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Shit. I must be going to hell because this was nothing less than the freakiest monster I’d ever seen, and I liked horror movies.
The face disappeared and so did the brunette. She was replaced by the tall form of a man. He stood in a black designer suit and impeccably clean. His closely shaven face and features were something you would see in magazines. Too perfect to be real. Black hair was slicked into the latest style, falling into one of his eyes in that carelessly attractive way most women adored. Cole black eyes stared back at my perusal, but it was the flash of crimson that confirmed he was the exact same creature that I’d been staring at a few seconds prior. This man and the woman were the same. Two completely different appearances of the same demented being.
“I think you’re beginning to understand now,” the deep voice answered my thoughts. “In case you have any doubt as to my identity, I thought it necessary to show you two of my favorite forms.”
His identity? “Huh?” It wasn’t my most articulate moment.
“We don’t have a lot of time, kid. You’re gonna die soon.” He shrugged, slipping his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I can offer you a different life.”
My eyes widened at his words.
“A bargain.”
“Why?” I asked. That was the first thought in my head. Why me?
“Let’s just say I prefer to approach those who have what it takes to further my own personal agenda. Humans intrigue me. The ruthless and sadistic the most. Like attracts like. After all,” he added with a light chuckle, “Eternity is so boring.”
Blinking, I finally figured out who he was. The goddamn devil. Holy shit!
He appeared amused. “I knew you were smart enough to catch on. The question is, did you like the little stunt I pulled? Interested in a little payback for your enemies?” He sauntered forward and opened his arms wide. “Want to stick around and ensure those that harm your loved ones and club get what they deserve?”
He knew my answer was yes, but I didn’t say it aloud.
“There’s no guarantee the Scorpions will ever receive punishment. Want Keys’ death to matter?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Or is he gonna die without meaning? For a club that couldn’t give two shits they killed a man as important as your own dad?”
Fuck, the devil was good at his presentation.
“I can give you what you need. Want to scare them? Rip them apart? Send their souls to hell for eternal torment?” His eyes gleamed a brighter red with the prospect. “Because I like fucking with sick and demented souls.”
A grin widened my lips. “Fuck yeah.” But I wasn’t interested in turning into a woman. Fuck that.
The devil chuckled. “You won’t be getting that handy little trick. I must keep some of my abilities mine alone.”
Yeah, I figured as much.
“What I can do is give you a gift that few can boast.” He tilted his head to the side. “You familiar with the Grim Reaper? What he does?”
Yep. “Like killing people with a scythe?”
He smirked. “You could say that. A true reaper harvests souls. He sends them to hell for eternity. It’s the soul that matters.” He knelt down in front of me, careful not to get a speck of dust or sand on his suit. “For you, I’ll throw in a little something special. Auras are the true reflection of the soul. You want to know who’s worthy of the Reaper’s blade? The darkest souls. Those that are covered in ebony shadow.”
My head grew a little fuzzy with his description. The blood loss was starting to take its toll.
Two fingers snapped in front of my face. “You don’t have a lot of time left, Dexter Lanford. The devil is knocking. Will you answer?”
I groaned as the pain in my body increased. It was a trick. I knew that. The devil was messing with my head, but I also knew that I wanted retribution and blood for what the Scorpions had done to my club. Keys and Lockjaw were dead. That shit wasn’t going unpunished even if I had to come back from the dead to do it.
The devil laughed and stood, snapping his fingers one more time as a piece of parchment appeared out of thin air. An invisible pen began writing words in onyx ink quickly down the page and left two blank lines at the bottom. He lifted his other hand and bit off the edge of his finger as blood dripped from the digit and he signed the bottom line in his dark crimson blood. The wound healed immediately.
“Your turn.”
He thrust the contract close enough that I could read the contents from top to bottom. A twisted smile curved my lips. I was bound to the individual who signed this contract. Lucifer Morningstar.
Given carte blanche, my only requirement was reaping souls and handing them over to the devil to fulfill the contract. There was no specific number written down but explicit instructions for recognizing souls that were to be reaped. Fail to take out those marked, I was in violation of his contract. Punishment could mean revocation of my abilities and immediate death. If that happened, my soul was Lucifer’s. Either way, he won.
Brilliant. There was no way to trick the devil. He was a master of deception and had already proved it. Lucifer was ensuring he received exactly what he wanted. If I didn’t sign his contract, he would simply find another soul that would. It wasn’t complicated to understand.
“My club?” I asked, taking an unsteady breath.
