Page 14 of In Between Death and the Devil

“Why did you come here?”

“Like you, I wanted to help souls. Wanting to make the World of the Living a better place isn’t reserved for the pure of heart. You’ll learn to judge others by judging yourself, by facing your past without the luxury of forgetting it when you’re reborn into a new life. You’ll carry it with you for the rest of your existence. It’s not an easy way out. Trust me.” His expression darkened.

The tightness in my chest eased. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was right.

“It’s okay to want, Maeve. And not just redemption.” His eyes flared with heat, and something flipped in my stomach. “It’s what makes you human.”

I swallowed again, wanting to believe him, but unsure I could. “I don’t suppose the Devil wants my soul at this point anyway.” I gave him a small smile, expecting a chuckle from him, but he frowned instead. In fact, he looked almost offended.

“No. The Devil would want you to enjoy yourself. Isn’t there anything you want, aside from redemption?”

My gaze snagged on a couple kissing below, a man and woman. The way he leaned over her, pinning her against the wall. The way she reacted when his hand slipped below the high slit of her dress to grab her ass, pulling her closer. My face heated and my pulse raced.

“It looks like there’s something over there you want.” Fen’s voice was like velvet sin. He was watching me, but I couldn’t focus on anything except his mouth. “Or maybe, you want something right here.”

I did. I wanted to know what those lips would feel like against mine, what he would taste like. My desire from earlier came rushing back and focused on him. I no longer wanted to deny myself. Like he said, I would have to face what I’d done. What was one more weakness to add to the pile?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned up and kissed him.

His lips were softer than I expected. Yielding. The feel of his mouth on mine, the weight of the hand he placed on my waist, the way he was content to let me explore made me dizzy. Then his lips parted, and I stroked my tongue against his. A soft groan vibrated through him which I felt between my legs. Something in him seemed to snap. He took control of the kiss effortlessly, plundering my mouth like he was staking a claim, sending sparks through me. My pulse kicked into a gallop and my fingers pressed into his chest. I wanted more.

His grip on my waist tightened, and he pulled back a fraction, stilling me. We stood there for a moment, breathing each other in. I expected him to lean forward again, but after a few heartbeats he took a step back.

“See? Wanting isn’t so bad.” He smiled, but it felt like an ending.

A shout below drew our attention. Fen tensed beside me as the crowd drew back to reveal a male Judge and Tempter grappling with each other. The Judge went down, and the Tempter grabbed him by the tunic and punched him in the face, over and over.

I gripped the railing. “Shouldn’t someone⁠—”

“Marcus and Daphne have it under control,” Fen said as two of the Tempters I’d seen near the throne pulled the fighting Tempter away. Marcus put him in a headlock until he stopped struggling, while Daphne tended to the Judge. The crowd around them lost interest and the threat of violence receded.

“You know them?” My stomach knotted. He’d said their names as if he knew them well.

“Everyone knows them. They’re close to the Devil.” He didn’t take his eyes off what was happening below.

I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Since Marcus and Daphne had been standing guard near the Devil’s throne, I didn’t doubt they were known to many, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it meant something else. “Are you⁠—?”

“Nothing like a fight to kill the mood,” he cut me off with a tight smile, his eyes full of regret. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Enjoy your evening, Maeve. I’ll see you around.” I watched him walk away, disappearing into the shadows of the balcony.

My face flamed. He’d said he was a Judge, but now I wasn’t so sure. He’d practically dared me to kiss him. Had I misread him from the beginning? He’d seemed so sincere, but I’d been burned before. My history with men was neither ample nor favorable.

But a Tempter wouldn’t pull away like Fen had. He wouldn’t have stopped when I wanted more or been so careful with me. Something twinged in my chest. Maybe I was being paranoid. I was certainly frustrated.

I touched my lips. They felt swollen. I hadn’t been kissed like that, ever. Despite everything, I wanted to do it again. Damn him. I was going to think about that kiss for a long time. If he’d wanted to distract me from my troubles, it had worked. Instead of worrying about the soul weighing tomorrow, all I could think about was him.

I stayed on the balcony until my lips stopped tingling. Then I went back downstairs.

The hallway below was still filled with moaning couples, but it didn’t faze me this time. My mind was too full of what had happened. I walked right past them until I spotted Bea, leaning against the wall looking up at a tall blond Tempter. Titus. She was so short she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

The sight was so unexpected, it brought me up short. Bea was not someone I’d pegged for a tryst in a darkened hallway, but I was just as guilty. I squinted, trying to see her better.

She fiddled with a ring on one finger, and her smile looked pained.

Titus had one hand on the wall above her head, but he refrained from touching her, like he could sense her heart wasn’t in it. Bea laughed at something he said, her eyes darting around looking anywhere but at him. She straightened when she saw me.

“Maeve?” Bea looked both relieved and afraid to see me.

“Are you alright?” I asked.