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I raise a brow. “Inducted. One person in exchange for two?”
“That is correct.”
I don’t trust him in the slightest. “What do I have to do if I agree to your terms?”
“You’d simply need to trust me. I’ve already been initiating you, which is why there is unrest within my order. My inner circle knows there’s been a shift, but none are privy to the details. Your silence on this deal would save both your lives.”
His words hang in the air, offering a glimmer of hope if only I could trust and believe in him.
But I don’t.
“If I pass the initiations, as you call them, then what happens on Halloween night? And what happens to Mackenzie and me in the future?”
“I’m confident you will pass all initiations. Failing them means you die.” The nonchalant tone in which he says it speaks to what a heartless bastard he is. There’s zero remorse. It is nothing more than reciting facts to him.
“And then?”
“Upon initiation into my inner circle, you would have a choice. To either continue to reside here, with Rosario and me, or I would give you a house and property on the immense lands I own.”
None of this makes any sense. Yet, there’s an air of seriousness hanging between us.
I’m unsure why he’s offering this to me, but as we engage in a silent battle of wills, I hear the imaginary ticking of the clock inside my head.
“When do I need to decide?”
“Now.”
My gaze roams over Orpheus from head to toe, deliberating. This is a pivotal moment.Everythingis on the line.
I hesitate only a moment before I say, “As long as no harm comes to Mackenzie, including you or any other cult members forcing yourself on her between now and Halloween, then I accept your offer.”
Orpheus nods, placing a hand over his cold, blackened heart. “I accept those terms. And remember, not a word to anyone, or I will kill you both.”
“I understand.”
Orpheus pulls out a knife, sliding it along his pinkie. He holds it up so I can see it dripping. “We will sign this deal in blood. Right now.”
My mouth is dry as I nod. Like a panther, he stalks forward. Grabbing my bound hands, he presses the blade into my pinkie before removing it and wrapping it around mine. “Repeat these words after me. This deal is sealed in blood. Only in death can it be broken.”
I repeat them and he gives a satisfactory nod, releasing my finger. He pulls out a tissue, wiping the blood from my hand, then cleans his. “I’ll see you soon, boy.”
Shoving the tissue inside his robe, he turns and strolls to the steps. I watch as he leaves, his vile essence snuffing out the light in this room with his darkness.
He is evil personified.
I just made a deal with the devil to save the only woman I’ve ever loved.
40
CHASE
Rosario stands in front of us, holding a dress for Mackenzie, and black jeans and a robe for me. It’s been exactly one day since I made a deal with the devil, and my guts churn with indecision. But there’s no going back. It’s been sealed in blood.
Once we are dressed, Orpheus enters the attic. His gaze rakes over me before he gives the faintest nod before turning. “Come, children. We have a harvest to attend tonight.”
Mackenzie and I exchanged a look before we silently followed him from the attic.
The route has become familiar in the short time we’ve been here. With unseeing eyes, I pass the ostentatious wealth dangled before us as we begin the march down the endless flights of stairs to the creepy passageways leading to the ruined church.
