Page 192 of Bedeviled

“Then the scroll is still in the Flora Kingdom. I believe Eislyn is sending Memnon there to destroy it. If we can stop him before that happens, then we can prevent her from crossing over.”

The Bargainer scrutinizes me. “And how do you plan to stop your soul mate?” he asks. “He likely has orders to hurt anyone who gets in his way.”

I draw in a shuddering breath. “I have a plan.” A half-baked, fairly unlikely plan, but one does exist.

The fairy folds his arms. “And that is …?”

“I go to the Otherworld, find where the Flora Kingdom keeps the scrolls that contain fae judgments⁠—”

“The House of Scrolls,” the Bargainer interrupts. “That’s what it’s called.”

I take a breath. “I find the House of Scrolls,” I continue, “then I find Eislyn’s scroll before Memnon does and I hide it, or I warn the fae in the area about the coming danger⁠—”

“Cute plan,” the Bargainer interrupts, “but that all sounds to me like more vibes—bad ones, too.”

I exhale. “Do you have something better in mind?”

“Yeah,” the fairy nods, “dropping you off at home and washing my hands clean of this situation.”

Even if I was willing to leave Memnon to his fate⁠—

“I don’t have a house to go back to.”

The Bargainer looks over at me as I stop in front of the crypt etched with the phases of the moon.

He pauses thoughtfully and tilts his head.

“Did you really burn it down?” he asks out of nowhere.

My brows pull together as I turn to him. “How did you know⁠—?”

“And there were demons inside?” he says, surprised. He laughs a little, like the thought amuses him, and his gaze reassesses me.

Finally, he nods. “Alright, no returning home.”

I exhale.

Facing the crypt again, I lift my hand and release my magic to force the stone door open.

It groans as it gives way, revealing the dark interior.

I step inside, Nero prowling next to me. With a woosh, the candles inside alight, illuminating the empty interior.

I sense the Bargainer enter behind me, and with another tug of my magic, I close the tomb’s door.

“Cozy,” he comments.

“The ley line is over there,” I say, pointing to the opposite end of the room.

The Bargainer doesn’t make a move toward the portal entrance.

Instead he says, “If we’re to do this my way, we have a few things we need to go over.”

I pause. “Okay,” I agree.

Next to me, Nero sits on his haunches, his tail flicking with what I’d like to think is his impatience, but honestly, it’s probably my own.

“If I show up in the Flora Kingdom unannounced and without their permission,” the Bargainer says, “I will have a kingdoms-wide crisis on my hands.”