I jut backward to get away from him.

Ari. An old figment of my imagination turned real.

So, I’m not crazy. I’m not losing my mind at all. He saved me, again.

But why?

“Who are you?” I ask him, my breaths clouding in front of me. “What do you want?”

Ari lowers his arm to his side. “What is owed to me. Nothing more.”

“And what’s that?”

His eyes focus on me for a second too long. “We should talk,” he says. “Somewhere private.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Tell me. Now. Who are you and what do you want?”

“This isn’t the place.” He shifts toward the curb as a black car comes to a stop beside him. “Get in.”

I scoff. “Yea— no.”

He raises a brow. “Tannis…”

“No.” I twitch in confusion. “You don’t get to say my name like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like we know each other!”

“But we do!” He smiles. “We met last night right over…” he points at the corner two blocks away, “there.”

I don’t bother looking. “And in my bedroom?” I ask. “When I was thirteen? How about then?”

Ari’s smile morphs to a smirk. “And when you were four?” he asks. “Moira turned away for a second at the dry cleaners. Another second and they never would have found you again.”

I swallow hard.

“And when you were nine?” he says. “You fell out of a tree and broke your arm — but it could have been a lot worse.”

I say it as I think it. “If it weren’t for you.”

He gives the slightest of nods as he leans down and opens the back door. “Please, get in the car. I’ll answer every question you have.”

I force my knees to lock. I don’t want to go with him. Every instinct in me says it’s a bad idea. You don’t get into a car with a stranger. You don’t put your trust in someone who hasn’t earned it.

But, hasn’t he?

Maybe?

If he wanted to hurt me, he would have by now.

Right?

Dammit, Tannis. Don’t be stupid.

Ari tilts his head in amusement as if he can read my thoughts. “Would it help if I told you I’m taking you home?” he asks.

“Straight home?”

He shrugs a shoulder. “The scenic route.”

I flex my jaw.

He laughs. “Come on, Tannis. We both know you can’t help yourself.”

I inhale to argue, growing increasingly annoyed as Ari lowers himself down into the car. He leaves the door open for me and, for a moment, I think I can actually resist my curiosity.

Every question I have?

Hard to pass up.

I step off the curb and slide into the vehicle. Ari sits on the opposite side, his hands resting on his knees in plain sight as I tug the door closed behind me. The car slowly eases back into traffic. I glance forward into the driver’s seat and stiffen.

It’s empty.

“Uh…” I say.

“It’s perfectly safe,” Ari says with a wink.

I exhale hard and my skin crawls as the wheel spins and the pedals move on their own.

“Relax, Tannis.” He checks his watch. “Are you hungry?”

“You said you were taking me home,” I say.

“Eventually, yes.”

“Then, get talking.” I look at him and his brow rises. “Who are you and what deal did my parents make with you?”

He nods, impressed. “You’ve figured out more than I thought.”

I stare at him, waiting for a response.

“All right.” He pauses to clear his throat. “How much do you know about the night you were born?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Not much. Only that I almost died.”

“Your parents were going to lose their newborn daughter before she even took her first breath. There was nothing to be done. Medically speaking.”

A chill takes my spine. “Then, what did you do?” I ask.

He smirks. “I answered their prayer.”

“How?”

“It’s not uncommon,” he muses. “I see it all the time; people who claim they’d give up anything — do anything — for their loved ones.” He chuckles. “It’s rare in my work to meet people willing enough to follow through. People like your parents.”

My eyes threaten tears. “What?”

“They begged me,” he says. “Spare her. Give us just one day with her. I gave them twenty years.”

“Gave them?” I quote. “That was the deal?”

“Yes.”

I think hard, trying not to go crazy. “What are you? The devil?”

“No,” he answers with a laugh. “No, I am not the devil. Nor am I a demon or anything of the sort. Quite the contrary, young Tannis.” He looks at me with those black eyes. “I am a god,” he says.

I breathe through the lump in my throat. God? My parents made a deal with God? How is that possible?

“You’re… God?” I ask aloud.

“A god,” he repeats. “There are… quite a few of us, actually.”

“Okay, then.” I pause, letting that sink in. “What are you the god of?”

“I am the king of the dead,” he answers.

My heart pounds harder. Is this what Cassandra meant?

Isolation. Deception.

Death.

My parents got twenty years with me. To raise me and love me. And he…

Time’s up.

“What did you get in return?” I ask, my voice shaking.

Ari softens his gaze. I let out a gasp as he reaches for my hand across the seat. He takes it easily, sending a sharp chill through my arm.

“You,” he whispers.

I shudder in fear as his ice-cold fingers curl around mine.

“You are destined to live an eternity with me… as my queen.”

I yank my hand away, shaking my head back and forth. “Let me out.”

He leaves his hand on the seat between us. “Tannis.”

“No, I want out.”

“It’s too late for that.”

I stare at him in horror. Is it too late? Did I seal my fate when I agreed to get in this car?

Ari breaks into a wide smile, showing off the dimples in his chin. “I’m only kidding, Tannis. You can leave whenever you please but I would prefer it if you stayed here and talked to me.”

“Why?”

“Well, personally, I’ve been very much looking forward to getting to know you better,” he says.

“Sounds to me like you know me plenty already.”

He presses his lips together. “Okay, that’s fair.”

I snort at the word, practically rolling my eyes, too. Fair? Fair?!

None of this is fair.

“Go ahead, Tannis,” he says. “Say what’s on your mind. That’s what we’re here for.”

“You tell me what’s on my mind,” I say. “You obviously already know.”

“I can’t read your mind,” he says. “But I can see your face and you have something to say. So, say it.”

“Fine.” I shift on my seat to face him. “I think this whole thing — whatever the hell it is — is stupid and gross and just pure bullshit.”

“You would have preferred to die in childbirth?” he asks.

I open my mouth but my breath catches. “That’s not a fair question.”

“Sure, it is.” He stares at me. “Do you believe a life of mere seconds would have been preferable to the twenty years you’ve lived so far?”

“No, obviously, but you at least have to see how unfair this is to me.”

“I do.”

“You’ve known about this for twenty years. My parents have—” I stop, disgusted at the thought. They knew about this and they never said a word to me about it. “And you all somehow expect me to just go along with this like it’s normal when it’s anything but.”

“You’re right,” he says. “It’s not normal, it is unfair, and I would be quite foolish to assume a modern woman like you wouldn’t expect a courtship of some kind, so I’m willing to offer you one.”

My nose screws up. “A courtship?”

“Dating,” he explains.

“Yes, I know what a courtship is, Jane Austen,” I slur. “You want to date me?”

“Of course.”

I blink. “Me?”

He chuckles. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“You expect me to kidnap you?” he asks. “Spirit you away to the underworld against your will like Hades and Persephone?”

I squint. “Well, since you brought it up, aren’t you doing that?”

“No,” he says with a laugh. “Tannis, this isn’t like that. Your parents prayed for your life and I answered. In exchange, your soul is mine.”

My mouth sags. “And what part of that isn’t against my will?”

“The part where you agree to three dates.”

“Three dates?”

“From today until your birthday. Give me three dates over three days to convince you.”

“Convince me of what?”

His eyes wander my face as if it’s obvious. “That I’m worthy of you.”

My chest flutters out of nowhere. “And if you don’t?” I ask.

“I will.”

“But if you don’t?”

He bites his cheek, amused.

“You bargained with my parents, didn’t you?” I ask. “So, bargain with me. If you can’t convince me after three dates to go along with this, then you leave and you never come back.”

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.

“Home already?” she asks. “You really don’t go wild, do you?”

I keep my head down. “No, I guess not,” I mutter.

She takes a few steps down. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say, trying to pass her.

“Hey, hey.” She lays a hand on my shoulder. “What happened? Are you okay?”

I bite down. Tears threaten to pool in my eyes and I’m not sure I can even speak without them falling down.

“He came back, didn’t he?” she asks.

My breath hitches. I tilt my head up to look at her and she stares back at me, her eyes shadowed beneath her bangs.

“Why?” I ask, my throat clenching. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her shoulders sink. “Tannis, I’m so sorry—”

“Hey.” My father pauses at the bottom of the stairs. “Back already?”

I turn back as the first tear plummets down my cheek. His face twinges between sadness and guilt as his gaze shifts back and forth.

“Ari told her,” Mom says.

He deflates and slides his glasses off his nose. “Oh,” he says.

“Oh?” I repeat. “That’s all you can say to me?”

Mom rubs my arm. “Tannis—”

“No.” I jerk away from her. “You should have told me.”

“He asked us not to,” Dad says, mimicking the same lame excuse from this morning.

“Right. The lesser evil,” I spit. “Sorry, but I disagree.”

“Tannis,” Mom says, “we wanted you to have a normal life — as normal as we could possibly give you while we could.”

“Well, congrats. You succeeded. And now, I have to go on my first real date ever with the king of the dead!” I throw up my hands. “Super normal. Thanks a lot.”

“Wait, what?” Dad takes a step up. “Date? What date?”

“He’s taking you on a date?” Mom asks.

“Yes. Three of them, actually. To prove he’s worthy of… something.”

Her face softens. “Aw, that’s kind of sweet.”

“No, it’s not!” I say. “It’s gross! He’s been watching me since I was born! Curing fevers and stopping me from getting kidnapped.”

“Of course, he did,” she says. “He cares about you, honey.”

“Bullshit! He doesn’t care about me. And neither do you!”

She looks down.

“That’s enough, Tannis,” Dad says, his voice firm. “You’re upset and that’s understandable but you won’t talk to her like that.”

“Fine by me,” I say. “Don’t feel like talking much at all right now, anyway.”

I continue up the stairs, ignoring their brief calls to stop me as a few more tears spill over on my way to my bedroom. I lock my door and fall to my bed, quickly burying my face in my pillow. Maybe I’ll suffocate and not have to go on this date at all. If I tried, would Ari intervene to save my life again?

Of course, he would.

He “cares” about me.

I flop over onto my back and roll my eyes.

It doesn’t matter how many times he saves me or how many dates we go on or how many kisses he steals from me.

I’ll never be okay with this.

I’ll never be the queen of the dead.