"You did bring something back," Jared said, interested. "Keys?"
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. She squatted beside the sounds and reached down.
She gasped.
"What?" Jared snapped.
"It can't be." Past-Death picked up the two keys from her dream. "It just … can't be."
"Keys." Jared laughed.
"If these are real …" Past-Death's gaze went to the door and what she knew was beyond.
The death dealers were throwing a near-dead human Deidre into a cell with a creature past-Death didn't remember.
She crossed to the door with the keys, only to curse. The door could only be opened from the outside using the key.
"I have to get out of here!" she said, slapping the door with her hands.
"We, cupcake," the demon corrected.
"No way in hell, demon!"
"How far do you think you'll get on your own, even if you leave the cell?" he challenged.
Past-Death paced, half-listening. Her mind was reeling with the idea of human Deidre being fed to some sort of beast, overwhelming her ability to think about what to do.
"If your demon friend is hurt, I can give her my blood," Jared added.
"Shut up!" she snapped. "You're a demon! You'll kill me and then her!"
"I can't kill her, or the boss won't be happy," he replied. "And I'm willing to make you a deal."
She rolled her eyes and sat down, needing to calm her soaring thoughts in order to make sense of any of them. Another drawback of being human: emotions had a way of clouding every logical thought she had.
She needed to escape, grab Deidre, find Gabriel's soul and leave. There were so many obstacles between her and those simple goals: finding Gabriel and Deidre, the death dealers, the fact she had to calm down considerably if she wanted to disappear into the dream state again and unlock her own door.
"I can fight," Jared said. "I will slaughter any death dealer in our path. Free me, and I'll help you get out of here."
"I can't leave her." Past-Death struggled with her thoughts and feelings. Her head was pounding harder, and she didn't understand why.
"Then we escape with her," Jared said easily. "I collect a bounty for returning her to the Dark One, and you don't get eaten."
It was bad when a demon started making sense. She debated his offer, knowing how demons revered deals and the power of bargaining among the deities.
"So you don't eat me - ever. You help me escape and rescue Darkyn's mate," she said, thinking carefully. "I'll free you in exchange for your help."
"I get to eat the death dealers."