Page 25 of The Halo & the Heathen
“Yes.”
My feet off the floor, he spins us along the Devil’s hallways.
“You let me take it,” I say, and he hums in agreement, kissing me, but I refuse to be distracted. “Why did you let me go?”
“Because you had to go.”
His dark eyes search mine and I know he knows that answer isn’t good enough when he stops beside one of the many balconies and sets me on the rail, even though he still holds me close.
Looking out over hell, his gaze stops on the stairway. “If you hadn’t gone, you would have spent eternity trying.”
“What if I hadn’t come back?”
He smiles down at me with sharp teeth. “I had faith.”
He lifts me up and carries me down the uneven stairs.
“There are months between now and the next Devil’s Dance.” He pauses beside the plinth until I’ve placed the halo where it belongs. “I plan to spend that time teaching you.”
“Teaching me how to guard the halo?”
He shakes his head and dips his head to nip at my lip. “Teaching you how to be loved.”
Dance for the Devil
My demon placesa hand on my waist and murmurs soothing words in the dead language they speak here. I feel like I’ve been here long enough I should know more of it than I do.
But my nerves crackle with ugly anticipation as he twirls me around the edge of the Devil’s dance floor.
Only two other couples dance, both of them too enamored of each other to carry any part of my worries.
“She will be here in a moment,” he says, kissing my scarred palm.
And he’s right. Between one blink and the next, the floor fills with saints and sinners.
My demon takes the halo from me and kisses my throat before he releases me to search through the throng on my own. “I’ll wait for you on the stairs.”
The dancers move around us both like rocks in a stream and I watch him go, but only for a moment.
He is mine and no small separation will change that.
I scour the saints, ignoring every poor soul with a cage clamped around their head
God may not have reclaimed all her power yet, but the dance is a ritual the Devil has no desire to disband.
He and Keres twirl past me and she says, “Middle of the floor.” before they sweep away.
I go without question, and Skye is there
Alone in the middle of the swirling crowd, Skye searches, her eyes only on the sinners.
Her dress is green and her hair is short, but it’sherhair. I drag her into my arms the moment I reach her and she hugs me so tightly the boning in my dress creaks.
“I thought I’d lost you.” Her words are a whisper against my ear and I squeeze her tightly too.
“You didn’t. Miracles just take time.”
She pulls back from me, holding me at arm’s length and looks me over. “What’s happened to you?”
