Page 57 of In Between Death and the Devil

Merchant rings were valuable where I’d lived. One couldn’t trade without one and there was a fixed number. They rarely changed hands, and they were fiercely guarded, so counterfeits couldn’t be made and used.

Colt hadn’t had the resources to set himself up as a merchant, so I’d always assumed he was working for someone else. I hadn’t considered that the Devil might be behind it. He’d told me the night we bonded that he’d fixed my sentence so that I might come to the In Between, because he needed me to replace Death. He could have hired Colt to force the issue which, if true, would mean that I’d been the target instead of the ring, and my family’s death was in part the Devil’s fault.

The room spun as the implication hit me. It took every ounce of strength I had to stay upright. I had no idea what my face showed. The Devil had ruthlessly exploited my secret to force me into a deal. Did that mean he’d hired the man who broke my heart, and set all of this in motion seven years ago? I didn’t want it to be true, but I was afraid it was. Another sign that I’d made a terrible choice in bonding myself to a villain.

“Oh dear, I thought you knew.” Death took my hand.

It took everything I had not to flinch and pull away.

“I’m so sorry, Maeve. When the Order submitted your name for the Ritual, they said your life had been touched by the Order of Shadows. I assumed it was common knowledge. But don’t worry. I’m going to make everything right. I promise.”

“Thank you, my goddess.” I smiled weakly, knowing it was what she wanted from me, even though all I wanted to do was scream.

She patted my hand. “You may go back to your duties now.”

I retreated to the pantry, grateful to be out of her sight. My joints popped softly every so often, echoes of the strain on the In Between, even though it had settled. Needing something to do with my hands, I took down a stack of gold trays and started polishing them. The repetitive motion was soothing, but my mind still whirled.

What I’d seen and felt from the Devil through our connection thus far had changed my perspective about him. Even if I hadn’t decided to fully trust him or join him in taking Death down, he’d convinced me he wasn’t the villain. Until he turned on me.

Bea had said there might be a reason for his cruelty, but that seemed like a small problem in comparison to this. It made me see what had happened to me in an entirely new light.

If I had been the real target, rather than my father’s ring, the Devil would have wanted me arrested in the aftermath so I would get sent to the Order of Death and decide to come to the In Between. I had been arrested for my family’s death, but that had been an accident. The person who would have died that day if I hadn’t intervened was Colt. Had he induced his heart attack on purpose?

I remembered him drinking from a flask during our fight, which was odd since Colt was never much of a drinker. It sounded ridiculous, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Heat surged through my hands, and I hastily dropped the towel and tray. I felt so stupid for not even considering it, when I’d considered almost every other angle. Especially since the Devil told me he’d intervened. What else had I missed?

Gods. I wished I could talk to Bea about it.

Breathing deeply, I tried to calm my rising panic. It was possible Death or her Order were wrong. She hated the Devil, thought him the source of every problem, and had taught her Order to think the same way. The report she read about me could have contained rumor instead of fact. It was plausible, and that helped me rein in my worst fears. My palms cooled.

Except she could have been right. I didn’t know and I was sick of not knowing. I needed answers and there was only one place I could get them. I needed to see the Devil. Tonight. If he was innocent, I’d make him prove it. Unequivocally. If he wasn’t… I didn’t know what I was going to do, but at least I’d have an answer.

CHAPTER 17

Icrossed the bridge earlier than usual that night, only to run into Daphne headed in the opposite direction.

Her face lit up when she saw me. “I was just coming to get you. Fen needs your help.”

I stiffened at the sound of his name.

“He’s discovered some cracks.” She grimaced.

The memory of the bridge coming apart surfaced, making me shiver.

“Nothing as bad as before,” she added, “but definitely worse than usual.”

I realized that’s what I’d been feeling all afternoon, the popping sensation in my joints. Even though the strain on the In Between had settled, the effects of Death adjusting the scales lingered, which made me angry. In trying to balance things, she was risking pushing things further out of alignment. Given the questions I had, I didn’t want to be forced into strengthening my bond with the Devil to counteract her actions. I refused to use his name until I knew I could trust him.

Crossing my arms, I glared at Daphne. “Are you telling me he’s not powerful enough to fix them himself?”

She sighed. “Look, I know he was an asshole.”

I raised my eyebrows. Had he told her what happened between us?

“But this is bigger than the two of you. The In Between needs you to work together. That’s what you agreed to when you bonded to Fen, isn’t it? To stabilize the realm?”

I swallowed my shock. Clearly, he’d told her plenty. What was it like to trust someone enough to reveal something as big as this? I pursed my lips. It felt like another betrayal. This wasn’t just his secret; it was mine. too. I probably should have expected him to tell his inner circle, since they’d been working together to take down Death, but it stung that he had.