The Devil's Advocate

I thought I was having a breakdown when I started seeing glowing contracts written on people's skin. Turns out, I was just coming into my inheritance—and uncovering a conspiracy two centuries old.

My name is Margot Kane, and at forty-three, I was one of the best attorneys in Chicago. Then my grandmother died and left me the truth: I'm a crossroads demon, born to negotiate deals between desperate mortals and the gods who've been exploiting them for sport.

My first cursed client? A jazz musician who sold his talent to Baron Samedi. Now the death god wants his six-year-old daughter as payment, and I'm supposed to facilitate this nightmare. Then I find my dead mother's research hidden in my grandmother's things, and everything changes.

Crossroads demons weren't meant to be facilitators. Our purpose is enforcement. We once had the power to nullify predatory contracts, to hold gods accountable, and to protect mortals from divine tyranny. Until 1823, when the lwa convinced us we'd never had that authority at all. They've been running unchecked ever since.

My mother died trying to restore those powers. Now I have three weeks to finish the job that got her killed before my client's daughter is condemned.

Baron Samedi is watching my every move with that infuriating smirk, waiting for me to fail. Papa Legba warns me I'm walking the same path that claimed my mother's life. And Erzulie—the goddess who murdered her—is already sharpening her knives.

I didn't go to law school to start a war with the gods. But I'll be damned if I let them keep exploiting mortals with their stipulations and manipulations.

The retainer is steep. The opposing counsel is immortal. And this career change could cost me my soul. But this time? I'm not just defending my client. I'm taking back everything they stole from us.