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Tight enclosure we each now feel;
Our word is true and not to break;
We speak these words: a promise we make.
I lifted my head, gazing at Wayde, and didn’t feel anything different. Maybe it didn’t work. “Is that it?”
“State your promise.”
Taking a quick look at Gretchen, she nodded me on, so I turned back to Wayde. “I promise to find Alexander’s ghost and talk with him.”
Wayde drew in a deep breath, as if it pained him to speak. “Once you succeed in finding Alexander, I promise to instruct you on how to cross into the Netherworld.”
The second his mouth shut, a shiver started at the top of my head and cascaded down my body to my toes—almost as if cold water had been poured through my veins. “Oh, that’s just weird.”
At the silence around me, I glanced to Gretchen, and she was restraining her chuckle, while Wayde was glaring at me. I hurried to correct my error. “I mean to say, the spell worked, right?” Insulting him wasn’t part of my plan, but I didn’t much mind, and I sure as hell wouldn’t apologize.
His eyes narrowed. “Yes, our promise is now sealed.” He unwrapped the ribbon from our arms before he blew out the candles. With his right foot, he moved the red candle aside, then he exited the triangle.
I followed in a damn jiffy.
The moment I stepped away from the candles, Amelia rushed forward and had me in her arms so fast, I squeaked. “Thank you, Tess. I didn’t know if you would help us. You know, with your past with Dane, with all that happened…”
I shoved her away from me, took one huge step back, scowli
ng at that name. “Dane?”
Her mouth dropped open, eyes widened, and fright rested hard in her gaze. “I…”
“She’s my wife,” a deep voice said behind me.
Gretchen cursed.
Wayde frowned. “What is the problem?”
I sucked in a harsh breath and glanced over my shoulder. Dane, the Devil, leaned against the doorframe, arms folded. Well, that’s not entirely true. A human couldn’t pull off the eerie reality of a demon, but Dane held a close second to a spawn of Hell.
This man happened to be the reason I found myself in this mess, since his interference led to Kipp’s disappearance. He thought it wrong that I didn’t allow Kipp to cross over, and he had taken it upon himself to ensure Kipp crossed. He’d kissed me in front of Kipp, determined to put a rift between us. Now, of course, we knew Kipp couldn’t cross over because he wasn’t dead, so Dane’s evil plan had backfired.
Regardless, I hadn’t forgiven him. I never would.
Gretchen grabbed my hand and yanked me to her side, either to comfort me or to stop me from ripping Dane’s throat out. I gritted my teeth, restraining my rage. “What are you doing here?”
The side of Dane’s mouth arched, appearing to lighten his face, but the Devil couldn’t portray goodness. His crystal blue eyes held coldness that I suspected equaled my own. His blond hair was messier, hanging over his forehead and not slicked back as I remembered it.
Pushing off the doorframe, he approached. “Alexander is my father-in-law.” The Devil settled in next to Amelia, wrapping an arm around her waist. “We’re staying with Wayde until his death is solved.”
While I didn’t give a flying flip about him, one thing I did care about was his marital status. Kipp had been slightly jealous of Dane, or so I thought for a while. Turned out, Kipp didn’t trust Dane and he shouldn’t have. Dane was a nasty bug I wanted to stomp. “Why didn’t you tell us you had a wife?”
Dane’s gaze became ice-cold. “My personal life isn’t your concern.”
The rage seething in my veins burned hotter. “Your personal life isn’t my business?” My fists tightened, ready to deck this man right up to the damn moon. “Oh, I see, but it’s all right that you happily fucked with mine?”
Dane’s eyes narrowed into slits, and his lips parted, no doubt ready to offer another round of insults, when Amelia interjected, “Stop it, Dane. She’s here to help.”
After a long staring contest I wouldn’t dare lose, Dane turned away from me to his wife and sighed. In the same moment, Gretchen squeezed my hand, probably because my limbs trembled.
Jerking my head toward Gretchen, I spotted her troubled expression and I didn’t need further confirmation. I was stuck between fucked and royally fucked. I had bound myself to the promise with Wayde. As much as I wanted to leave and refuse to help Dane, considering Alexander was family to him, I couldn’t. But something else at the moment held an equal concern. “Did you know about this?”
