Page 75 of The Devil's Trials

Her response comes after several minutes of me staring at my phone, and I have a feeling she made me wait intentionally to make a point. To keep me on the hook until she was ready.

Meet me at my apartment in an hour.

Not happening.

What, you don’t trust me?

As much as you trust me.

Touché.

You suggest a place, then.

I send her the address to Blake’s bar and wait for her to refuse me. So, imagine my surprise when her reply pops up a few seconds later.

Fine.

See you in an hour.

I don’t expect another response and I don’t get one.

Blake shuts the bar down so Harper and I can meet without prying eyes or risk being overheard, and busies himself in the back office.

I’m sitting in one of the round booths when she walks inside, her combat boots echoing on the old wood floor. I get up to greet her, quickly locking the door.

She eyes me warily, her heart rate increasing as she shrugs off her rain spattered jacket and tucks it over her arm. “Starting off by locking me in? You’re not earning any points here.”

I offer a wry smile. “You’re free to leave anytime. The locked door is to keep anyone else out.”

Nodding slowly, she shifts back and forth, glancing around the relatively small space. It’s mostly open floor for dancing, with a few high-top tables near the bar and booths around the room. The lights are on but dim, giving the room a warmer feel.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Her eyes flit to mine. “Are you drinking?”

“Probably not, but I’m buying, so feel free.”

She shakes her head. “No one likes to drink alone.”

I chuckle. “Fair enough. Do you want to sit?”

“I guess. Is this going to take long? I have about a million chapters to read for normal human classes. Cami deferred her semester, but I didn’t.”

“Only a million?” I try for a joke, but she doesn’t look enthused, so I move on and gesture to the booth I’d been sitting in before she arrived.

Once we sit down, she clasps her hands in front of her on the table. “You called this meeting.”

“I did.”

“It’s not every day you’re summoned by the king of hell.” She leans back against the cushions, keeping her sharply focused gaze locked on me.

“Not king yet, but I appreciate your confidence in me.”

She scoffs. “Whatever. Get to the point, or I’ll get gone.”

I hold up my hands in mock surrender. “Easy. I want to offer you a deal. I had planned to the night we met in the park, but after you told me about Camille—”

“You went all creepy ex-boyfriend and stalked her across the country,” Harper cuts in snidely.

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