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“I saw a study that said speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. Number two was death. This means to the average person, if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
—Jerry Seinfeld
THOUGH I HADN’T PLANNED to, I did end up spending the night on the northern isle with the Woke Souls. I felt obligated after they’d practically handed me the Jahannam soul on a silver platter. No matter how many times Cordelia explained that I’d been the one to accomplish the act, I couldn’t view myself as anything more than a reaper. Even when the celebrating souls dragged me into the infinity loop they danced around the bonfires.
At first, I’d resisted. But soon, I found myself delirious with joy, laughing hard enough to draw tears. Their good cheer and appreciation were infectious and every bit as enchanting as a faerie ring. Except when the Woke Souls were done with me, I felt invigorated. Like I could take on the universe and maybe even win.
Bub’s stowaway spy tickled the back of my ear throughout the night, remaining nestled in the small hollow behind my lobe. I could only imagine what my demon would have to say when I returned home, though it would have to wait.
As the first light of dawn broke the sky above the Harvian Wood, the music tapered off, and the souls said their goodbyes before disappearing inside the cabins and huts that surrounded the clearing. Cordelia brought my jacket and scarf to me as I finished lacing my boots.
“Gavin is waiting at your boat with the soul,” she said.
“Thank you. For everything.”
“Thank you.” Cordelia grinned. “I’m sure it goes without saying, but I’ll make it official in case you have any doubt. You’re welcome back anytime.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. Of course I wanted to come back. Hell, I didn’t want to leave. There was something about the isle that felt more like home than Limbo City or Tartarus ever had, and it wasn’t just because the souls had named the forest and lagoon after me.
But I had a life and a job to get back to. I had apprentices to train and hellhounds to spoil, an angel to rib and a demon to love. This place could never be home. It just wasn’t in the cards.
I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts until I found Maalik’s number. As the council representative for Jahannam, he was the right person to contact. Still, my stomach knotted. He would have questions that I couldn’t answer. But he was also the only person I knew who was familiar with the Islamic hell and where Zaynab would be staying.
I took a deep breath and pressed the call button. He answered on the first ring.
“Lana?” Leave it to Maalik to remember my number even when I hadn’t dialed him in over a decade. “Is everything all right?” he asked, concern hitching his voice.
“How soon can you meet me at the gates of Jahannam?”
“Why?”
“I have a gift for Khadija,” I said.
“Give me ten minutes.”
“I’ll see you soon.” I hung up without offering more information. I was too afraid he’d share the news with Ridwan, his grumpy, angelic colleague on the council. This would be complicated enough with one feathered asshole in the mix.
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JAHANNAM’S GATES HAD mostly been defunct since the Abrahamic faiths decided to join forces and utilize a single gateway for the incoming sinners. It seemed like a good, quiet spot to hand off the soul without drawing too much attention.
When I arrived with Zaynab, Maalik was already waiting—along with Iblis, an Islamic devil who ruled a large territory of Jahannam with his court of djinn followers.
“I guess we won’t be needing Lady Meng’s services this morning,” Maalik said, taking in the soul with wide eyes. His wings shuddered, and he gave me a curious frown, but he kept whatever questions he had to himself as Iblis welcomed Zaynab.
“Well, aren’t you a lovely creature?” he said, luring her away from me with compliments and open arms. His attention cut briefly to me, and he beamed with gratitude. “I’ll take good care of her,” he promised. “My servants have already prepared a lavish wing in the palace. You can come see for yourself if you’d like.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I gave him a tight smile, hoping he wouldn’t take offense at my refusal. When it came to the underworlds, I preferred my own slice of the inferno.
“Maybe another time,” Maalik said when Iblis extended the same offer to him. “We really should be going. The council will want to receive Lana’s report personally.”
“Right,” I squeaked, hoping he’d only said that to get me off the hook with Iblis. But I should have known better.
Maalik’s hand found my elbow as we parted ways with the devil and his entourage of djinn servants. I bristled at the gesture. As if sensing my discomfort, Bub’s tiny spy buzzed away from my ear and into the angel’s, sending him reeling away from me.
I tried and failed to hide a satisfied smirk until a line of smoking hellfire shot from Maalik’s fingertip, baking the fly to a crisp. It dropped to the ground, twitching and sizzling.
“Hey!” I yanked my arm away as Maalik reached for me again. “Hands to yourself, and no roasting my bodyguards.”
“And you thought I was jealous.” He shook his head as Bub’s Sympathy for the Devil ringtone blew up my phone. I rolled my eyes and accepted the call.
“That wasn’t me,” I blurted. “But I’m heading to Reapers Inc. next, so you won’t be able to follow anyway.”
Bub snorted. “Regardless, if the Keeper of Hellfire can’t keep his mitts off my goddess, I’ll gladly relieve him of them.”
“Love you, too. Kiss-kiss,” I said, opting to distance Maalik with cringeworthy cuteness rather than threats. The angel rolled his eyes and stalked off toward the coin zone outside the gates.
“Be careful,” Bub said, sensing my unease. “The council could see this new development as an instrument at their disposal or as a threat.”
“I’d prefer they not know about this new development at all,” I said under my breath.
“Yes, that would be best,” he agreed. “And I do love you. Be careful.”
“Always.”
We said goodbye, and I took a moment to steel my nerves before catching up to Maalik.
“I didn’t know the fly belonged to your demon consort,” he said, gritting his teeth through the half-assed apology. Khadija was in the clear, and that was the best he could muster?
“Sure you didn’t.” I checked my watch before glancing out at the sea beyond the rocky coastline. A crystal-clear morning lit up the sky. The day was off to a lovely start. And now, Maalik and his cohorts were about to spoil it.
“Shall we?” he said, amicably opening his hand in invitation.
I sighed and fetched my coin from my pocket. “Let’s get this over with.”
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STANDING IN FRONT OF the council after all this time felt a lot like stepping in hellhound crap and forgetting to wipe off my boot until after I’d tracked it all through the house. Only I didn’t have a demon butler to help me clean up this mess.
Parvati tapped the nails of both of her left hands on the conference table. She hadn’t spoken a word, but her sharp eyes spelled out her disbelief well enough. Besides, Ridwan was managing the inquisition just fine on his own.
“You mean to tell us that you just happened upon this soul, and she just happened to be fully stripped of her past lives?” he demanded for the third time.
“Did you just happen to forget I’ve already answered this question?” I snapped. Losing my patience with the council was never a smart move, but I’d expected more congratulations than scrutiny, and so far, they were coming up short.
“In other news,” said Cindy Morningstar, the last person I expected to save me from this redundant conversation, “Hell has paid the ransom Ms. Henry requested, and Judas has been secured. He’s settling in at the Inferno Chateau as we speak.”
“Bravo,” the Green Man said, clapping his hands. He had offered me no such praise, but I swallowed my disappointment. It wasn’t worth getting sucked back into the fray.
“That just leaves Tartarus,” Athena said, her gaze shifting from me to Jenni and then to Hecate, who had propped herself in a corner of the room after a brief spat with Gabriel over who would take the remaining seat at the table.
“And the hoard of hellcats terrorizing the mortal side,” Gabriel said. “We have a new lead on the situation.”
“Careful, cherub.” Hecate seethed behind him, her eyes glinting with wrath. “Official accusations have official consequences.”
Gabriel snorted. “While I’m not entirely convinced that you’re not somehow linked to the apocalypse, I’ve identified the lion-faced beast among the hellcats. Professor Jackson had a look at the mark on the spear we recovered, and it’s of Sumerian origin. The star of Inanna. Making the creature with the scorpion tail—”
“Ninurta’s mount.” Parvati gasped. “Of course.”
Kwan Yin nodded. “Though he is likely not involved with this latest coup. He returned to the mortal coil shortly after losing his mace.”
The eyes in the room shifted toward me again, and I sank lower in my chair. I hadn’t meant to obliterate Sharur, the smasher of thousands. But the enhanced weapon had gone to the dark side, and it was either it or us. Warren’s tracking missile chose us.
“The spearhead is newer than the staff attached to it,” Gabriel continued. “So, we’re likely looking at a servant of Inanna’s, possibly her vizier, Ninshubur.”
Parvati’s nails set to tapping again. “If she is searching for original believers, she must have a plan.”
“She wants the throne,” Cindy Morningstar interjected. “We should seize it before she has the chance.”
The room exploded as everyone tried to offer their opinions on the subject all at once. My name began making the rounds, but I couldn’t follow who suggested what, only that they were willing to force my compliance if necessary.
They can try, I thought darkly, wondering what pulling an angel like Ridwan out of existence would feel like. Or a demon princess like Cindy Morningstar. The fire that heralded my wrathful talent stirred in my chest.
“One crisis at a time,” Athena shouted, raising her hand to quiet everyone. “I understand the Fates have given Hecate a new list. Let’s see if that will seal the borders of the underworld before we get ahead of ourselves with hypothetical solutions to the throne issue.”
“Yes, let’s,” Hecate said, pushing away from the conference room wall and placing a cool hand on my shoulder. “Come along, reaper. I promise not to bewitch your hounds this time.”