XXXIII

T-minus forty minutes remained until Ahrimad's deadline.

I tugged on form-fitting black cargo pants and laced up my heavy-duty black boots. My first layer over my bra consisted of a skintight black long-sleeved shirt made of a heavy material that Romeo claimed was bulletproof. A discreet but rock-hard black armored vest covered most of my torso and chest, designed like a comfortable corset. It zipped up the front instead of having complex laces. Then a jacket with a built-in hoodie thrown over everything. My gloves were simple and black with spikes on the knuckles, and I braided my hair into the usual French braid.

Dang , I thought, turning to look at my butt in the cargo pants in the mirror. I looked like a badass bounty hunter.

A knock on the door sent my pulse rocketing. "Come in."

My stomach fluttered at the sight of Death's menacing form filling the room. He shut the door behind him and locked it.

He wore a similar all-black outfit. His chest and a portion of his arms were covered in that armored chest piece that laced down his torso. On top of his typical leather gloves, combat boots, and black cowl, he also had bunched-up black material around his neck that I pictured he'd pull up over the lower portion of his face. Weapons were tucked into every strap along his legs and waist, and two swords crisscrossed his back.

His cold expression said it all. The moment Duncan had left Death's apartment, any sign of humanity in him had evaporated. His otherworldly side took precedence, and he'd called back the reapers for immediate action. Romeo arrived first with my new gear, and that was that. I was going with them.

Death unsheathed a third sword hidden at his hip—the sword he'd given me, I realized—and inspected the blade before stalking toward me. Even in all the bulky gear I wore, I felt so small in comparison as he towered over me.

"What's up?" I asked, glancing uneasily at the sword. Considering his beast side was itching to unleash at all times lately, him gripping a sword in front of me wasn't exactly comforting.

Death grabbed my belt in a large, gloved hand, and my breath hitched. Weeks ago, he would have picked me up and curled me like a dumbbell to bring me level with his fanged mouth so he could rip my throat out. He would still do that, honestly, but instead, he adjusted one of my straps and slid the sword into an empty scabbard on my belt.

"How does the belt feel?" he asked in a low voice. "Too heavy?"

All I could focus on was graze of his fingers at my hip and his proximity. I thought about our moment in his theater room, how he'd held me as I cried.

"The belt feels fine." I toyed with my braid. "Only thing I'm nervous about is the clothing. Romeo claims my entire outfit is designed with some enchanted fabric that repels most magic, including my own power, but we haven't had time to test that theory."

As if receiving permission, Death gave my outfit a slow once-over, his exotic eyes snagging on the corset. "You've never had that issue before." He glided around me to unzip my backpack and dig around.

"So far ," I said, chewing my lip. "But the fact that Romeo even brought that up is nerve-wracking. I don't want to accidently chargrill myself in front of our enemies."

"Ideally, you won't be using your power at all tonight," Death said, coming back around to stand in front of me. "Give me your wrist."

"Please," I coached. "Give me your wrist, please ."

He glared down at me.

I reluctantly held up my arm and watched him clasp a fancy-looking watch around my wrist. "So, we're going to do this together? You know, like in Ace's vision."

"Ace's vision never included himself being abducted. Things have changed."

"As far as you know," I said, irritated by his attitude. "What if Ace gave you the wrong date? What if he omitted the little fact about him being kidnapped because he didn't want to change fate?" Emotion lodged in my throat. "Maybe this was how it was supposed to go all along."

"It's possible," Death conceded. "Doesn't change my decision regarding you. End of discussion."

My fists tightened. I'd give him an end of discussion.

"Take the command," Death said, his voice deepening to a growl. "I'm in charge of this mission."

My face burned under his intense authority. "Do you honestly think Ahrimad will meet you alone? That he won't try to destroy you the second he sees you? It's clearly a trap, and you know it."

The fury that rippled over Death's expression told me not to question his leadership again. Too bad I was too fired up to care, even as the room darkened significantly.

"I didn't come in here to fight." He reached down and grappled with my belt, securing another item onto it. My eyes widened. He'd harnessed the mini version of the Book of the Dead to my waist. It was surrounded by its own sheath, so he hadn't been affected by touching it.

Coldness hit my spine as I realized what this meant. Ahrimad wanted one thing and one thing only, and that was this book. The Book of the Dead . Infuriated, I shoved Death's hands away.

"You're using me as bait ?" I exclaimed. "I'm starting to think your English isn't as good as it appears, Roman boy. When I said I wanted to come with you and fight with you, I didn't mean I wanted to be the worm you dangle in front of the king bass."

"We can't keep the book here, not when Duncan was able to enter through the wards."

"Vague and not answering my assumptions. Fantastic. Back to your old ways, I see?"

"If we can take my scythe back tonight, we can avoid entering the otherworld," Death said. "There's a chance you're right about our fate, that it can change. It's happening already. This gives us the best chance of survival." He looked away from me, his jaw tightening. "The reapers and I all agree that you're not strong enough to go up against Ahrimad or Malphas. And I especially don't want you entering the portal."

"Then what exactly is your plan here? Because it sounds to me like you're going to go into the mausoleum by yourself, winging it. And if all else fails, you'll use the Book of the Dead as leverage for Ace."

He stretched his neck to the left and growled out an aggravated noise. "I'm not giving them the book, Faith. Giving Ahrimad the book means giving him you, and I'll drop dead before that fucking happens."

I felt a little breathless at his confession. Although, I reminded myself that he'd said that because he wanted me and the book all to himself. "You can't make me hang back and be babysat while you go in there like a martyr. Sure, I might not be a full-blown she-warrior yet, but I want to be involved. Ace needs both of us, and he's my friend. I can do this."

But he didn't seem convinced.

"Ahrimad is twice, maybe three times as old as I am," Death said. "He doesn't give a shit about anyone, including me, including the warlock. He's an ancient, evil entity created solely for the purpose of harboring death. If you want Ace to survive, we need to be careful, and you can never be alone. You'll be guarded by the Seven."

I couldn't lose him, but I couldn't fight my way onto the front line and make matters worse. If something happened to Death and I couldn't help . . .

"We need to talk about the worst-case scenario tonight." Death's eyes searched mine as if he were reading my thoughts. I could feel my heart sinking. "If things go south, if things don't work out the way we'd hoped, and I—"

"No, no !" I thrashed out of his grasp, but he only grabbed me again. "I'm not listening to this. Let go of me—"

"Stop. Faith, stop ." He pinned my wrists at my sides and flattened me against the dresser. His eyes were calm and steady against mine. "I know. I know this is difficult to talk about, but we can't pretend Ace's vision isn't a possibility. If things don't go the way we planned, if Ace's vision comes true . . . I need you to promise me you won't be reckless."

I hated this. I hated that he was even making room for the worst-case scenario. As far as I was concerned, Ace's vision had been wrong from the moment he was kidnapped. We would be at the mausoleum one night earlier than he'd predicted, so fate had already changed.

"I made my promise to you," Death said. "Now it's time you make yours. I've lived two hundred lives. You've hardly lived one. If anything happens to me, promise me you won't get yourself killed trying to be the hero. Promise you won't seek revenge. That you'll choose you over me. I need you to choose you over me."

I looked up at him with wide eyes as an invisible fist squeezed around my throat.

He grasped my face, smoothing the pads of his gloved thumbs over my cheekbones. " Say the words , cupcake."

"I promise," I whispered.

With my fingers crossed behind my back.