Page 68 of In Between Death and the Devil

“Say something. Please.” I wrung my hands.

“Sorry, I just need a minute to wrap my head around this.” Her brow furrowed and she twisted the ring with the black stone on her index finger around as she thought. “You made a deal with the Devil because you suddenly developed powers like Death’s that you couldn’t control. He agreed to train you in exchange for a favor.” Her eyes flicked to mine, wordlessly asking if she’d gotten it right.

“Yes.”

“But it turns out the reason you have these powers is that you’re the next Death and the fact that you have them has pushed the In Between to a breaking point. So, you formed a bond with the Devil to stabilize things.” Another glance.

“Correct.”

“He wants you to work with him and his people to take down and replace Death, but you don’t know if you can trust him because Death told you he was responsible for hiring the man who tried to frame you for murder, which resulted in you actually killing your family, and there’s no proof he didn’t.”

“Yes.” Hearing her lay it all out, I felt lighter. Like all the thoughts and worries that had been crammed into my head had been set free.

“I don’t know where to start.” Bea bit her lip. “What are you the most worried about?”

“Keeping the realms stable means strengthening our Death Chord, but how can I do that when I don’t know if I can trust him?”

Bea’s eyebrows raised. “Really? You’re not worried about the fact that you’re the next Death? That one day you’re going to be responsible for this castle and all the souls that pass through?”

My heart squeezed. I hadn’t thought of it in those terms. All that responsibility. “Well, I am now.” My hands flew to my throat.

“Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… Let’s refocus. You’re worried about trusting the Devil.”

“Yes.”

“Because you think he might have hired someone to hurt you.”

“That and I don’t know if he’s just using me to get more power.”

Bea frowned. “You think everything you’ve seen from him so far is an act? Even though you can tell what he’s feeling? You think he’s just faking it.”

“I—” It sounded a little far-fetched when she put it like that. “I think he’s adept at using emotions to accomplish things. He’s been working with souls as the Devil for a hundred years. He’s used to manipulating people.” I fidgeted with my fingers, picking at my nails.

“Is that what it felt like when you were working with him on your past?” Bea cocked her head.

“Yes.”

“Really? Did he trick you?”

I thought about the calm way he’d informed me that I couldn’t view the memory of my family’s death anymore. How he’d nodded right before he dropped that news on me, like I’d confirmed what he’d suspected all along. “Kind of. He certainly knew where things were headed before I did, but he didn’t warn me.”

“And that felt like trickery instead of guidance?”

I wanted to say yes, but I sensed a trap. “What do you mean?”

“When you go into unfamiliar territory, it’s common to hire a guide, someone who knows the area. They don’t tell you everything you’re going to encounter but they do keep you pointed in the right direction⁠—”

“Yes, but a guide points out pitfalls before you stumble into them,” I said, cutting her off. “They don’t stand back and let you trip over things or step off a cliff.”

“Okay, maybe that’s not the best metaphor.” She pursed her lips and stared at the floor for a moment. “If he had told you exactly what was likely to happen, would it have helped?”

I wanted to dig in my heels and fight to maintain my position, but her earnestness and curiosity were disarming. It was clear she genuinely wanted to know what I thought.

Crossing my arms, I considered her question. If he’d told me upfront that there would come a time when I needed to let go of my family, of revisiting them and their last moments, I wouldn’t have responded well. I wasn’t sure if I’d have been able to engage at all, much as it pained me to admit.

“No,” I said. “It wouldn’t have helped.”

“You don’t sound happy about it.”