Page 93 of The Devil's Dilemma

I took the broken pieces of the chip out of my pocket and laid them on the counter.

“I’m sorry. It broke.”

“It did its job, and that’s what you had it for. It gave you the confidence to walk into the casino, then protection from this man, and finally, it saved your life. The moment you left the shop, I knew who you were and the role you had to play. I’m pleased it all turned out well.”

“You mean it might not have done?” I slapped my hand over my mouth. It could have all gone wrong.

“Eh, it was never a guarantee, but you navigated your way through it with the help of Dante.”

“Don’t tease him.” Dante placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It was written, and therefore, it happened how it was supposed to.”

Well, that was a relief.

“Last time I came in, you said something about how I’d pay when the time was right. Is it the right time now?”

“You already paid.” He picked up the chip, and miraculously, it reformed. Whole once more.

“I don’t understand.”

“You paid with your life. You gave it to help and save others. That was the cost. Oh, and your mortality, but I guess you know about that now.”

Dante had eventually explained my momma’s appearance to him and her words about my life, how I was now immortal and couldn’t die.

A blessing, seeing how I was bonded to the devil, and who knew how long he’d live?

The bond had settled, and we could now go about our everyday lives. The urge to have sex all the time, however, had not faded, and every chance we got, we went at it like our lives depended on it.

I’d never experienced a lover like him. He knew when I wanted him to be gentle or when I needed it hot and heavy. Nothing was off the table, and I’d enjoyed experimenting with him. My favourite by far was when he choked me. I’d come so hard I’d often black out. Knowing now that I couldn’t die, we took it a little too far sometimes. Not that I was complaining.

Dante had aeons of experience, and I had a lifetime to learn.

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t tell me all this. Would have saved a lot of heartache, and I might have been able to save my friends.”

“You could never have saved them. Your story was written by the angels. Everything that happened was for a reason. Your momma dying, your dad leaving, the death of your friends. Nothing could have been changed. No matter what you did, yourpath would always lead you here. Or to him, whichever way you want to look at it.”

I turned to Dante. “Did you know all this?”

“I knew nothing of the prophecy until I met you. Why, though, I have no clue. I thought I knew all there was to know. Seems this small detail had been well hidden.”

The Magic Shop owner nodded. “Some things had to be hidden in order for them to pass. What would you have done if you knew about its existence?”

“I would likely have tried to stop it. What would I need with an unbreakable bond?” Dante shrugged.

“Hey.” I lightly punched him, even though we’d gone through this many times. We both agreed it was the best thing that could have happened, especially after another round of passionate sex.

Images of earlier in the day sprung to mind. I, once again on my knees, worshipping his cock, giving it the adulation it so needed.

I’d spend an eternity there if he asked me to. But then, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him.

“Everything that was meant to pass did, and now here you are on the other side of things.”

“One more thing, though.” Something had bothered me since both he and Dante had mentioned it.

“Why are you so lucky?” The Magic Shop owner placed the chip back into the box and closed it again.

“How did you…? Never mind. I shouldn’t be surprised these days.”

“If you hadn’t been so lucky, there’s a one hundred per cent chance that you wouldn’t have thought about cheating Dante and the other casinos out of money. It was part of the picture. It contributed to the greater good.”