Death Wish

by Brooks, Harper A.

  “Are you sure about this?” I side-eyed him, my heart beating abnormally fast for someone who was supposed to be dead. “You seemed pretty far gone after using your Hellfire during the fight. I can’t have you turning into one of those Halfling creatures here.”

  He shrugged, and while his calmness was relaxing at other critical moments, now it was just annoying. “I came back, didn’t I?”

  “Well, yeah, but…” Why did I care, really? If he used his Hellfire again and became a Halfling, he’d be out of my hair forever, wouldn’t he? I wouldn’t have to worry about Azrael using him anymore. He’d be in Hell, and I’d probably never see him again.

  Problem solved.

  Right?

  Fear gripped my muscles, cancelling out that idea. As much as I didn’t want to, I did care still. A little. I’d seen those hideous half-demon beasts up close and personal—I’d fought them—and knowing that they had once been people just like Cole was horrifying. And having to serve a full-demon’s every beck and call? No one deserved a fate like that.

  “Jade, I’ll be fine. I won’t let it corrupt me. I’m stronger than that. Give me some credit.” His blue eyes bore into mine with the confidence and certainty I couldn’t muster up myself. Yet the red lining around those naturally cool irises made worry gnaw at me again.

  “Besides,” he added after a second, “it’s not like there’s anyone else here who can add the last ingredient we need. I’m the only one with the power to manipulate Hell’s fire. I’m the only one you got.”

  “He’s got a point, you know,” Sean said.

  “Shut it, you,” I threw back at him. “You’re not helping.”

  Sean made the motion of zipping his lips shut and throwing away the invisible key.

  “Uh, Jade.” Kay’s fragile voice came from my left. She stood with Laurence’s arms wrapped around her for comfort. “The sky.”

  I glanced up past the harbor to see the sun was taking its position on the ocean’s edge. It looked like I didn’t have time to contemplate this one any longer. We were out of time.

  “All right. Let’s do this, then. Everyone say a prayer.”

  Sean began to combine the ingredients together while reciting the ancient language I had gone over with him the night before. I had found more information in the box, and surprisingly, everything had been conveniently laid out for the person executing the ritual. Simplified. Organized. As if the author had had their future audience in mind. Almost like it had been done that way on purpose.

  We had been lucky that I somehow could read the language everything was written in. Extremely lucky. But after everything we’d been through, we needed some good karma to help us out. Damn, I’d even go as far as to say we deserved it.

  Sean beckoned Kay and Cole over. He lit the Breath of Life herb with the white candle and blew the smoke over the two of them. Then he doused the flame in two waiting bowls of dirt.

  As he did all this, I went over the instructions in my head, making sure we didn’t miss any steps. I had read that slab of skin over a thousand times, had even come across a small faded note in the corner saying to add Holy Water before consuming. But that extra little tidbit had made me nervous. What if there were other notes that had faded with time, parts we were missing? This was Kay’s only chance to survive the pregnancy and birth. If this demon baby didn’t take her out in the coming weeks, there was no way she’d survive the delivery. No one had.

  The amped up magic in the air slid across my skin, raising every hair on my body. Normally on the solstice, the veil between the living world and the nonliving worlds were blurred, but since the balance had been already tipped before this night, it felt like the planes were mashed together. Colliding. Unnatural.

  It felt like pure chaos.

  Spirits of all types and ages flooded into the cemetery, drawn to us and the magic we were playing with. There were hundreds of them, too many to just be the normal haunts who’d passed without a reaper to guide them into the afterlife or ones who had stumbled out of an open spirit door. Those cases were rare, but now I couldn’t even count how many souls gathered around us.

  It seemed like the veil had been stripped away entirely, allowing spirits to cross over at will.

  If that were true, that couldn’t be good.

  Kay swayed in her spot nervously, seeing exactly what I was seeing.

  “Don’t worry,” I whispered to her, urging her to stay focused. “I’m here.” I doubted they would do anything to us—just curious, probably—but if someone got out of hand, I’d have no problem taking them down.

  Cole took out a pocket knife from his jeans and sliced open his palm. Not even a flicker of pain showed on his face as he let the blood flow into his selected bowl.

  God, I hoped this worked for them both. Maybe Monnie had been wrong about the whole “the blood must be from the originally cursed” or the full-blooded demon that had helped conceive the baby. Maybe we’d be lucky again and any cursed demon blood would do.

  Wouldn’t that be a miracle?

  Working quickly, Cole used his uninjured hand to create a spark of flame between his fingers, just big enough to light a cigarette. He tossed it into both concoctions.

  Kay’s popped and a small burst of red light emitted, then rapidly turned blue before extinguishing altogether. Cole’s bowl crackled, too, but when the light appeared, it stayed red before snuffing out.

  Lastly, Sean added a vial of Holy Water to each.

  When everything was mixed together, he handed Kay her bowl first. She took it in both hands, said the ancient words she was supposed to, and gulped down a few mouthfuls of the liquid. She gagged a little at the end but managed to keep it all down.

  Cole didn’t wait to see Kay’s reaction before taking his own bowl, repeating the words, and drinking the mixture. He wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand when it was empty.

  For a moment, nothing happened. We stood there, waiting for something to let us know it had or hadn’t worked. But we just exchanged worried looks.

  Then, Cole drew in a deep breath, but it came back out as a sputtering cough. “Is your throat burning?” he asked Kay. “Mine’s burning. Ugh, and my stomach.”

  I took a few steps toward him as he bent over and started hacking.

  “N-No,” Kay said nervously, touching her neck. “I feel fine.”

  “It’s the Holy Water,” Cole managed to get out between coughs. “It has to be. Whose idea was it to have a part demon drink the stuff.”

  “That’s what the cure said,” I told him.

  “Technically, Kay has a half-demon inside her, too. So, if it was the Holy Water, wouldn’t it be affecting her, too?”

  “But you feel fine, Kay?” Laurence asked her, never wandering from her side.

  She nodded. “I don’t feel anything besides a lot of movement from the baby.”

  Laurence’s eyes widened. “But you’re only a week or so along.”

  “The gestation of a half-demon is much shorter than a normal human gestation. In most cases, it only takes three months,” Sean said.

  “Wow,” was all Laurence said, but his expression showed all his fear.

  “So, we need this cure to do its thing and work,” I said and glanced over at Cole who was still coughing so hard his face was turning red. Turning to Sean, I asked, “Any idea why Cole’s acting this way?”

  He shrugged. “There are other rituals I’ve read about where ingesting the mixture is needed for the spell to work, and in those cases, any ill effects, especially throwing up, is not a good sign.”

  At the moment, the sound of Cole heaving came, along with a spew of vomit.

  “There’s our answer,” said Sean, looking at Cole. “It didn’t work for you.”

  Cole grumbled and wiped his mouth again. “Tastes even worse coming back up.” He flicked his wrist, and a small flame appeared. He snapped his fingers to extinguish it just as fast. “Well, looks like I’m still me. Still part demon.”

  “I
told you using your blood might not work,” I told him.

  “Well, my blood is all I have. Xaver wasn’t my maker. I don’t know what demon was.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Do you think I would have let that bastard live another day, knowing what he did to me and my mother? To me, he murdered her.”

  True. Cole wasn’t exactly the forgiving type. Especially when it came to demons. Like everyone else impregnated by a demon, there was no way Cole’s mother survived the birth of her half-demon son. He would want revenge.

  “Of course no one wants to talk,” he went on. “Every demon I’ve managed to track down, trap, and question won’t spill the beans. Those bastards might be hideous, but they’re loyal to each other.”

  “How do we know if Kay’s cured? And the baby…” Laurence glanced at Sean.

  “Why do you all keep looking at me?” he asked.

  “You’re the one who knows more about this stuff than anyone else,” Laurence said.

  Cole started coughing again and gasped. “He’s got a point. You know just as much as your father.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far…” Sean mumbled, but a smile was peeking through.

  When I had first met Sean, he had gone on and on about how he didn’t want to be like his father. This life with supernaturals wasn’t for him, yet here he was, in the same place his father would be if he were still alive, helping us all with our supernatural problems. And now, it appeared that he didn’t mind it at all.

  Actually, there was an air of confidence about him that I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe it was just another thing Wyatt had been right about—his son was made for this type of work.

  “Have you read anything about a similar case maybe?” Laurence asked him. “What comes next?”

  Sean wrung his hands together. After a moment, he said, “Yes, actually. There are other cases where babies are cursed while in the womb. If a counter curse is administered correctly, the baby will be born completely normal. No longer cursed.”

  Laurence let out a long breath of relief. “Oh, thank God.” Then, his face pinched in thought and began to change into complete and utter joy. “Wait. That means— I-I’m going to be a father?”

  “If the cure worked, it’s very possible,” Sean said.

  Kay looked up at Laurence and smiled. She looked so beautiful in that moment as the realization of it washed over her, too. After so much heartache, turmoil, and pain, it was very possible that they had something very life-changing and wonderful coming their way. And they deserved it. They’d make great parents. I thought so, anyway.

  My gaze swept across the cemetery to see the onlooking spirits were starting to drift away. A few stayed behind, though. One woman stared at Kay with such fondness and love, I wondered if she knew her. That was when I saw the similarities to her ghostly facial features. They shared the same bright, hopeful eyes and rosebud-shaped mouth.

  “Kay…” I whispered, nodding the spirit’s way. “Look over there.”

  But the moment Kay’s head swung toward the woman, she disappeared.

  “What?” Kay asked. “Oh, most of the spirits left. That’s a relief.”

  I was tempted to tell her what I’d seen, but with so much going on, I decided another day might be a better time for it.

  Laurence and Kay began helping Sean pick up the altar.

  “Don’t throw out whatever’s left of that herb,” Cole said after spilling more vomit into the grass. His face twisted in disgust. “I’m going to need it.”

  “You’re going to try again?” I asked.

  “What choice do I have?” he said. “I have to find the demon responsible for cursing me and add his blood to the mix.”

  “By the next solstice,” I reminded him.

  “Exactly.”

  “And what about Azrael?”

  “What about him?”

  “Technically you didn’t finish your job.”

  Cole waved his hand. “He can come find me again. Then, I’ll deal with it. After all this, I promised myself a vacation, but now it looks like Hawaii will have to wait a little longer. I have a demon to catch.”

  I looked over at Kay and Laurence who were embracing each other tightly and laughing. The happiness radiating off them was unavoidable, and a twinge of jealousy went through me. Of course I was thrilled for them. I wanted nothing more than my dearest friend to live her life to the fullest. A part of me just wished there was a way for me to have a piece of that happiness, too.

  It just wasn’t in the cards for me. As much as it hurt to, I had to accept that. But maybe learning about my past and the life I had lived on earth could help ease some of that ache.

  At least I had done all I could to save her. And so far, the cure seemed to have worked, but there was no way to tell for sure until days went on and she gave birth.

  Now it was time for me to get back to my afterlife, my job—whatever was left of it—and try my best to find out what was going on with me and these new gifts. There were still so many questions, like what was that floating white orb that had shown up to save my ass, not once but twice, during the battle with Xaver. Why was I suddenly shifting between dead and alive? And the light power. Was it connected to my angel mark? Where had that come from? Had I really been touched by one of them?

  Oh, and let’s not forget what Azrael had to do with all of this. Why had he hired Cole to distract me?

  After so much had happened, I was left with only more questions instead of answers. My to-do list was starting to look more like Santa’s naughty or nice list. Too overwhelming and long to handle, let alone check off twice. Sheesh. The fat guy had the right idea about keeping his job to once a year.

  “I guess this is goodbye, then.” Cole’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. Like a business partner might, he stuck out his hand for me to shake.

  I only stared at it, my hands comfortable in their place in my jean pockets. Had he forgotten that we had not only almost died battling demons and Halflings together, but we had slept together. And not some mediocre, quick sex either. Yet here he was acting like our encounters this last week were nothing more than part of the job requirement.

  He flexed his fingers before withdrawing and rubbed the back of his neck instead. “Well…maybe I’ll see you around, Jade.”

  Then, he turned around, snatched the herb and his backpack from beside the tree, and walked out of the cemetery, throwing a short wave goodbye to the others as he went.

  Kay came to my side. “Do you think he’ll be back?” she asked as we both watched Cole disappear around the corner. In the unseen distance, his old Jeep whined to life as it started.

  I shrugged, but on the inside, I knew the answer. Something told me that if Cole Masters and I ever crossed paths again, it wouldn’t be for more pleasantries.

  The next time we came face to face, it was very likely I would have to kill him.

  When the golden elevator doors of Styx Corp. opened, I stepped inside the enormous office space that once belonged to my boss, the Angel of Death himself, Azrael. It was hard to believe that only months ago, I had been afraid to even be summoned to this place. But now, all that fear was gone, replaced with new ones.

  Coming to Azrael’s office no longer scared me because the angel was still MIA. In his place, my old mentor, Simon, sat behind his desk, having been appointed the position in Azrael’s absence.

  As expected, in the days of his promotion, he had done a hell of a job sorting out the mess Azrael had left behind. Death assignments were back on track. Everything was organized and working like a well-oiled machine.

  Honestly, I never doubted Simon. Everything about him was fine-tuned and orderly. He was made for being the reaper in charge. I had said it since the day I met him—the guy oozed responsibility.

  “Jade.” Simon greeted me as I walked into his huge office by rising out of his seat. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Well, you summoned me, and I don’t want to get on my new boss’s bad side,” I
said with a chuckle. “I hear he’s a real tough ass.”

  Simon’s usual hardened expression cracked slightly and revealed a whisper of a smile.

  “So, why do you need me?” I asked. “I’ve been following the rules this time. Haven’t gotten into any trouble. That I know of, at least.”

  “No, no trouble, which I’m thankful for. But I did want to talk to you about something else.”

  That set my nerves on edge. After returning back to the afterlife, I hadn’t known what to expect. Azrael could have been waiting for me on the other side of the spirit door for all I knew. But to my surprise, the afterlife was just how I’d left it. The only difference was that Simon had taken Azrael’s place and the chaos behind the veil was trying to be tamed by my other reaper coworkers.

  My first trip back to Styx Corp was when I told Simon everything about my adventures with the living. Even about my new gifts and Azrael’s strange plot to have a trained assassin watch my every move. I had gone as far as to spill the beans about Xaver and the death cure, and when I finished my long spiel, Simon hadn’t looked the slightest bit surprised.

  The man was a rock. Always had been.

  “I always knew there was something special about you,” he’d said when I stopped my story, which had been the last thing I expected him to say.

  “By special, you mean…weird? Peculiar?”

  “Sometimes those are good traits to have. In your case, it seemed it saved lives.”

  “You aren’t mad at me?”

  “For not listening to me when I told you to stay out of living affairs?” He faked a laugh. “Oh, Jade. I know you better than that. When it comes to your heart, you’ll do whatever it takes. I just wish I had more answers for you. An angel’s mark… I’ll have to ask around about that one. That’s new to me.”

  Unfortunately, with all of Simon’s knowledge and with how long he’d been in the game, he still couldn’t clarify any of my questions. The only bit of advice he could offer me was to dive back into my job, and if Azrael returned, we would face him together and demand answers.

  It wasn’t much, but for some reason, knowing Simon was by my side in this did help some to calm my nerves. So now, when he’d called me into his office this morning, the same worry that usually clung to me didn’t this time. Even with his ominous words, “We need to talk.”