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Dante and I sleep in and then quickly pack our things before the hotel’s check-out time.
After we shut the doors to his magically warded SUV, Dante turns to me. “Can you talk to me about what happened?” He doesn’t turn the car on, instinctively knowing I need his undivided attention.
“I think so.” I pause, thinking of how to explain what happened. “Death was super intimidating, but he didn’t say I couldn’t share our conversation.”
“I can’t believe I slept through it.” Dante rubs his disheveled hair, and it sticks out catty wampus.
“Death stopped time, like Karma does,” I explain. “He said Instant Karma manipulates conditions for us, more or less forcing us to work for her. He suggested she is going to have me kill people.” I let the words hit us full force.
“Karmic killings?” He shudders. “I feel bad enough for the stunts we pull on people, but that?”
“I don’t think Death is pleased about her upping her game either,” I mutter.
“Did he give you any options to get out of her contract?” Dante asks, desperate for an answer.
I grimace. “If a karma agent wants to break their contract, we can, but thenheclaims us.”
“We die?” He tightens his grip on my hand.
“Well… maybe,” I hedge. “He said that since I was a descendant of a Hindu death king of karmic justice that I would have an option of working for him, but I have to be balanced between light and the dark to work for him. If I work for Karma much longer, I won’t be able to be his.”
“What? You are karmic death royalty?” Dante shakes his head in disbelief. “So you really are my queen.”
“I guess so.” I shrug.
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, the other option is that we allow Karma to drain our souls of light until we die in a few years anyway.”
“Awesome choices,” he says sarcastically. “So that’s what happens to us.”
“Yeah. Karma agentsretireto feed her power with our entire souls.”
Dante takes my hands in his. “Tessa, you have to save yourself. Don’t let Karma drain you. Don’t let her use you. Jump ship now before she shows up.”
“But what about you? Us?”
“I need to know you are safe. That’s all that matters to me,” he says in a protective tone.
I need to explain the rest of what Death said. “But—”
Dante interrupts, “It’s okay. I know the score. I’m not a descendant of death royalty. Besides, I have probably been drained for too long. When you showed up, I could only feel a glimmer of light that’s still left in me.”
“You don’t want to come with me?” I ask, withholding the possibility of Death allowing Dante to work for him for the moment.
“Of course Iwantyou, but it doesn’t sound like it’s an option for me to switch teams. I won’t sacrifice your well-being for my needs in the hopes that we can live a few more years together. In a perfect world where we lived normal lives, I would never let you go, but it isn’t like that. It sounds as if our souls are in danger of being permanently damaged.” Dante pulls me into an embrace. “As much as I want you for myself, I could never forgive myself for hurting you. Ineedyou and your soul to survive and thrive.”
“But what if you could balance your light and dark?” I ask. “What if then you could work for Death too?”
“I don’t like the idea of doling out death.” Dante pauses and then continues, “But I suppose it’s part of the natural cycle of life. He doesn’t seem to mess with nature like Karma has us doing.” He brushes a loose lock of hair from my face and gets lost in my eyes for a moment. “If I could be with you, then I would do what I could to balance myself and become a reaper, but I doubt that’s possible for me anymore. Besides, I worry I don’t have enough time to make that happen if Karmaretiresme during her visit.”
“I don’t want you to beretired.” I kiss him sweetly on the lips as tears fall down my cheeks. I avert my gaze and ask, “What do you think the guys will do when they find out about what Death said?”
“I don’t know.” Dante leans his head back and stares at the car’s ceiling. “If the choices are Karma eating their souls or dying now with their spirits intact, then they will probably choose death. I fear Kurtis is pretty damaged already. He has practically been begging for his time to end for a while now.”
I rub my bleary eyes, thinking of Kurtis’ pain. “I should tell them so they can decide what they want to do.”
Dante nods. “We should all prepare ourselves for Karma’s visit.”
