Page 158 of In Between Death and the Devil

When he returned, she was gone, along with all her clothes. He pressed his lips together to keep the tears in. He had no right to cry. She’d done what he’d told her to.

Emptiness, cold and bitter, filled him. He was better off alone. That way the only person he could hurt was himself.

In a blink, I was back in the In Between, Death still reaching for my face. Gritting my teeth, I expelled all the power in my body outwards. It left me in a rush that was painful in its intensity.

Death went flying back as the salamander next to me was incinerated by the pulse of blinding light I unleashed. The tree I’d created went up in flames, turning to ash, though the dome above us held.

I tried to push myself up, but the movement made my head spin. In the absence of the power I’d expelled, a soft darkness beckoned. The next time I closed my eyes to blink, it swallowed me whole.

* * *

When I came to, Death was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the dome that had enclosed us. Talia was on her knees, her head in her hands, while my friends celebrated.

“She’s gone.”

“Maeve did it.”

“She won.”

CHAPTER 42

Ilooked around in confusion. Everything looked the same, but something didn’t feel right. Instead of euphoria or relief, all I felt was uneasy.

“Maeve.” Fen ran towards me, leaving Daphne, Marcus and Bea at the tree line.

Our bond thrashed in my chest as I pushed to my feet and backed away from him. It wasn’t a conscious decision. My unease had turned into an anxious thrum that resonated through me.

He slowed to a stop, the relief on his face morphing to confusion. “Maeve?”

I held out a hand, telling him to stay back. My eyes darted around, looking for what I didn’t know. It made no sense. I’d won, I should be happy, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.

“It’s okay. You did it. You won.” He took a tentative step towards me.

“Did I?” The last thing I remembered was sending a blast of power towards Death, but I hadn’t touched her. I hadn’t shredded her, unless I wasn’t remembering something. I shook my head, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The challenge only ended when one of us defeated the other. So, if I hadn’t won, where was she? And why was Fen saying I had?

“Yes. You were magnificent.” He took another step towards me and panic built in my chest.

I rubbed at it, trying to relieve the pressure, and stepped back. “How?”

“What?” He paused, watching me warily.

“How did I win?” My heart beat in my throat.

“You don’t remember shredding her?” Concern flickered across his face. When I didn’t say anything, he took another step towards me.

The panic in my chest throbbed, and I realized it wasn’t mine. It was Fen’s. Which made no sense given that he was standing in front of me, love and concern on his face.

Unless it wasn’t him standing in front of me.

Unless this was an illusion; the challenge was still active, and he was actually still outside the dome, watching someone else approach me.

There was only one person it could be.

Before I could second-guess myself, I launched myself at him, running full tilt, knocking him to the ground. The illusion disintegrated. Reality came roaring back—gasps and a grunt assaulted my ears and Fen’s body melted away to reveal blinding white clothes and Death’s snarling face.

Straddling her, I rose to my knees and grabbed her throat with both hands. My light flared, ready to end things.

I didn’t expect Death to smile. Or the pain that tore through me. It felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest as Death grabbed the air between us, and squeezed.