Page 24 of In Between Death and the Devil

“You have no idea what I need.” His expression went from cold to heated in a blink.

My breath caught in my throat, and I found myself unable to look away from him. The shadows around me felt like a caress on my skin. Something tugged in my chest, and I was suddenly burning up, tension pooling in areas that made me squeeze my thighs together, desperate for friction. It faded as quickly as it came, leaving behind an ache of loneliness that brought tears to my eyes.

The Devil looked away, and I sucked in a lungful of air, my thoughts reeling.

“Would you let me help you if I didn’t ask for anything in return?” His hands were on his hips.

I gritted my teeth, unwilling to tell him he was right. It wouldn’t matter.

“I thought not.” He shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face, which both angered and confused me. I didn’t understand why he cared.

The way he helped me through my panic attack the first time we met, or saved the tea tray I dropped and then asked if I was alright made no sense except as a ploy to earn my trust. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here trying to force me into a deal with him.

I’d been here before. I knew what it felt like to be told one thing and then realize it had all been a lie. The Devil was far more dangerous than Colt though, more persuasive. Even now, part of me wondered if his concern had been real. The possibility did funny things to my stomach.

Shaking myself, I straightened my spine. I wouldn’t let myself go down this road again. Not when I knew better.

Reading my refusal in my posture, his expression hardened. “I wonder what Death will think when she finds out your secret. Let’s find out, shall we?” He turned to go.

“No. Wait.” I was across the room, at his side, in a blink.

He looked down at my hand on his arm, his forearm flexing. I pulled away as if I’d been burned, my face hot. I hadn’t realized I’d grabbed him.

My mouth went dry with the realization that he had me. I may have thought I didn’t know which poison I preferred, him or Death, but I’d been kidding myself. I was terrified of Death finding out. Still, I couldn’t quite bring myself to surrender just yet.

“I won’t use it for you,” I said.

His brow creased in confusion.

“My curse. I won’t use it all. I only want to be able to control it.”

“That will always be your decision. I won’t force you.” He sounded so reasonable, but I wasn’t a fool.

“Swear it.”

“I’ll make it part of the deal.”

I took a step back, resisting the urge to pace. “How does that work?”

“We swear an oath and bind it with shadows and soul essence.”

“What happens if one of us breaks it?”

“That won’t happen.” He waved a hand, dismissing the idea.

“Humor me.” I wasn’t agreeing to something I didn’t fully understand.

He tilted his head a little, as if assessing my demand for information and storing it away for later.

I suppressed a shudder.

“We won’t break it,” he said, “because we will be compelled by the oath to fulfill the terms.”

“So, if I swear to spy on Death for you, the oath will force me to? Literally?”

“It won’t drive you to take unnecessary risks, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I glared at him, not wanting to show him how unnerving it was that he knew that was exactly what I was thinking.