Gabriel grumbled under his breath as he hooked my right arm around his neck. They dragged me toward the front door, but I dug in my heels, skidding them across the floor.
“I need to say goodbye, and I haven’t paid yet.” I twisted around, straining to see the booth.
“I left enough coin for us both,” Bub said through clenched teeth. His brow furrowed as he hobbled backward, turning our little trio in a wide arc to face the booth. Alex, Kate, and Tyler watched us with peculiar expressions. I guess it’s not every day they saw a demon and an angel escort a loaded reaper out of a bar.
“Reap on!” I shouted to them, taking my arm away from Gabriel long enough to throw my fist in the air. Tyler returned the motion, unable to speak due to the onion ring he was still choking down.
Kate lifted one of the green shots at me, waving it with a teasing sneer. “Happy harvests!”
“Good luck with the new unit,” Alex added, putting a hand on Kate’s arms to lower the dripping shot glass out of her face.
“Thanks, scythe sister!” I said over my shoulder as Bub turned us toward the door once again. Xaphen tossed us a casual salute from his spot behind the bar as we stepped out onto the sidewalk.
Above the clustered buildings, the sky was a dusty gray, like a storm was trying to roll in. Zibel, the local weather god who worked at Bank of Eternity, ordered up rain this time of year for the city park. The precip usually came in the middle of the night, as to not inconvenience the citizens of Limbo City. Ah, the perks of living in a prefab afterlife. Intelligent design at its finest.
Bub struggled to keep up with Gabriel’s long gait down the sidewalk. He didn’t rely on the cane as much as he had at first, but he still wasn’t one hundred percent. Having me sagging on his shoulder probably didn’t help matters.
“I can take her,” Gabriel said, his voice loaded with venom.
“I know how to walk. I’m not an invalid.” I shoved away from them both and stumbled a few steps ahead, my hands held out to keep my balance. I swatted Gabriel away as he swooped in to assist.
We walked to the end of the block, and Bub caught my arm as I tried to step off the curb and cross Morte Avenue. “Travel booth is this way, love.”
“Home is that way,” I said, pointing in the opposite direction.
“Quite right, but the closest travel booth is up near the park.” He pointed his cane north, toward the sidewalk that curled around the corner and led up to Council Street.
I let him turn me around, and we began walking again. Bub stayed at my side, while Gabriel remained a few steps behind, his hands shoved down in the pockets of his robe and a deep scowl creasing his face.
When we reached Holly House, Gabriel punched in his security code to get us into the building. I staggered as we waited, my balance somehow worse now that we were no longer in motion. The garden lights blurred my vision, and I blinked several times to clear my eyes.
“I can’t believe Holly hasn’t evicted me yet,” I said out loud, mostly to myself.
Bub took my hand and folded it over his arm. “You’re a good tenant. You pay on time. You don’t make a lot of noise. She has no reason to evict you.”
I shook my head, stopping short when the world began to spin. “Is hating my guts not a good enough reason?”
“Holly doesn’t hate you,” Gabriel said as we entered the building. Charlie, the nephilim who managed the place for Holly, glanced up from his desk and gave us an odd look. He waved slowly, mostly to Gabriel, and watched as we loaded into an elevator.
“Holly totally hates me,” I said once the doors had closed. “She told me so today.”
“She did?” Gabriel’s eyebrows scrunched together and his feathers ruffled skeptically.
“Well, not in those exact words, but she made it pretty clear. That’s why I’m gonna give her my thirty days’ notice tomorrow.”
“What?” Bub’s head whipped around and he pressed a hand to the mirrored wall to steady himself.
Gabriel snorted. “So much for your freeloading.”
Bub ignored him, and a soft grin took over his face. “Does this mean you’re moving into the Tartarus manor with me?”
“She’ll do no such thing,” Gabriel snapped, his wings ruffling again.
“Yup!” I threw my arms around Bub’s neck and gave him a wet kiss. He returned it with gusto.
“Ick.” Gabriel covered his eyes with one hand and turned away. “Can’t you two wait until you’re out of my line of sight?”
“Gonna be one hell of a housewarming party,” I said, twisting around in Bub’s embrace to slug Gabriel on the arm. “You better be there, too.”
“Whatever. You’re not moving to Tartarus. Jenni will flip out.”
“She’s not the boss of me—well, not all the time.” The elevator doors chimed as they slid open onto the tenth floor, and I did a cartwheel down the hallway, nearly taking out a lamp on a side table.
Gabriel hurried after me to run interference, putting himself between me and the next table. “If you don’t keep it down, Holly will evict you,” he whispered harshly.
“What do I care? Home is where the hellfire burns!”
Gabriel looked like he was ready to murder me. He ground his teeth together and cast a nervous look at Bub. “Speaking of hellfire, guess who I ran into this afternoon?”
“Your demon girlfriend?” I shot him a nasty warning look, but he didn’t waver.
“Maalik.” He paused to see how Bub would react before going on. “He told me about what happened this morning.”
My stomach did a little flip flop, but I wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or the booze not agreeing with my acrobatics. “That wasn’t his place,” I said, digging for my keys as we reached the front door to the condo.
“What happened this morning?” Bub asked, the giddy humor now gone.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” I hated how defensive I sounded, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
I entered the condo with Bub and Gabriel in close pursuit. It was dark inside, save for the light above the kitchen sink illuminating a pile of dirty dishes. Kevin was probably already in bed. The hounds too.
I braced myself against the back of a dining room chair and kicked my boots off. The files that had been spread out over the table were tucked back inside their box, and I was reminded of my meeting in the morning—yet another disaster that had inspired my binge drinking.
“You should have told me, Lana.” Gabriel closed the front door behind us and turned around, folding his arms over his chest. “I should have been there with you.”
Bub looked from Gabriel to me. “Would someone kindly explain what I’ve missed?”
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t get anything to come out. I hadn’t planned on telling him like this. Not now. And certainly not drunk.
Gabriel exhaled a long sigh, as if considering how much I’d already shared with the Lord of the Flies. “I take it you know about Lana’s… true purpose?”
Bub’s eyebrows shot up. “The Throne Soul is common knowledge now, and while I doubt Lana’s affliction is as well known, it’s hardly a secret, at least not among the council and subcommittees.”
Gabriel’s chin lifted but his eyes went soft. “Affliction? Well, you can consider her cured then.”
I slumped onto a barstool at the kitchen counter and buried my face in my hands.
“What do you mean?” Bub demanded. The sound of his boots on the hardwood was loud as he crossed the room and stopped beside me. “What is he talking about? And what does it have to do with the Keeper of Hellfire?” He looked back to Gabriel for answers.
Gabriel squeezed my shoulder, but I shrugged him off and rubbed my fingers under my eyes, wiping away angry tears.
“Why can’t you mind your own business?” I sniffled and ran my hands through my hair. I couldn’t bring myself to look at either of them.
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said. “I’m not trying to start a fight. I just want to understand w
hy you wouldn’t tell me—or him, for that matter,” he added, grumbling in Bub’s direction.
“And why does Maalik know?” Bub pressed, his voice slipping dangerously close to a whine.
“Because he’s on the council,” Gabriel said in a tone that suggested he wanted to add duh to the end.
Bub glared at him a moment before his eyes filled with worry and he turned back to me. “Are you okay?” His hand found my shoulder, but I didn’t have the heart to shrug him away like I had Gabriel.
“I’m fine. It’s fine. Okay. No big deal. Just one less reason for the council to bother with me, right?” I tried to laugh, but the sound stuck in my throat.
“Maalik said it looked painful.” Gabriel decided to take his chances and grasped my opposite shoulder again.
All the touchy-feely was making me claustrophobic. I gasped in a ragged breath and cleared my throat. “I don’t remember. Naledi wiped my memory of the procedure.”
“Small mercy,” Bub said, stroking his fingers down the back of my arm. “Would you like me to pour you a bath? Fix some soup or tea?”
Gabriel rolled his eyes and huffed. “She’s not sick, stupid.”
“That would be nice,” I said to Bub, running my hand under my nose to wipe away the tears and snot accumulating there. He kissed my forehead and headed off for our room, looking relieved to be away from Gabriel.
“Do you have to be such a jerk?” I asked Gabriel once we were alone.
“I can’t help it.” He gave me an apologetic look and sat on the barstool next to me. His wings arched and then settled against his back again, resting on either side of the stool. “I didn’t like him before he went undercover with the rebels, and I find I don’t like him any better now that he’s back on our side.”
“Can’t you try? Please?” I sniffled again and pierced him with my watery eyes. “I’m serious about moving to Tartarus. Bub and I have been through a lot together, and despite everything, we’re doing great. I love him—”
“Don’t say that.” Gabriel groaned and looked away from me with a scowl.
“I love him,” I repeated. “And I love you too. But he’s trying to be civil, and you’re not. You’re an angel, for Pete’s sake—”
“Do you have to bring him into this?” Gabriel’s lips pinched together, in mock anger this time.
“Really?” I said, trying not to smile at his joke.
“Okay.” Gabriel sighed and folded his hands over the counter. “I’ll try. Happy?”
“Very.” I hugged myself and managed a weak smile.
A splattering sound drew our attention to the window in the living room. The storm had arrived. It began as a gentle sprinkle, but quickly grew into a downpour, steaming across the glass in thick rivers.
Gabriel’s arm folded around my back, pulling me in for a hug. “I still wish I had been there for you. Even if you don’t remember it.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you—or anyone.” I rested my chin on his shoulder and closed my eyes.
The rain filled the silence that fell between us, and soon Bub returned to let me know my bath was ready. I said goodnight to Gabriel, staring him down until he reluctantly shook Bub’s hand farewell.
“That was a first,” Bub said under his breath as we passed Kevin’s bedroom door and headed through our room to the attached bathroom.
“Cherub steps,” I said. Bub chuckled and helped me pull my shirt over my head, since I wasn’t quite sober enough to accomplish it on my own.
After a bath and a bowl of tomato soup, we snuggled up in bed, tucking our feet under the mountain of hounds at the far end. Bub had dressed me in a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, and he’d stripped down to his boxers. Our limbs tangled together under the sheets, his bare skin warming mine. A giddy lightness filled my chest, and my defenses completely dissolved. So naturally, that was when he began his interrogation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered. His eyes glowed softly in the dark, taking me in with curious concern. “Were you afraid to?”
I swallowed and pulled in closer to him, resting my cheek against his chest. “I don’t want you to think I’m weak.”
“Never,” he hissed, squeezing his arms around me. “I could never see you as anything less than magnificent.”
I swallowed hard and tried to will away the tears threatening my eyes again. “It’s just going to take some time, you know, getting used to not being special anymore.”
“You’ll always be special.” Bub laughed. “The council can’t take that away from you.” He ran his fingers through my damp curls and sighed. “This meeting in the morning, does it have something to do with all those files in the kitchen?”
I crinkled my nose. “I’m supposed to be uncovering the soul trafficking ring in Limbo City. Jenni thinks it will help my chances with the council ruling—”
“Ruling of what?”
I let out a little gasp, realizing too late what I’d let slip.
“Lana?” Bub said in a low voice, pulling away from me.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath through my nose. “They’re voting on whether or not to execute me for conspiring with Grim.”
“What?” He jolted upright, but I tugged him back down beside me.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said, sounding more sure than I felt. “That’s part of the reason Naledi zapped my powers this morning. And if I solve the mystery of the disappearing souls, I might be able to get enough votes in my favor to keep breathing.” A nervous laugh escaped me and I tightened my arms around Bub’s waist.
“I see,” he said, his body slowly relaxing again. “Maybe I can help.”
“I don’t want to worry about it tonight. Just hold me.” I twined a leg around one of his and yawned.
Bub nodded, his chin grazing the top of my head. I could sense his worry, but my eyelids were heavy, and I couldn’t keep them open any longer. I had a terrible feeling that morning would arrive too soon.
Chapter 8
“Fate is for those too weak to determine their own destiny.” —Kamran Hamid
I loved waking up to the smell of coffee, especially coffee in bed. Bub had enough good sense not to bring me food when I was hungover. He also had the best hangover cure in six hells.
“Drink,” he commanded, holding out a glass of what looked suspiciously like orange juice. He held a cup of steaming coffee in his other hand, just out of my reach. “Good girl potion first, then you can have the bean brew.”
“Baaaaarf.” I made a face at him and fingered back the chaotic nest of curls stabbing me in the eye. That’s what I got for going to bed with wet hair. I sat up, pulling my feet out from under Saul’s furry butt, and then whimpered as I took the glass from Bub.
The concoction was good at nixing headaches and dry heaving, but getting it down in one gulp was the real trick. The stuff rivaled Meng’s first aid tea, but with a sticky, cough syrup aftertaste that required half a cup of coffee to erase.
I pinched my nose and tossed the drink back, holding my breath as my gag reflex kicked in. “You’re evil,” I said with a shudder.
“To the core, darling.” He grinned and presented the coffee to me with a bow and fancy hand gesture. “But you’ll thank me when you get through your meeting this morning without vomiting all over the council.”
The meeting. Ugh. I glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table and cringed. T minus two hours until I had to face off with the council and share my grand plan for fixing their soul dilemma. The only problem was, I didn’t have a plan.
The box of files hadn’t revealed anything new that the council didn’t already know. I had a sinking feeling they were counting on that. The members I hadn’t outmaneuvered or intimidated at one point or another were either indifferent when it came to my fate, or they had a legitimate and vested interest in this particular hoop I was trying to jump through. Like Meng Po.
My heart ached a little when I thought of the Lady of Forgetfulness. Even if the rest
of the council wanted to see me fail, I knew she was rooting for me. And if saving my own neck wasn’t enough motivation, finding Jai Ling was a worthy cause. I wondered where she was, and whether or not she was afraid.
Bub shouted to me from the kitchen. “You’ll have to get out of bed for your second cup. If you can make it to the coffee pot, I’ll know you’re awake enough to discuss your plans for today.”
“Is not dying a plan?” I threw myself back on the bed and pulled a pillow over my face.
“I think I might be able to expand on that just a bit, love.”
It took more effort than I was comfortable with at this hour, but I tossed the pillow aside and threw back the covers. Coreen lifted her muzzle long enough to squint at me through her sleepy eyelids. Then she snorted and curled herself back around the pair of snoring helljack pups. They were more than half her size now, which meant the pack was close to taking over the bed. Kevin was going to have to step up their training soon, especially if he didn’t plan on moving to Tartarus with me. I still needed to go over that little detail with Bub.
I pulled myself out of bed, snagging my empty coffee cup from the bedside table, and shuffled out of the room. When I emerged in the kitchen, Bub was sitting at the dining room table. The files were arranged in several tidy stacks around a yellow legal pad, and Bub hummed as he copied something from a report.
He closed the folder when he finished and grinned up at me. “How much do you know about the factory’s incoming delivery schedule?”
My sleep-addled brain was distracted by how Bub’s British accent tackled the word schedule, and I completely missed his question. “Huh?” I replied intelligently.
His brows lowered into a frustrated line. “Go get your second cuppa, and we’ll try this again. Plus, you may want to do something with… um.” He waved his hand in a circle over his head.
I glanced up and caught a few of my mangled curls in my peripheral vison. “Oh.”
I retreated to the bathroom and found an elastic band to stuff my hair in before returning to the kitchen. “What was the question again?” I asked as I refilled my coffee mug.
Ghost Market (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. Book 6) Page 6