Her stomach roiled at the thought of going back to the underworld as a departed soul. Not that the place was scary. Okay, in truth, she didn’t remember much—such as faces or names—however, she did recall sitting around the Texas Hold ’Em table, asking people what made them decide to return to Earth, have their memories wiped, and do it all over again. Details on their answers were fuzzy, but what stood out in her mind was how fascinated she’d been by their stories.
Some said they enjoyed the big reveal after their deaths, when they returned to the underworld and got their eternal memories back. They felt a certain sense of accomplishment when they improved their LSRs—Life Satisfaction Ratings. Others said they simply had more to accomplish in the land of the living.
Now she could relate. Dying here all alone in this nasty-smelling cave was not the ending she’d hoped for. I would definitely want a do-over! But if she returned, would she find Zac again? Would he recognize her soul if she was reincarnated as, say, a pro wrestler in a golden Speedo? Or how about a very annoying unicorn?
“Tula, so we meet again,” said a deep, silky voice that sliced through the darkness.
Tula’s back went rigid. “Who’s there?”
“Allow me to shine some light on the matter.” A snap echoed through the cave, and a lightbulb appeared on the ceiling.
She looked up to find a handsome, tall man with thick dark hair standing before her in a black suit. “Am I dreaming?”
“Afraid not.”
“Am I dead?” she asked.
“Not yet,” he replied.
So she was still alive, but likely delirious. “Who are you?”
“You do not remember, but we have met once. Briefly.” He dipped his head. “I am the demon king, Maury. You wiped me out at the poker table in the underworld.”
He was right; Tula didn’t remember. But if it was true, then the guy had to be a horrible poker player, because she was terrible at it. Poker required a form of deception she was never good at: the poker face. Lying simply didn’t come naturally. “What are you doing here?”
He tugged on the sleeve of his crisp white dress shirt and straightened his red cuff link. “I have come to help you, of course.” His tone was all cockiness disguised as charm.
“Did you bring water?”
He snapped his fingers and produced a frosty glass of ice water. He handed it to her, and she took it with both hands, guzzling until it was gone.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked back up at him. “Thank you.”
“You are quite welcome.”
“Now tell me what you want.” She hadn’t met many demons during her time working at Immortal Matchmakers, Inc., but she’d heard plenty of remarks from the gods. Slithery, sneaky, conniving, destructive, really good in bed. Okay, that last one was from Cimil, Goddess of the Underworld. Prior to meeting her mate, Roberto, she’d had a very vigorous love life. Evil clowns, aliens, vampires, ventriloquists, nothing was off-limits.
“As I said, I am here to help.”
“Meaning?” Tula raised a brow.
“Meaning you were on your way to the underworld, searching for the God of Temptation, the love of your life. Yes?”
“Yes, but how would you know…” Wait. This was him, wasn’t it? The man who’d texted the pics of Zac with those women. Tula got to her feet, feeling a second wind kick in. Anger fuel. “You’re the one holding the gods prisoner.”
He nodded. “Correct.”
“Why?”
His amber eyes glittered with a sort of slyness that alarmed her. “My reasons do not concern you.”
“If it concerns Zac, then it concerns me. I love him.” The question was, did Zac love her back?
“Zac does not love you,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “The photos I sent should be sufficient proof. Your mate has done nothing but party and fuck since his arrival in the underworld.”
Tula stepped closer to face the beautiful, evil man. She wanted to look him in the eyes when he answered her next question. “Why should I believe you, a demon?” The pictures could have been faked. Zac could have been forced to pose.
“Because I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since we met, Tula. You are the loveliest creature I have ever encountered. And, despite me being a demon, I do have a heart. Mine says that this god of yours has fooled you. You deserve better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He used his powers on you, Tula. He is the God of Temptation, and you are merely another one of his conquests.”
Bull poop! “Sorry, but I’m not buying any of this. I want to see him. Take me now.”
“I am afraid that is beyond my powers.”
“You kidnapped the gods and tens of thousands of other immortals.”
“I meant to say that I would have to kill you to take you to the underworld. Living bodies are not allowed.”
That was what everyone said, but there had to be a way in without dying. Wasn’t there? What does it matter? This guy isn’t going to tell me if he knows anything.
“Then let Zac go,” Tula said. “Please, I’m begging you. I need to see him. We’ve both been through Hell and back—literally now—and the clock is ticking. Every second we’re apart is a second of wasted happiness.” She wasn’t immortal. And either she was going to spend the rest of her life with Zac, or she wasn’t. But she was done with waiting and suffering and having her heart torn apart from being in limbo. I have to know if he loves me.
Maury stared with those hypnotic amber eyes for a long while. She could practically feel him reaching deep down inside her soul, searching for something.
“Please?” she prodded.
He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw and hollow cheek. “I am compelled to help you, Tula, because I wish to prove my intentions are pure. However, I am still a demon, which means I must get something in return. It is the way of our people.”
“What do you want?” She stepped back.
“I want a chance with you. A date.”
Her stomach dipped, and a wave of sick terror rolled through her body. Why? Why would he ask this of her? She could never want a demon. Heck, the only reason she loved Zac was because their hearts had such a powerful connection. She’d been able to see the shiny man-penny beneath the tarnish—his arrogance and tainted view of the world from living in the thick of it for so long. Apocalypses were no joke. But if it hadn’t been for her front-row seat to his heart, she wouldn’t have been able to love him back. “What would be the point of pursuing me if my heart belongs to someone else?”
“What if I could prove that Zac does not love you, that you are not mates?”
Then it would mean I imagined everything, and I’d be devastated. “How would you do that?”
“I can release Zac. Just temporarily. Say, two weeks?”
What was the catch? “And?”
“And I will loan you one of my people’s bodies.”
“I don’t understand.” And Tula definitely did not like the idea of being separated from her body again. She’d gone through so much to get it back after freezing to death on that tiny boat. It was a long story, but basically, Zac had been trying to rescue her from the island of the mermen after one of Cimil’s botched fate-interventions.