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“MaybewhenIfigure you out,”Iwhisper, afraid of what promise he might find in those hollow words and what he may admit to.

Hishands fall away as he leans back onto the pillow, searching the dark ceiling.Heinhales sharply before saying, “Shannon’sthe devil… and so amI.”

Chapter4

“Fix Me”

–Charcoal Tongue

“Howare you…Areyou serious right now?”

Slowly,Adriannods. “Yeah,Iam.”

“Howis that even possible?”

“Shannonmet the devil onAshleyRoadafterKristold him she was pregnant,” he says quietly, like he’s afraid talking about the devil will make him appear. “Hemade a deal forTimelessto take off so he could support his family without having to quit.”

Therattlesnake in my gut unfurls and shakes so hard thatIchoke on it.

Losoya’ssupposedDevil’sBridgeis child’s play compared toAshleyRoad.

That’stherealDevil’sBridge.

Thetall and lanky blond boyIaccidentally ran into at school while lost in my own world of riffs and music floating through my brain is far too much of a sweetheart to be whatAdrianis implying.He’sthe best daddy a little girl could ask for, the best husband a wife could ever want…

AndAdrianhas always been the pain in my ass.

Idon’t realize how longI’vebeen gaping at him until he taps my chin to close my mouth.

“That’swhat he told me,”Adriancontinues as he watches me carefully. “Iwouldn’t’ve believed it ifIhadn’t met him, too.”

“Okay, but people only make deals with the devil in exchange for their souls,”Iwhisper furiously, as if saying his name aloud now would conjure up a dark otherworldly being with pointy horns on his head and a sharp pitchfork in hand. “Theydon’tbecomethe devil after making a deal.”

“Yeah, well, we did because there’s more to it than just signing over our souls.”

Silenceengulfs the room.

Iwhisper so quietly that it’s hardly audible. “Whatdid y’all do,Dree?”

Hebreathes in deeply and scrubs a hand over his face before his arm falls limp at my side.Hisfingers brush over my knuckles.

“Weagreed to work for the devil.Tomake deals and bring him more souls.”

Thegravity of the shit we’re in smothers my chest. “Whywould either of you agree to do that?”

Hegroans under his breath and runs a hand through his damp hair, staring off into space for a long moment.

Iswallow the growing lump in my throat. “What’dyou make a deal for?”

Adriansnorts softly, that damn smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth.Hisfingertips trace down my jawline with a stare that pierces straight through me.Hesays it so softly thatIcan’t be sure he said anything at all. “Tobe a big rock star soIcould forget about you, princesa.”

Myheart thumps so hard in my chest that it pulses in my ears. “Why?”

Hecaresses my jaw, pressing his lips to mine fully, softly, savoring the calm in the storm.Hiseyes search mine in the darkness for a long moment. “Becauseyou were with my brother andIcouldn’t stop thinking about you.HowmuchIwanted you to be mine.Howmuch youshould’vebeen mine.”

Mygaze drops. “Sothe way to get over one girl is to get inside another, huh.”

Foronce, he doesn’t have anything to smart off with—he’s as silent asI’veever heard him.