While I wasn’t in a hurry to burn to a crisp, I had to get out of here. Or Death would come for me. Literally.
Who would have guessed Death himself would be impossibly sexy? Peering into Grim’s eyes was like drowning in a vat of warm, liquid chocolate. Convincing myself I was just hungry, which was true, but chocolate wouldn’t do it for me anymore.
The penthouse was massive. The roof sloped up over the living room, making up the top of the pyramid. The gothic chandelier in the kitchen resembled the ones in the lobby. It lit up as the wood panels and shades finished sliding into place. Impressive feat having total window coverage on a slanted angle. Was Death worried about snipers? Not that he himself could die. Could he? Ugh, a girl’s head could explode trying to figure out all this crazy supernatural stuff.
What was next? Werewolves and the tooth fairy? I still hoped I would wake up from this nightmare, but after two weeks in the sewers, and trying to find my murderer, my new reality had set in.
The least I could do was find out all about how my life—or unlife?—came to this.
Even as I resolved to break my way out of here to resume my personal investigation, heaviness closed around me, threatening to pull me under. The sun had that effect, and I knew as soon as it set, my strength would return. My stomach gurgled, then settled for gnawing on itself. Maybe that bastard intended for me to starve. The shaking in my hands had intensified.
I walked over to the kitchen, which exuded masculine elegance. A sleek, onyx waterfall island matched the counters and black cabinets. The steel appliances gleamed as if never touched. A metal wine cooler sat next to the fridge. A quick glance inside and I gathered many of the bottles in there were older than me, times fifty.
The thought of being trapped up here, slowly eating myself from the inside out, made me queasy. Then again, who knew what I would do if I was out on the streets below with all those blood bags walking around.
Humans. Ya know? Human, like you used to be?
The elevator softly chimed. I snatched my hand off my stomach and righted myself.
Grim’s aide stepped out of the elevator. He grimaced at the porcelain mess on the floor and gingerly stepped between the pieces.
“Do you have my money?” I demanded, though my head was foggy, and my stomach was likely to cave in any second.
Timothy lifted a small red and white cooler.
Relief swept through me, though I tried not to let it show on my face. “Did his majesty bleed off one of his many kills for me?”
Timothy crossed the room to set the cooler on the black island. His tone was delicate and clipped. “That’s really not how it works. He doesn’t kill people.”
Splaying my hands on the cold marble to suppress my need to rip the cooler open and drink whatever blood was inside, I asked, “So big, dark and scary has never killed anyone?”
The aide paused, taking the lid off the cooler.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Death has gotten his hands dirty.
“So if he doesn’t kill people, what does he do?” I asked as I grabbed a blood bag from the cooler. There was a label on it. Oh sweet Jesus, it was human. A shudder of anticipatory pleasure ran through me.
Human tasted one thousand percent better than rat. But my conscience niggled at me, when I thought of trying to steal more blood from the hospital. Which led me to conclude that Bruiser was a real dick in his previous life if he had no qualms about snacking on that woman who tried to save me.
Instead of handing me the medical bag, Timothy rounded the island to grab a large goblet and turned away from me. When he handed the cup to me, I had to use both hands so as not to spill it. The shaking had intensified.
“Is that a pineapple and hibiscus garnish?” I asked, incredulous.
Timothy smoothed a hand down his suit. “Yes, well, just because you are a blood-sucking fiend doesn’t mean I have to skimp on presentation.”
If I hadn’t been so damn hungry, I would have continued to stare at him like he was the crazy one. As soon as the blood hit my lips, I let out a low moan of pleasure. It would have been better warmed, but I wouldn’t look a gift human in the mouth.
Timothy averted his eyes and went about unpacking the rest of the blood into the fridge.
“The master guides souls into the afterlife, preserving the sacred cycle of life.”
I lifted my mouth from the glass for a moment. “There’s an afterlife? For real? No shit. What’s it like?”
Timothy’s expression grew increasingly pinched. I wouldn’t squeeze any more out of him on that front.
“You seem to have this whole suck whore thing figured out.”
Timothy blinked, unable to hide his shock. With a few more blinks, realization seemed to spread across his face. “Did you mean sekhor?”
