“You can never escape me.” The devil’s voice came from behind me.
I stifled my shriek and closed my eyes. My stomach clenched painfully and my hands began to shake. Fear pumped through my veins and my skin felt like it wanted to shed itself from my body. Anything to get away from the being at my back.
I couldn’t say whether it was the devil or me that had changed, but we were back to our former relationship.
“It’s both of us,” he said, his voice calm and even. I wouldn’t have thought him upset at all, except that I could feel the waves of malice rolling off of him.
I open my eyes and turned to face him. My hair stood on end. He watched me with barely contained rage simmering in his eyes.
“You broke your promise,” he said.
“Yeah, well now you know how it feels to get tricked. Not very nice, is it?”
He moved faster than I could follow, grabbing my neck and shoving me against a nearby tree. “You need to learn your place. Trying to teach me a lesson will only earn you lots and lots of pain. And to my ears your cries will be sweeter than your music, siren.”
My whole body trembled under his hand, my muscles seizing up only to spasm at random intervals. I clawed at the hand squeezing my neck.
“Because you are my consort, I will give you this warning: I promised that I’d betray every one of your secrets to those who’d wish you harm. And I will make good on that promise.”
The clause of our earlier agreement suddenly made a whole lot of sense.
“Ah,” he said, watching my reaction, “you finally get it. You will end up at my side one way or another. Did you really think that I’d let you go so easily?”
No, but I still thought I’d pulled off my grand escape.
“You, my little bird, have quite a few unsavory secrets, and tomorrow, they will be in the hands of those who’d wish you ill.”
I swallowed. I had the kind of secrets that could get me killed, which was exactly what the devil wanted.
“How would you know my secrets and my enemies?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is someone worried?”
“No.” Yes. I lifted my chin. “Twice you’ve tried to kidnap me and force me into hell, and twice you’ve failed,” I said. “What makes you think a little negative publicity will bring me back to you?”
A slow, sinful smile spread across the devil’s face, and I knew—I knew—I was doomed from that expression alone. “I did better this time didn’t I? Making you believe I was a gentleman. Maybe next time you will believe me. Maybe next time I’ll mean it, too.”
I eyed the monster in front of me. The devil was talking in riddles. Riddles that made me realize that I couldn’t understand a creature as complex as him.
The devil’s grip on my neck relaxed, and then he let me go.
I staggered away from him, shivers racking up down my body.
“Consort.”
My body went rigid at his tone. I threw a glance over my shoulder.
The devil assessed me with a nefarious twinkle in his eye. “The apocalypse is coming, and you’re a key player in it. Enjoy your final days as a mortal. Once they’re over, you’re mine.”
I was in Andre’s jet when the news hit.
I’d stretched out along one of the couches, my head in Andre’s lap, and I attempted to read a book while Andre played with my hair. My eyes might have fluttered shut once or twice, and I might have let out a contented sigh each time Andre’s hand strayed from my hair to caress my cheek.
Since last night we’d been like this—constantly touching. Whether it was a product of Andre’s blood running through my veins, our strengthening bond, or the fact that I nearly died, we’d come to some sort of understanding that we couldn’t live—or die—without one another.
“How many times have you reread the sentence you’re on?” Andre whispered. I could hear the smile in his voice. The punk knew what he was doing to me.
I closed the book and tried to swat him with it. He caught it and plucked it from my hands.
His face replaced the lines of text as he leaned over me. “I think you must’ve come back from the dead a little bit wickeder. The Gabrielle I knew never would’ve tried to bludgeon me with a book.”
Just as I sat up and narrowed my eyes at him, he pulled out a small present from the bag sitting on his other side. “Now that I’ve got your attention, I wanted to give you your very late Christmas present.”
My eyes widened. I glanced down at the gift, and then back up at Andre. “But I don’t have a gift for you.”
Andre cupped my chin and drew my face forward. “Then it’s a good thing your presence is gift enough.”
“You always have the perfect line, don’t you?” I accused.
He flashed me a wolfish grinned. “It’s one of the perks of living as long as I have.” He let my chin go and handed me the box.
I stared down at it.
“Open it,” he encouraged.
I hesitantly slid a finger beneath the edge of the wrapping paper and began to tear through it. Under the wrapping was a thin cardboard box. I flashed Andre a curious look before I opened the lid.
Inside was a plane ticket to … “Los Angeles?” I asked, glancing up.
“To visit your mother for spring break.”
“But how will I explain this to her?” I asked.
Andre smiled. “Leanne’s your cover. As far as your mother’s concerned, her family is paying for you, her, and Oliver to visit California for spring break. I did mention that she and Oliver will be joining you, didn’t I?”
A slow smile spread across my face, even as my eyebrows pinched together. “How could you have possibly known … ?”
The satellite flight phone next to Andre rang, interrupting my question. Andre winked at me, grinning, and I caught a flash of fang.
He grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear. “Andre,” he answered.