Page 56 of In Between Death and the Devil

Except, she didn’t seem to notice. She was too focused on channeling light into the scale, which began to change color, from gold to red-tinged white, like metal heated in a forge.

The pan with the weights inched down towards the other.

I tasted bile as the In Between strained and groaned. It felt so wrong, it set my teeth on edge. How could Death stand it?

If she felt it, she gave no sign. She didn’t let up until the pans were a half inch apart and wouldn’t budge any further.

The strain of the In Between echoed in my body like a second pulse, the sting of the impact still intense enough to make me afraid to move.

“Add another weight to the scale.” Her breath came in short pants, but her focus didn’t waver.

I did as she asked with shaking fingers.

The pans bobbed but returned to their previous positions.

“Another.” Death’s gaze was fixed on the scale with a fierceness that made me shiver.

I added two more before the pans finally pulled level and stayed that way.

Death’s posture instantly relaxed. She sat back with a satisfied smile. “There.”

I couldn’t tell what she’d imbued the heart she’d created with to balance against the weights, but they sentenced the imaginary soul to a crushing life filled with disappointment, torment, and misery.

“You needn’t look so horrified,” she said. “The Dungeons are too full. It’s making the imbalance worse. All souls suffer. It’s how they learn. I’m merely sending more of them to learn in the World of the Living instead of being tortured by the Devil, balancing things.”

I wasn’t sure that was an equal trade. As much as I hated facing my shadows and distrusted the Devil, I felt different than I had during my time with the Order of Death. Lighter. I realized with a start that I hadn’t thought much about my family in days. I’d been too wrapped up in what had happened with the Devil. It wasn’t that I was over what I’d done—I doubted I ever would be—but it didn’t feel as heavy. If souls in his Dungeons experienced the same thing, maybe being sentenced to time there wasn’t so bad.

Maybe I’d misjudged him.

Death looked at me expectantly.

“Yes, my goddess.” It was something I said frequently and without much thought, but the words didn’t come as easily as they usually did.

Her silence suggested she could tell. Her gaze took on that piercing quality that made me feel like she could see my every thought and emotion.

I resisted the urge to squirm under her scrutiny.

“It’s the Devil’s fault I have to do this. If he were willing to share power, things would be more balanced.”

The idea of him sharing anything with this woman made me want to bare my teeth. He was bonded to me. He didn’t want her.

The force of my reaction startled me. I wasn’t sure I could trust him. For all I knew, what she was saying was true.

I didn’t trust her either, always feeling uneasy in her presence. The way she sat now was deceptively casual. Her posture was languid, but the way she watched me was sharp. There was something almost challenging in her gaze. It made my every instinct scream at me to run.

Instead, I pasted a meek expression on my face, nodded and bowed my head, hoping she’d get bored and let me go.

“But he’s too power hungry,” she continued. “You’ve no idea the lengths he’ll go to in order to get more.” Her eyes never left my face, as if she wanted to watch each word land. “Of course, sending souls to the World of the Living doesn’t remove them from his influence. He has power there too. His Order tempts people into wrongdoing in order to ensure a steady flow of souls for his Dungeon.”

“Yes, my goddess. That is well known.” My scalp prickled. In everything that had happened with him, I’d forgotten that bit. Lulled by our work on my fears, I hadn’t asked him about it. I felt like I’d taken my eyes off a vicious predator who was now stalking me in the shadows.

“I know I don’t need to tell you,” she said, her tone shifting from preaching to comforting. “Not after having suffered from it firsthand.”

My hands went cold. “What do you mean?”

Her features twisted into something approximating confusion. “Colt was working for the Order of Shadows, for the Devil, when he stole your father’s merchant ring.”

My heartbeat pulsed heavily at the base of my throat and my face heated. I wasn’t surprised she knew about my history. Those who wanted to participate in the Ritual were vetted by the In Between before they were selected. But her accusation…