VIII

If being trapped in the clutches of Death's unpredictable corpse was the most terrifying moment of my life, then riding in an elevator with Lucifer, even in his Devin Star form, was a close second.

The burly personnel on either side of me, paired with Devin's unnerving silence, shrunk the already claustrophobic box from hell. As we scaled higher and higher, the temperature climbed with us, until sweat poured down my spine.

The elevator doors opened, and I all but threw myself out into a pristine marble entryway. We walked a short distance through a set of glass doors into a waiting room.

"Where's my aunt?" I demanded in a burst of bravery.

"Here, safe, at the tower," Devin responded.

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

"You may see her shortly and confirm it yourself. First, you and I need to have a chat."

One of Devin's men shoved open a door into a private waiting room, crossed the room, and held open another door for us. Glancing back at the second bodyguard blocking my way out, I didn't have much of a choice but to walk into the Devil's office.

The room was luxuriously decorated with red walls and sleek, modern furniture. Lucifer had expensive, sophisticated taste, and he made a point of showing it off. Ambiguous, extravagant art, displayed like trophies along the walls, depicted dark themes that unnerved rather than welcomed.

Devin stepped up onto the raised platform holding his desk and filled a glass with amber liquor.

"I need to know what happened to Death," I said, feeling so small looking up at him like this. Maybe that was the point. "We left him at the ball, and he—"

"I'll handle it." Devin downed his drink and poured another. "Grant me a short while to deal with the mess downstairs." He flicked away a charred piece of his shirt from his shoulder with an aggravated grumble and stepped down from the raised platform. "Do you need medical care?"

I absently touched my side, where Death's wing had cut through me. Well, I did . "Um, no. I'm good . . . "

Devin's glacier-blue eyes flicked to the blood staining the satin of my dress, but he didn't press further. He strode to a wall and touched a panel, opening a door that led to a walk-in closet, then disappeared inside.

"Here." Devin returned wearing a fresh dress shirt and handed me a stack of clothes. "Some leftover sample apparel. A medium should fit you, and you can use my shower in the bathroom."

"Can you at least tell me if Death's going to be all right?" I asked.

"He'll recover," Devin said, buttoning his cuffs. "I'll be right back." Pinning me with a firm, terrifying look that read "don't try anything stupid," Devin turned and vanished in a surge of flames.

That's one heck of an exit . One of Devin's bodyguards stood by the door, and I imagined the second was still in the waiting room. Sighing, I headed for the bathroom.

This was the last place in the world I felt safe taking a shower, but I had to get out of this gown. Reaching back, I felt for the dress's zipper, but I couldn't find one. I thought I'd be imprisoned in the damn thing forever when the fabric magically disintegrated, melting off my skin into a fine mist. The mist thickened into the shadow it had been fashioned from, and the darkness launched itself across the tiled floor and slithered into an AC vent.

"Okay, then," I said, looking down at my bra and panties. At least Death's shadow dress had decided to self-destruct while I was in the privacy of a bathroom.

I checked my body for any sustained injuries. Inspecting the bare skin on my side confirmed that the wound had in fact completely healed on its own.

Awesome. And scary .

Using a damp towel, I quickly scrubbed the blood from my not-wound and changed into a set of navy-blue D upon a closer, disturbing inspection, I wasn't so sure it was even made of paper. "If you sign with me, no harm shall ever come to you or your family from Ahrimad or Malphas. You have my word. It was never my intention to let this spiral out of control."

"Yeah, because all of Death's deception and scheming is so beneath you," I said sarcastically.

"Despite the unfortunate events of tonight, only I have the resources to truly protect your loved ones from danger," Devin replied, all business. "The second you walk out of D&S Tower, you, your family, and your friends will all be left unprotected. Think of your power too. Running away from your destiny will not change who you are. Who you're meant to be."

I felt so vulnerable, so alone in this, and so scared out of my mind. And yeah, a part of me wanted to give in to end all this. But I couldn't trust these fiends —these damnable monsters and their evil fa?ades of Devin and David Star. I had almost been the perfect prey. Death had used David Star to toy with my inexperience with men, and when I fell for him, he'd used my emotions against me. All the things that really mattered to me—my family, Marcy, art, and school—had all faded into the background, until it was only him. Him, circling around me like a lion that had separated a gazelle from the pack.

He'd almost finished me off too.

Death had tried to weaken me. He'd tried to tear me from my ordinary life, and he'd failed . He'd failed, and now I had the upper hand. I had all the power. Power that I would lose if I gave my life to them.

When I looked up, Devin's glacier eyes fell to the table between us. He already knew my answer.

"Who I'm meant to be won't be decided by anyone but me. My answer is no."

"I'm disappointed, but I of course respect your decision." The Devil stood, the contract vanishing in a plume of smoke. "Good luck to you, Faith Williams. Should you change your mind, you know where to reach me. Leo will escort you to an armored vehicle outside and drive you home."

"Leo?"

"That would be me."

I jumped and clutched at my chest with a shriek, looking at the man now standing directly to my right. Burnt gold eyes, slightly slanted in shape, flashed briefly with silent amusement, the only indication of emotion in his steely face. I recognized him as one of the reapers that Death had pointed out earlier.

When I looked back at Lucifer, he was already gone.

Leo placed a hand on my forearm. "Inhale, please."

I hadn't processed what he'd asked before my world spun. I stumbled forward with a sharp, wheezing breath, vertigo still overcoming my sense of balance as I took in the chaotic lobby of D&S Tower. A group of humans, some of whom I recognized as guests from the ball, were huddled on the sidewalk. Their eyes were glazed over, focused on a man with a pink Mohawk. He had the mortals enraptured, his arms outstretched like a conductor. What was he doing to them? Feeling my gaze, the man turned his head, and I recognized him as another of Death's reapers.

Leo guided me down the sidewalk and opened the door of a black SUV. I peered inside and saw a familiar face.

"Aunt Sarah!"

"Hey, kiddo."