“…and if Addy’s contract reads like all the rest of them do—and I’m sure it does—her out-clause requires an exchange.”

“What?” I blinked, hoping I’d heard him wrong, or was misunderstanding something. “An exchange like my mom made? A life for a life?” The horror crawling through me had no equal. I rubbed my arms, trying to keep goose bumps at bay, but they rose, anyway.

“A soul for a soul,” Tod corrected, staring at the floor for a second before meeting my gaze again. “But basically, yes. Addy can only get her soul back by trading it for another one.”

“Wait…” Nash rubbed his forehead, like that might help the new information sink in. “Souls can’t be stolen. They can only be taken when someone dies, or given up freely by their owner.”

I searched Addison’s face, struggling with my own mounting nausea. “So, all those people you mentioned? They all had to kill someone to get their souls back?”

“Or recruit someone,” Tod said, twisting the tab on his can, as if unbothered by the new development.

“And you call that a little complication?”

Tod shrugged and glanced at Nash as if he wanted a second opinion. “I know we’re short on time, and I’d suggest steering clear of murder just to keep things simple, but I’m sure Addy knows someone looking for a quick career boost—”

“No!” she and I shouted in unison, shooting twin looks of horror at the reaper. “I can’t take the out-clause, Tod,” Addison continued. “Even if I were willing to throw my family to the wolves, I can’t put someone else in my position.”

“Would you rather die without your soul?” He looked irritated with her for the first time that I’d seen. Was he really ready to damn someone else to the Netherworld to save Addison?

Yes. I could see that in his eyes, in how they lit up every time she spoke. In the way his gaze never left her for long. He’d literally do anything for her, and that knowledge scared me almost as badly as the thought of traveling to the Netherworld.

“No,” she answered finally, spinning her can slowly on the coffee table. “That’s why I need your help. I need to get my soul back without using the out-clause.”

“Damn it!” Nash slammed his empty can down on the coffee table, his irises flashing with a confusion of angry colors.

“She’s right,” I said softly. Then I pinned Tod with my gaze. “I won’t help you lead another lamb to the slaughter. If we do this, we do it without the exchange.”

Tod scowled, and again his willingness to take the easy route chilled me. But then he glanced at the raw desperation on Addison’s face and nodded.

“Nash?” I took his hand and folded my fingers around his. “I understand if you wantto back out.”

He exhaled heavily. “Like I can let you do this alone. I’m in.”

My relief was a bitter mercy. I didn’t want to do this any more than he did. But I wanted to do it without him even less.

“So…how do we start?” Addison glanced from me to Nash, then to Tod. “What can I do?”

I took a deep breath, then gulped from my can. “First, we need to know who this hellion is. It is a he, right?” I asked, as it occurred to me that I’d been thinking of the hellion as male.

“Yes, it’s a…um…guy demon.” She flushed and shook her head. “But I don’t know his name. I didn’t even know for sure that they had names.”

“But you did actually meet him, right?” Frustration flavored my words, and we could all hear it.

“She did.” Tod answered for her, clenching his hands into tense fists in his lap. “The transfer process is…hands-on.”

Wow. So many things that could mean…

“Good. Tell us everything you remember.” I rubbed my damp palms on my jeans, half dreading whatever we were about to hear. But if I was half dreading it, Addison was all the way there. She glanced at Tod, reluctance obvious in the lips she’d pressed together and the panic swimming in her eyes.

“It’s okay.” He leaned forward to rub her bare arm. “We need to know what you know.” But Addison’s hands began to shake, in spite of his reassurance.

I elbowed Nash and glanced at Addy. He rolled his eyes, then nodded curtly. “Just tell us what you remember.” In spite of his reluctance to coddle her, his voice radiated safety and comfort, flowing over us all like a warm, familiar blanket. “Close your eyes, if you need to. Pretend we’re not here.” After a moment, Addy nodded and leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed. “Start from when you signed the contract,” Nash soothed. “Where were you?”

“In John Dekker’s office. He had the curtains closed and the air cranked. I was freezing.”

“Okay, good…” Nash said, and I glanced at my watch. Addison’s hour of privacy would be up in about twenty minutes and I was not up for another high-pressure getaway. “So you signed the contract. Then what happened?”

Do you sign a demon contract with ink, or with blood? I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Dekker took the contract into another room. When he came back, he had a woman with him. She was tall and pretty, but she looked at me weird. Like she was hungry and I was dinner.”

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch until Nash took my hand again, squeezing gently. The feel of his skin against mine did almost as much as his voice to calm me. “What did the woman do?” he asked.