Page 35 of All Hallows Trick

CAT

Ididn’t know how Tor and Madde would go about keeping a ghost captive in the cells under Madde’s castle,1 let alone torturing the truth out of her, but I’d save the curiosity for later. Now was quality time between me, Miz, and Death.

Mostly because Misery couldn’t do anything strenuous and risk hurting himself with us both here watching him, and because every time I moved tenderness still shot through my pussy and ass, reminding me of the pounding it took three days ago against the wall of the library building. And two days ago, against the wall in our bedroom. And yesterday morning on the balcony. And last night in our spacious bed. And this morning… you get the idea.

It was a strange honeymoon period, almost perfect despite the fact I was halfway through my first antidote, and Honey had insisted on returning to Ford, and I hadn’t seen Virgil all day. Madde had an impressive collection of snacks in his kitchen sowe’d raided his stores and we’d spent the day in his cinema room2 binge-watching Disney films. It was cute as hell to be watching animated films with Death—the actual incarnation of Death—and Misery himself. If I told anyone in the mortal realm about this, they’d have me committed.

We’d just got to the part in Mulan where the guys got in drag to save China when the door to the cinema room opened with a clumsy bang, and Tor and Madde strode in… covered in blood.

“Fuck,” I whispered, pushing off the red velvet sofa where me, Miz, and Death had been splayed, all tangled up together. Cold immediately rushed into the places we’d been touching, joining the cold that spread through my insides at the sight of them dripping blood from their hands, chests, neck, and faces. “Who did this?”

My voice dropped low, my fingertips tingling, claws poking through my skin. That had been happening more often in the last day or so. I was losing control, but right now I didn’t mind it. I would transform and rip apart whoever had dared hurt my men—

“It’s not ours, beautiful,” Tor cut in, closing the distance between us in rapid strides, his arms coming around my waist to pull me against him. “We hunted down the lab tech who helped Poppy develop her serum and convinced him to talk.”

My stomach flipped. Relief that they were unhurt collided with a sudden rush of hope.

“We have a list of shit to buy, equipment and things I’ve never heard of. And then we just need someone to make the serum and figure out how to reverse engineer that shit. Luckily, we have no shortage of geniuses down here. You’re gonna be just fine, my cute little succulent.”

A smile pulled up my mouth, unbidden. I would never not smile at that name. “You found that out in three days?”

Granted, he’d been gone for most of them and came back covered in blood but…

I hooked my fingers in the collar of Tor’s blood-soaked shirt and wrenched him closer, kissing him hard and deep, refusing to stop until I nearly suffocated. I kissed him so hard my lips tingled and there could be no doubt that I loved him.

His eyes were dark and glossy when I finally released him, his tongue slicking across his bottom lip as he watched me with clear hunger.

“I helped too,” Madness pointed out, lifting his hand.

“I know. Thank you.” I reached up and kissed Madde’s cheek, his skin warm and smooth under my sensitive lips. I ignored the visceral tug in my lower belly and dropped my feet back to the carpeted floor.

“That feels unproportionate,” Madde said under his breath, giving Tor a sulky look. “But your kisses are worth waiting for.”

“Aw,I knew you liked me,” Tor said with a flutter of his thick lashes.

Madde’s scowl darkened. “Not you, dick. You’re not my type. The pretty one, however…” He waved a hand towards Miz and Death, still lounging on the sofa.

“I’m everyone’s type,” Misery agreed with a smirk, getting to his feet to check Tor for wounds.

“Not you.” Madde scoffed, turning to face Miz so he had a clear view of the eye roll he was given. “Him.”

Death shook his dark head, braids falling down his back as he came to stand beside me. “Not happening, madman.”

Madde’s gaze shot to me, excitement sparkling in electric blue. “He gave me a nickname,” he whispered.

“Everyone calls you that,” I laughed, and didn’t quite recognise the buoyant feeling in my chest. It was hope but bigger than that. We could make an antidote—better than that, maybe we could make acure.I didn’t have to transform, wouldn’t everhurt anyone else I loved. Virgil could be cured and wouldn’t have to rely on antidotes for the rest of his life. We could go back to normal.

It was a delusion I clung to. Didn’t we deserve a happily ever after?

“I know a guy,” Madde offered, his expression flipping to thoughtful, his moods ephemeral. “Well, a woman. She can get your serum made in no time. She’s quite a big name.” He cupped his hand to his mouth and whispered a name that made my eyes widen.

“Shouldn’t she be in, y’know, Heaven…?”

Madde snorted, giving me an indulgent look. “There is no Heaven, silly. There’s just death. Not Death, the hot guy,” he clarified, “death, the end-of-life-thing.”

“Stop flirting with my husband,” I groused, but… playfully. I felt good. Happy; that was the buoyant feeling. I washappy.And if life had taught me anything, it was that you couldn’t trust happiness. It never lasted.

Two days later,I took a syringe of glowing antidote from our dwindling supply and held perfectly still while Miz injected me with it. Death did the same for Virgil. Honey stood off to the side, chewing her lip, here for moral support. When I glanced at her, she pasted on a smile and shot me a double thumbs up. It helped, casting the strange magic that her friendship always did, making me stronger.

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