Page 133 of Mortis

Something changed between Teddy and me. What, exactly, I wasn’t sure. But magic buzzed through my veins, warm and unfamiliar, and judging by the way Teddy stared curiously at his arms, he felt it too.

When the sensation faded, we looked back at Mammon. His expression had already returned to its usual state of boredom.

“Congratulations. You’re eternal husbands.”

Teddy choked. My eyes widened. “We’re not even regular husbands,” he sputtered.

Unconcerned with the intricacies of mortal relationships, Mammon ignored Teddy’s flustering and turned towards Arlo. “And you?”

Something in his voice had changed. It was subtle, but I knew my master well enough to hear it.

The apathy was gone.

Arlo frowned and crossed his arms. “What about me?”

“Everyone wants something.”

Arlo sneered. “Good for everyone.”

Mammon took a step closer, tilting his head as he studied Arlo. I had never seen him look so . . . intrigued. “Wealth?” he offered. Arlo shook his head. “Beauty?”

The mortal scoffed. “Already got that.”

Mammon paused. His tongue darted briefly across his lower lip, and he didn’t disagree.

“Power?”

“Nah. Sounds exhausting.”

Mammon’s golden eyes narrowed. “Immortality?”

That made Arlo pause. His gaze flicked towards me, then Teddy. Something passed over his expression. A tiny flicker of longing that disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Then he looked back at Mammon.

“Nah.”

Mammon frowned. I imagined it was difficult for the Prince of Greed, whose entire existence revolved around discovering what mortals wanted and exploiting those desires, to comprehend someone refusing everything he offered.

But then, he’d clearly never met someone like Arlo.

My master stepped closer until only inches separated them, deliberately invading Arlo’s personal space. But Arlo didn’t move. He remained exactly where he was, arms crossed, blue eyes locked with Mammon’s molten-gold stare.

My master slowly looked him up and down, and Arlo rolled his eyes. “Are you done?”

Mammon raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t frightened of me.”

It wasn’t a question. If anything, he sounded fascinated by the discovery.

Arlo stared at him flatly. “You blew up fifty people and then spent ten minutes arguing contractual semantics with an embalmer. The mystique’s worn off.”

Mammon’s mouth twitched. “Interesting.”

Arlo grimaced. “Don’t say it like that.”

My master straightened to his full height, but his gaze lingered on Arlo for another second before he finally turned away.

“Kael.” He tugged at the sleeve of his blazer. “I will expect my souls as soon as possible.”

I nodded. “Yes, Master.”