Mortal Danger (The Immortal Game) Read Free

silent monks. Could he know this about me? I glimpsed no civilization, just trees, rocks, and stars. The cold gnawed through me; I was dressed for late spring in Boston, not in Sherpa gear. Shock paralyzed me for a few seconds.
    God, I had to be out of my damn mind. Hey, coma dream, how you doing? Let’s see where this takes you. But on the off chance it was real, I whispered, “Stop. Make it stop.”
    Another shift, and we were back at Cuppa Joe. My hands felt like chips of ice. His, still wrapped around mine, radiated the same heat I’d noticed when he touched my shoulder. I glanced around wildly, wondering if anyone reacted to our disappearance. The other patrons showed no signs that anything was wrong, but people didn’t do that. Vanish and materialize, like somebody was beaming us in a transporter.
    But maybe that was key. People didn’t. Kian had called me an exceptional human, implying he wasn’t. I’d been full of breezy skepticism before; it died on that mountaintop. I drew my hand away, took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm my pounding heart.
    “How come nobody even blinked? That was some straight-up Star Trek stuff.”
    “This is our place,” he said. “Company owned. I can’t tell you more right now.”
    “Well, that jaunt registers pretty high on the she’ll-take-me-seriously meter.”
    “I don’t usually have to resort to it this early in the conversation,” he admitted.
    My milk shake was still sitting on the table, melting into baby-pink goop. “Sorry I cut you off. You said something about extremis?”
    He nodded. “That’s when a human is about to die.”
    Oddly, that cheered me. “So I was going to succeed.”
    Kian didn’t seem so pleased. “Yes. In a sense, you’re already gone, Edie. If your fate wasn’t currently in limbo, I wouldn’t be permitted to talk to you. There’s a pivotal moment just before death, when bargains can be made. I’m authorized to offer you three favors now in return for three favors later.”
    “I don’t understand. What kind of … favors?”
    “Anything you want,” he said.
    “ Anything? ” By my tone, it had to be obvious I meant things bigger and more impossible than tickets to Tahiti.
    “My ability to change your life is limited only by your imagination.”
    “But then you can ask me for anything,” I pointed out. “Three times. What if it’s not something I can deliver?”
    “The favors requested in return will always be within your power to grant. That’s the way it works.”
    “But there are no parameters of what you might ask … or when. It might be terrible. Or illegal.” Too well, I remembered “The Monkey’s Paw,” the burden of being a reader. Somebody who spent less time lost in books might’ve already signed on the dotted line.
    “You were ready to throw your life away,” Kian said. “But are you brave enough to change it?”
    “You never answered me. What are you?”
    “How would that help you decide? If I’m a demon, I’m unlikely to admit it, so I could say anything. How would you know if I’m telling the truth?”
    He had me there. I scowled and sipped my shake, the possible dangers and consequences banging around my head. Since I’d accepted I didn’t have a future, it seemed less scary to consider everything that could go wrong down the line. If my life imploded twenty years later when the bill came due, wouldn’t it be worth it to be happy first? It had been so long since I laughed that I couldn’t remember what it felt like to walk around without this awful weight in my chest.
    “In a theoretical sense, say I agree to your deal. Is there a time limit on when I have to use my favors?”
    Appreciation sparked in his gaze. Kian inclined his head. “The first must be used within a year. The rest within five.”
    “To prevent people from getting what they want with the first, then sitting on the others until they die, thus blocking you from asking anything in return.”
    “Exactly. The