Amon took a step closer to me, the soles of his sneakers nearly soundless on the floor. I would have taken an involuntary step in the opposite direction if he hadn’t kept such a strong hold on my shoulder. “Time for our talk, Jade. Come now,” he said.

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