“No need to get so testy, Laurie,” Skye said, following behind them.“I don’t have to pretend to have feelings for him anymore, and you don’t have to pretend to be jealous.”
Remi turned to her.Her eyes held none of their usual spark.She was inhuman, and sure, shewasn’thuman, but Remi had never seen her display such sociopathic hollowness before.
“Good thing too.I was getting really bored playing house,” Skye said with a curled lip.
Remi’s forehead scrunched up.He couldn’t help saying, “Playing house?What the hell does that mean?”
“How you pretended to be lost in domestic bliss while living amongst that squalor and filth,” Zara said.“I will never understand.”
Remi’s eyes widened as he looked at Zara.
“Pretending?”The word was drawn out into three syllables as it tumbled from his mouth.
“I tried to warn you,” Laurie said, squeezing his arm.Remi tried to hide his wince as pain shot through his body.“We made a bet Skye couldn’t get you to fall in love with her before the end of the tour.”
Remi stumbled over his feet.As he righted himself, he glared at Laurie and didn’t see Skye’s reaction.
“Did it work, human?”Zara asked with a predatory, toothy smile.“Do you love the demon who stole your soul?”
Remi blinked, shaking his head in disbelief.He wasn’t sure what this was anymore.What game they were playing.“I…I…” This was all for the Devil’s benefit, right?Some kind of ploy.
But why hadn’t Skye told him?Why…
Skye made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat.“You guys are cheating.He’s not going to say it now!”
“Like you haven’t already cheated,” Laurie said.“You feel it, don’t you, pretty boy?She compelled you into loving her, didn’t she?”
His heart dropped.A myriad of thoughts all rammed into one another in his head.He couldn’t get them under control.
“Just tell us,” Laurie said.“I’ll fix it.I’ll undo her compulsion, but you have to admit it first.”
“Compulsion doesn’t work on me,” Remi said as if he knew a single thing about demon magic.
Laurie and Zara both threw their heads back and laughed.
“And demons don’t lie either, right, Zara?”Laurie said.
“Oh, no.Never.”
“I didn’t have to compel him,” Skye said, crossing her arms over her chest with a petulant look.“He was already half in love with me when I entered his dreams.”
Remi lunged forward out of Laurie’s and Zara’s grip.“Skye,” he hissed under his breath as he wrapped his hand around her wrist.“What is this?Is this a game?You don’t mean any of this.”
She pursed her lips and peeled his fingers off her arm, holding them between her thumb and forefinger like a revolting piece of trash.Dropping his hand, she took a step back, looked him up and down, and started slow clapping.“Wow.He’s finally starting to get it.”She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “It’s always been a game.”
Remi’s eye twitched.
Skye sneered as she watched whatever was playing out on his face—Remi had no idea what that even could be—he couldn’t feel his face.
“A game,” Remi repeated.
Skye patted his cheek obnoxiously.“There.Atta boy.Now you got it.”
He walked backward, glass crunching underfoot.Despite the sweltering heat, Remi’s teeth started chattering as a cold realization sank in.
Skye tossed her hair over her shoulder.She followed his retreat until his back was pressed against the wall, empty metal jar holders caging him in from both sides.Skye pressed her palm to the space beside his head and put her mouth to his ear.“I played you.I’ve been playing you this entire time.And you fell for it so fucking easy.”
He grabbed the back of her neck and angled her chin up with his thumb under her jaw.Through gritted teeth, he said, “All of this?The bargain falling apart?Toying with me and my band?This was all just some game to you?”
