Page 86 of In Between Death and the Devil

That meant Bea had been recruited in the World of the Living. I remembered her telling me about the death of her family. “Before or after she joined the Order of Death?”

“Before,” Fen said.

“So, she arrived here as a spy.”

“Yes.” A burst of pride filtered through our bond from him.

There was a part of me that could see the beauty in it, of recruiting someone before they were ever associated with Death so they wouldn’t arouse suspicion. If Death suspected a spy in her castle, she’d likely look for someone who’d been recruited after they arrived.

“How do you communicate with her?”

Fen pulled a ring from his pocket. It was silver with a black stone and looked familiar. I’d seen one just like it on Bea’s finger. She played with it when she was nervous.

“It allows us to record and send messages back and forth,” he said.

My jaw clenched and something possessive in me roared.

“It’s not like our bond,” he said, sensing my reaction. “We communicate with words. No images or emotions.”

His clarification made me feel a little better. Words were less intimate.

I looked around the table. Each of them watched me carefully, assessing my reaction. When I looked at Titus, I remembered seeing him and Bea standing awkwardly together at the welcome feast in the dark. “You gave her the ring that first night, didn’t you?”

He nodded, looking impressed. “You have a good memory.”

I felt a stab of hurt. She never told me. Of course she never told me. She would have been a terrible spy if she had. The fact that I hadn’t known was a good thing. It meant she hadn’t blown her cover. I was being sensitive instead of seeing the upsides. This meant we were on the same side. I should be thrilled we had such an asset.

“What did you ask her to do?” I asked.

“To keep an eye on the general mood in Death’s castle,” Daphne said. “Report anything that seemed out of the ordinary⁠—”

“And to keep an eye on you,” Fen said.

I hated the pain that erupted at his words, hated that he could sense it. I slammed the mental door on our connection shut. If only I could slam the door shut on my feelings, too.

His expression didn’t waver, ever the competent leader.

I felt like a child losing control of themselves in comparison, but I couldn’t stop, couldn’t pull it together.

My voice was pitifully small as I asked, “Did you ask her to befriend me?”

“Yes.”

I was out of my chair and moving towards the door to the bedroom as soon as the word left his mouth. Shutting it behind me, I leaned against it and closed my eyes.

Bea had befriended me because she’d been told to. My heart squeezed and a sob crawled up my throat. It felt like Colt all over again. Bea might have been good at her job, but I’d been fooled before. I’d become hyper-vigilant, wanting proof that people could be trusted before letting them get close, and yet I’d let Bea in without a second thought. Because she was kind and warm and I’d thought she was genuine. And she knew the pain of losing her family, too.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my cries. Was I doomed to attract people who lied to me because they wanted something from me? I thought she’d liked me. I told her everything. I’d let her convince me to give Fen a chance. I’d been so relieved at her advice, and it turned out she was working for him.

Gods, I was so stupid.

A knock at the door startled me.

“Maeve?” Fen asked. “Can I come in?”

Part of me wanted to tell him to go away so I could hide, but there was no hiding from this. We’d have to talk about it eventually. Might as well get it over with.

Pushing away from the door, I wiped my face and crossed the room before calling, “It’s open.”