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“Yeah,” she finally said. “I’m terrified of him. But so far, he hasn’t hurt me. There’s something, it’s like…he’s watching, waiting for me to do or say something, and the more time that passes, and I don’t…the more volatile he becomes.”
I wanted to grab her hand and drag her back the way we came, but I couldn’t. She’d made a bargain and there was no going back on that. “Zinny…”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “I know after what I just told you, asking you not to worry is an impossibility, but I honestly don’t think he’d physically hurt me. He rages and stomps around, but he’s never raised a hand to me. If he ever had, no way would I bring Hemy with me.”
“And he hasn’t…he hasn’t forced you to—”
“No, Jaz, I promise. He hasn’t touched me.”
Relief made my legs shake. Thank the goddess.
The small clearing appeared just ahead, a pile of unimpressive rocks and boulders sat in a mound off to the side. We strode over and Zinnia made a small slice in her palm, letting a drop of blood land on one of the stones, then she whispered the words to open the gate.
“Open sesame?”
She chuckled. “No, but so close.”
The boulders started to roll, to move and reform.
Zinnia pulled me in for a tight hug. “Be good, be safe, and steer clear of fuck boys, yeah?”
I fought back my tears. She didn’t need to see that. I didn’t want to make this harder on her than it already was. “You got it.”
“Love you, Jazzy.”
“Love you, too, Zinny.”
She released me, and we turned to the archway the stones and boulders had formed. Limbo was just beyond. Its dark forest was far from welcoming, and the path through it made of skulls even less so.
She didn’t walk through right away, though. She waited.
“What happens now?”
“I’m waiting for him. I’m not going through until he ensures your safety home.”
With the gate open and Zinnia on the other side, it didn’t take long. There was a boom before something huge and black rushed through the trees.
It flew right up to the gate, so fast I stumbled back a step.
Death. He loomed at the entrance, and except for one tattooed hand curled around his long wooden staff, his entire body was concealed under his black cloak.
“Step through the gate.” His voice rolled over us, deep and horrific, the sound of a million screams of terror. I wanted to cover my ears with my hands and weep. Zinnia gripped my hand, stopping me from retreating further. He thought she was going to deny him or try to renegotiate, I heard it there in that terrible voice, in the way he leaned forward as if he were waiting for an opportunity to snatch her off her feet and steal her away. His corporal form was trapped in Limbo, though he found other ways to communicate outside it. If he visited Zinnia while she was here, I didn’t know.
“I will, but first I ask that you ensure Jasmine’s safety out of this forest and back to her car,” Zinnia said.
“Come here to me first, then I’ll do as you ask.”
His fingers were wrapped tightly around the staff, so tight his inked knuckles turned white. He was desperate to have her back. Death didn’t like that Zinnia left him, he’d made that clear. He took another step forward and snarled when he couldn’t go any further.
“You still don’t trust me,” Zinnia said. “I made a deal with you. I promised to come here every other month. I haven’t reneged and I’m not going to now. Why do you always pull this shit? Does every fucking thing need to be some deal or a fucking bargain? Just say you’ll keep my sister safe on her walk back to her car, that’s it. No deal, no payment. Just do this one thing for me without a condition placed on it.”
He was utterly still, silence stretching out between them.
“If you deny me, I’ll have to walk her back through the forest, then come back again—”
“If she continues to search for my missing souls, she has safe passage,” he said.
Zinnia blew out a breath. “Seriously? Are you fucking serious right now?” Hemy squeaked from inside the pack but stayed hidden.
