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          “I have question before we…discuss my situation,” I said, staring the demon in front of me, right in the eyes. “What’s up with the whole, ‘I’m a bird’ thing?”

        An altered, younger looking version of the Raven Demon sat across from me, wearing an all black suit and a wide, wolfish grin that looked peculiarly familiar. His black hair, once wild and twirled in dreadlocks, was now short, and his once clean, shaved face was dusted with dark stubble.

        “Always charming, Faith Williams.” Malphas finished the rest of the hard liquor in his glass and leaned back, draping his well-built arms over the back of a leather couch. “I’m a demi-god,” he corrected, black eyes dropping briefly to pendent on my neck, then back up to my eyes.

        “So, you’re the son of a god…?” I guessed.

        “Yes,” Malphas replied shortly, his eyes suddenly growing a bit colder and his jaw setting. He paused for the longest time, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to tell me more. There was a device that resembled a metronome on the table between us that filled the silence, which I found oddly entrancing.

      Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

        Whenever I opened my mouth to ask why it was there, ticking back and forth on the table, I would suddenly forget it was even there.

        “I was once human, believe it or not, because of a genetic mutation, which is how most demi-gods and demons begin. I had a half-human, half-demon mother, and an immortal father I never met, nor knew anything about. I died in war as a highly ranked general. I can’t tell you this story firsthand, but according to spectators there at the time, a witch, who practiced dark magic, discovered my dead body on the battlefield with a raven perched on my chest. She realized I was rather extraordinary, given my father’s blood in my veins, and ripped out my dead heart, switching it with the raven’s. I was reborn into what I am today.”

        My gaze drifted over the creature before me, following the contours of his face. “Your humanity is completely gone?”

        “Fortunately.” Those coal black eyes shifted to Atticus. “Being human is boring and overvalued. Don’t you agree, Atticus?”

        Atticus, the lean, attractive demon was perched on the arm of my couch and watched me curiously. Suddenly, he exploded into a puff of feathers and those feathers caved inwards, imploding into a black raven. I flinched backwards with a shriek. The bird exploded once more into feathers, which merged to form the flesh of the demon once again.

        “I couldn’t agree more,” Atticus said, winking at me.           

        An unsettling sensation settled in my gut. “Does Death have any humanity in him?”

        Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

        “Not humanity, but perhaps something that mimics it.” Malphas looked down at the metronome-like device between us, his eyes following the little pendulum swinging back and forth, and for a moment, we were both mesmerized by the device. “The trick is, Faith, don’t let the imitation of something that was once there, fool you into believing the real version exists. Just beyond the shallow depths of a façade, there is always truth. You just have to peel away the mask…”

         “I’ve seen these…memories of Death and I,” I said, still transfixed on the metronome. “Maybe they’re visions, or maybe they’re just a part of another game that he wants to play with me. Maybe these memories aren’t real at all… But I saw a side of Death that I-”

        “How have you accessed these memories?” Malphas stared intensely at me. “Do they just come randomly to you?”

        Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

        “Something definitely triggers them,” I admitted. There was an odd pain in my back and I shifted in my seat. “Sometimes I think Death has something to do with the memories coming back to me, but other times, I feel like…” I shook my head, unable to finish. “When I kissed Death…I accessed a memory of his past. When I kissed my.... friend…Thomas, I saw a vision of his death and saved his life from a reaper. Does this sound crazy? That I was able to see into the future, just by kissing someone?”

        Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

        “There are worlds that parallel to ours, where memories like the ones you have described are stored,” Malphas began. Running a hand absently over his short black hair. “Most of these worlds contain trapped spirits that warlocks and witches channel into, but these worlds are also far more dangerous and complex than you could ever imagine. They are endless and filled with darkness and… things… things that sometimes go bump in the night, but when you check under your bed, they are gone. Some gifted individuals can see into these worlds through a mirror, which provide a portal: a door into them. Others can use spells…” He looked up at me, his eyes blinking slowly. “Other, more powerful individuals…can access these worlds by just using their mind and their senses.”

        I couldn’t say anything for the longest time. “You believe I accessed these memories…on my own? Because of my kiss?”

        Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

        “I believe you accessed some of these memories on your own, and I don’t believe it was just because of a kiss. I believe it was because of a touch. An emotion. Something you were feeling at the time.” Malphas wordlessly ran a finger down his pale, stubbly jaw and my eyes numbly followed the gesture. "I understand in the past that I have harmed you, but that was before I realized the true value of your existence--sleep.”

        Malpha snapped his fingers and the metronome stopped.

        My head slumped forward, eyes closed.

        “I’m placing a poison that will paralyze the Angel of Death onto the table in front of you. If it enters his blood stream, he will be paralyzed for a significant amount of time. You believe it is an ordinary bottle of hand lotion.” Malphas reached into his suit jacket and took out a vile of black liquid, placing it on the coffee table between us. “Open your eyes and look at the bottle in front of you. What is in front of you?”

        My eyes cracked open and I saw a bottle of hand lotion. “An ordinary bottle of lotion.”

        “Close your eyes.”

        I shut my eyes.

        “Very good, darling…” Malphas chuckled lowly. “You’re very susceptible this device. That will surely come in handy. Had you bonded with Death, I wouldn’t have such a hold on you. The bottle in front of you is not hand lotion. It is a poison that will paralyze the Angel of Death, but only if he ingests or if it enters into his blood stream.  I am giving you this because we can help one another. Open your eyes.” I did, and there was a threatening edge to his black eyes. “You want to give him the poison when he’s weak. Right now, Death is trapped in Limbo.”

        “Limbo….” I murmured.

        “There, he’ll be cut off from live souls. It won’t be for long, but it’ll be a considerable amount in regards to how frequently he needs to feed. Even when he is not collecting souls, he is receiving the energy from the dead, through his reapers.”

         “What will the poison do to him?” I wondered. I felt like I was drugged, my head foggy and my mouth dry. “And—and what will you want from me in return?”

         “Don’t worry about that right now,” Malphas said. “Right now, we are focusing on you and keeping you safe.”

         “How do I give him this poison?” I asked this almost robotically, as if I was forced.

        He placed a small dagger next to the bottle. “Stab him in the heart.”

            I blinked slowly, my eyes never leaving his. “And where is this all supposed to take place?”

            “The D & S Towers event, tonight. You are running out of time, Juliet. You will need to get Death alone and it is up to you how far you are willing to go to distract him, then stab him in the heart. It will take a lot of acting; he is used to being aware of an attack and is paranoid in large crowds. There will be other difficulties there as well, but I’ve already arranged a date for you who will help you along the way.”

            A frown knit my eyebrows. “Who will be my date?”

        “You will see.” A small smile danced on Malphas’ mouth. He stood up and leaned over the coffee table, placing the dagger and poison in my hands.  “What will you do with these items, Faith Williams?”

            “I will stab Death in the heart.”

        “I trust you will be successful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an unwelcomed guest,” he said, and then promptly left the room.

        I stared at the spot where Malphas’ once sat, a frown still knit between my eyebrows. I held the dagger and the potion in my hand. Something felt…off, but I couldn’t quite place it. Then the sensation vanished and everything felt normal again.

        I was going to stab Death with the poisonous dagger.        

        My ponytail flew forward as a blast of air.

        “Bonjour, mon ange!”

        I turned sharply around, and there, directly behind my couch, now stood a very lively, handsome warlock with bright violet eyes.

        Ace moved his hand in a quick motion and produced a rose. “Votre sourire est un don. Your smile is a gift.”

        I timidly held the flower, bringing it to my nose. It blossomed to life in my hands.

        Ace rounded the couch, and while I was still distracted by the rose, he swiftly pocketed the metronome on the table.

        The room suddenly began to get impossibly hot.

        The warlock’s eyes darted to the door Malphas walked out of.

        “Oh là là! We are going to be late! We should leave as soon as possible.” Those colorful eyes drifted over my corn maze- attacked clothes. I will certainly need to cook you up something creative to wear”--he tapped my knee playfully with the large, octagon-shaped crystal at the head of his golden cane—“since I’m your dashing French date for tonight!”

            Ace twirled his cane around with a laugh, and together, we became surrounded in sparkling purple smoke.

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        I CAN ALMOST TASTE THE PLOT TWISTS COMING UP!!!