Page 90 of In Between Death and the Devil

“Wicked woman. Here I am, trying to be a gentleman and you’re trying to drag us both into the gutter.” He shook his head, an innocent look on his face.

“Don’t pretend your mind wasn’t already there,” I shot back.

“Kneeling at your feet? Where else could it be?”

I sputtered a laugh, both delighted and flustered. He was so much better at flirting than I was. “Fine. You win.”

“Excellent. I love winning. Now let’s go before either of us get any more ideas about you wrapped in my shadows.” Without further ado, he ushered me out the door.

CHAPTER 25

“You are not flexible, are you?” Titus said as I bent over, straining to reach my toes. It wasn’t Fen’s shadow armor impeding my movement. It was just me.

“Believe it or not, it hasn’t been an issue before now.” I gave up and stood, breathing heavily.

Titus was helping me warm up as we waited for Daphne to arrive, taking me through an array of stretches that were much harder than they looked. At least for me.

I peeked over at where Fen and Marcus stood talking, but neither of them was paying any attention to us. My shoulders lowered slightly. At least Titus was the only one to witness my humiliation.

“Let’s move on.” Titus went to a rack along the wall.

We were in a large room designed for sparring. Mats covered the floor in the middle of the room, while racks with every weapon imaginable lined the walls. It was brightly lit, making the shadowed walls appear almost liquid. Apparently, Fen came here often with Titus and Marcus to blow off steam. Daphne, too, though Fen was the only one who would spar with her. Too vicious, Titus said.

“Heads up,” Titus called as a ball the size of my fist came flying at my face.

I ducked to the side but managed to grab it. “You want to play catch?”

“It’ll warm you up and give me an idea of your hand-eye coordination.” Titus smirked at me. “Or are you afraid of taking a ball to the face?”

I straightened at the challenge. My younger brother and I had been fiercely competitive when we were younger. Titus’s taunt had those old urges rising. “I thought we were playing catch. We don’t know each other well enough for your balls to be anywhere near my face.”

He threw his head back and barked a laugh, making me smile. “I knew you’d be fun, Maeve, despite your prickly exterior. Now, throw the damn ball.”

Fen and Marcus joined in after a few tosses, and I ended up breathless and warm and laughing my head off when Daphne finally arrived. With Bea in tow.

My laughter died when I saw her, and the ball Marcus threw at me bounced off my shoulder. It was little more than a tap, thanks to Fen’s shadow armor. “What’s she doing here?”

Bea’s face fell, but she pulled her shoulders back and marched over to me. “Can we talk? It’ll only take a moment.”

“There’s no need. They explained everything already. You shouldn’t be here. People will ask questions.” I glared at Daphne. Endangering Bea’s position as a spy was a stupid move. Plus, I didn’t want to see her.

“No one saw us,” Daphne said. “There’s a back entrance to the Dungeon near here.”

“I’m doing badly enough in training that no one questions the need for private lessons,” Bea said, forestalling my next argument. “I work with Daphne one on one all the time. Please, I need to explain.”

“No. You don’t.” I turned away, but Bea followed.

“I do. I need to apologize.” She stepped into my path, her hands held out in front of her in supplication. “If we’re going to work together, you need to know everything, so there are no more secrets or surprises.”

“I told you, they already explained.” I tried to step around her, but she wouldn’t let me. She was like a dog bent on following me around, the small kind that barked incessantly. I couldn’t shake her. Gritting my teeth, I stopped trying to escape.

“I’m sorry for not telling you about working for the Devil.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” I said, my words stiff. “I understand why you couldn’t. Lying is a part of being a spy.”

“I never lied to you. Truly,” she added at the incredulous expression on my face. “I may not have told you the whole truth, but I didn’t lie.”

“You told me you went to work for the Order of Death after your aunt died.”