Sixth Grave on the Edge(29)

I pulled him to my side and kept an arm locked around him protectively.

“We should go,” he said, whispering in my ear.

The Dealer’s chin went up, proud of his accomplishment. “I did. Of course, I didn’t have a map to get me through the void like you.” He gestured to the tattoos that lined Reyes’s upper body, the ones that made up a map to the gates of hell. “The gates of hell proved a bit tricky, but here I am.”

“And here you’ll die.”

He lifted one shoulder, unmoved. “I figured as much. I just need to have a conversation with the reaper, then we can finish this.”

Reyes stepped to my side at once, his expression hard. “I wouldn’t.”

Angel squeezed tighter, wanting out of Reyes’s reach and wanting me out of harm’s way.

“You’re in love with her,” the Dealer said. It wasn’t a question but a statement that held both wonder and admiration. I wasn’t sure why he would feel either. “It all makes sense now.”

“Don’t forget who I am,” Reyes said, his tone razor sharp, his stance rigid like a cobra about to strike. “You don’t need anything from her.”

One brow shot up, implying that the Dealer was so unimpressed, he didn’t know what else to do. “No, Your Highness, I don’t. But you do.”

Reyes stepped closer. “And what would that be?”

“Victory.” When Reyes remained silent, he continued. “It’s what I do, if you’ll remember. I win. And now, more than ever, you need a win.”

The air crackled with tension, the friction it caused creating a vortex of heat, Reyes’s anger was so palpable. He started for the Dealer, but I put a hand on his arm to stop him. Angel jerked out of my grip. I was too close to Reyes for his comfort. He stepped away from the melee, but to his credit, he didn’t disappear.

Reyes stopped at the feel of my touch and glanced down at me. It wasn’t a nice glance.

“Why do we need you?” I asked the Dealer, ignoring Mr. Grumpy Britches.

His intense gaze landed on me again, but the moment it did, Reyes growled. He looked back at him before answering. “Because there’s only one way to beat your father, and she holds the key.” He gestured to me with a nod of his head. “If she doesn’t live through this, Earth will become a very dark place.”

“Live through what?” I asked, but the Dealer didn’t look at me that time.

He kept a watchful eye on the predator. The more immediate danger. “The Twelve have escaped,” he said to Reyes, and though I had no idea who or what the Twelve were, Reyes seemed to have no trouble figuring it out.

His expression changed to one of astonishment. It wasn’t easy to astonish him.

“If they get to her,” he started, but Reyes recovered and interrupted before he could finish, much to my chagrin.

“They won’t.”

“They will if you don’t keep a very close eye on her. She gets into enough trouble without the Twelve making an appearance. They will rip her apart and make you watch while they do it.”

Reyes bit down so hard, I could hear his teeth grind. “They’ll try.”

“You need my help, and you know it.”

“This is like the prophecies Garrett found,” I told Reyes, patting his arm, trying to convince him to listen. “You and I are the key, remember?” I looked back at the Dealer, who didn’t dare meet my eyes.

But before I could question him any further, Reyes asked, “And why would you help us?”

“Why else? I want him dead as much as you do.” He leaned in, his mouth twisting into a snarl. “Even more so, I’d wager, and if you want to win this thing, you’ll listen to what I have to say. There’s only one way to bring him down. We can’t risk the reaper because of your pride.”

I started thinking back to when I’d first arrived at the game tonight. The Dealer didn’t seem the least bit surprised when I walked in. Surely he knew who I was the moment I showed up, like he was expecting me.

“Why am I here?” I asked him. “Did you arrange this?”

He lifted one shoulder. “I simply encouraged Mr. Joyce to seek you out through a few connections I have. He was desperate enough to do it.”

I released Zeus, pulling out the knife and holding it toward him as steady as I could. Which wasn’t very steady. I was shaking. And I had to pee.

“You’re still on my turf, stealing the souls of good people. And you stole that body you’re living in.”

“I didn’t steal anything. I was born on Earth, just like the prince.”

I gaped at Reyes. “He can do that?”