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He squints his dark eyes. “I accept — but you have to give me something in return.”
“I’m giving you three dates.”
“And if your mind is as truly made up as you think it is, then my addendum will cost you nothing,” he argues.
I sigh. “Okay. What do you want?”
“At the end of each date, whether you had a good time or not, you must give me a kiss.”
I wait for a punchline but he says nothing. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” He nods. “You give me three kisses, one at the end of each date, and if I can’t win you over, then you will be free to live out the remainder of your mortal life as you see fit.”
Ari extends his hand, wanting to seal our bargain in the standard way. I stop and stare at it, my entire body clenched with nerves. Is this the part of the story where you’re screaming at the television, urging the character not to make a deal with the devil?
But he’s not the devil.
He’s the king of the dead.
Death himself.
Still, my hand twitches toward his. Ari’s lips curl into a teasing smirk, though I sense no malice in his eyes. They’re warm, despite the darkness shining from within.
I take his cold hand and we shake once.
The car comes to a sudden stop. I take my hand back and look out of the window to find us sitting in my driveway.
“You’ll want to bring a jacket,” he says. “It’ll be a bit chilly tonight.”
I blink. “What?”
He shrugs. “I don’t want you to catch a cold on our date tonight. I’ll pick you up at six.”
I stare at him, feeling a little dizzy. “I’ll have to run it by my parents,” I say, attempting to slow things down.
“I’m sure they won’t mind you spending the evening with me,” he says. “In fact, I’ll be happy to knock on the door right now and ask them myself.”
“No.” I shove the door open. “Just forget it.”
“Tannis.”
I pause and look back at him.
“Try not to take your frustrations out on them,” he says. “They’ve done you well.”
I don’t reply. I step out into the driveway and throw the door closed behind me.
Well? My parents have done me well?
They sold my soul at birth.
How is that well?
I walk slowly up the porch, wondering how I can even face them again. I’ve lived my whole life in a house full of liars. I push open the front door and flick it closed behind me. With my head down, I bolt for the stairs to make it up to my room before they realize I’m home already.
“Tannis?”
I stop halfway and look up. My mother stands at the top of the stairs with a teasing smile on her face.
