Chapter Four
Kara
Something was wrong.
My eyes cracked open, and dread filled every molecule in my body.
The lamp was still on, and shadows crawled up the giant walls of my room.
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but my heart hammered as I sat up.
I felt the tightening in my chest—the heavy sweep of doom pressing down.
It was as if something terrible had happened. I clutched my hand to my breast.
Sometimes, when I saw a human’s past, it felt like a sickening, painful twist to my insides.
Humans went through terrible things. Some of them created the nightmares others had to live through.
As a Reaper, I saw the good, the bad, and the in-between.
They were resilient and wicked. Some deserved to be saved.
Others needed a one-way ticket to my could-be mate.
Maybe that’s what I was feeling. Guilt from the Reaper duties we’d ignored. But there were no visions of the chaos. Just that creeping sense of too much. Too much death, too much emotion, too much for our Reaper senses to keep up with.
Then I realized.
Oh, it was my powers.
I was mortal. The sensation of doom was just the emptiness—everything my body lacked was gone.
As I stood, I spotted the last pack of Slim Jims on my nightstand. I pried it open and shoved the sticks into my back pocket. While I didn’t need constant food as a mortal, the second my power returned, I’d be ravenous again.
I supposed I’d need a new type of snack to carry around now that the mortal world was spiraling into chaos.
The uneasiness still lingered as I stepped out of my room.
The second I heard my mother’s awful cries; I froze at the top of the stairs leading into the ballroom. I didn’t need to go further to know what was happening.
At the bottom of the stairs stood Maureen.
“Go get August,” she said. “I’ll get the others.”
My throat was painful as if I’d swallowed nails.
???
The feeling of despair kept growing inside me. The family had gathered. Resting his elbows on his knees, Dad leaned forward on the couch. Mom was in front of him, holding onto him like he was her lifeline—and I realized he was. They were the glue that kept everything together.
Hades, even the mortal world…
The heartache suffocating the walls was unbearable. There was so much crying—especially my own.
Dad was leaving us.
His body peeled away as if he were a dandelion caught in the wind. Only this wind was the worlds falling apart, and my dad was leaving with it.
Despite most of his face already fading, Dad offered Mom a half smile.
“It’s okay, love,” he whispered.
“You promised me eternity.” She was crying.
I gripped my chest as I watched their love—like I’d watched it all my life.
“We never stay apart for long,” he murmured. “Our goodbyes never last.”
With what remained of his hand, Dad pressed his palm against Mom’s cheek.
“But on the chance that I’m wrong…know that an eternity wouldn’t have been enough time with you. I would have wanted more.”
Mom’s body trembled as her sobbing worsened.
“I expect you to continue fighting as if I’m still here,” Dad’s voice carried authority even as he scattered like pieces. “I know you’re all tired and hurting, but it’s not just about us. If the Devil walks through that portal when it opens, humanity is done for, and you’ll just be… gone.”
With one last smile, Dad added. “Look after each other and please watch over your mother for me.”
The Grim Reaper faded away. Suddenly gone.
My eyes widened.
The walls moved around me, warping into new shapes. The stone stretched like gray faces, moaning pitifully as they reached for me.
My heart pounded. Bile rose in my throat.
I shouldn’t have watched Dad disappear.
I bolted for the door.
I kept running, my heart fluttering painfully in my chest, until I reached the massive front doors of the castle. My palms slapped against the surface. With trembling arms, I pulled them open and ran.
Only then did I feel like I could breathe.
But it wasn’t enough.
I bent over and cried. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dad’s departure and Mom’s agony.
The ground vibrated beneath my feet. The ominous wrench in my chest worsened. Every hair on my body stood on end.
There was an aura in the woods unlike anything I’d ever sensed. I didn’t need immortality to detect the wicked presence advancing. Its energy made my skin feel like I’d been plunged into icy water.
Slowly, I turned and saw the horned creature approaching.
He walked gradually and purposefully, like time was on his side.
Oh…
A sense of calm settled over me.
Finally, the Devil came, proving Nova’s words true. I didn’t have to wonder anymore.
So, this was it. My love story didn’t end happy. That sucked. I cried during every sad human movie.
But I didn’t get to be sad.
Right now, all I needed was to be mad.
I held out my hand, expecting my weapon to materialize.
Reality smacked me in the face as my eyes widened.
Oh, Hades.
No power, so no weapon.
Oh, freaking Hades.
Wasn’t I supposed to carry around that weapon imbued with my power for exactly that situation?
Looking ahead, even with the distance between us, I noticed dark, purplish lips curling into a smirk, revealing white, fang-like teeth.
Was he smiling?
It was horrifying.
But it didn’t matter.
Oh, well. Time to terrorize him differently since I couldn’t sink a blade into his charcoal flesh.
What kind of flesh was that, anyway?
He wore nothing more than black pants. They would have blended perfectly with his skin if it hadn’t been for the pit of doom crawling out of his chest, splitting him down the middle.
What was that?
It looked like swirling orange and black smoke trying to claw its way out of him. Were there creatures living inside of him? The thought was unsettling.
He had short black hair with two enormous horns curving backward. His ears curled inward as if burned by fire. And his eyes were deep, bright red.
At least the pictures Dad had drawn of him over the years were right.
But I supposed there was no wrong image of the Devil. He was eternal, constantly evolving with time. He could’ve looked completely different since Dad last saw him.
“Kara.”
The way my name scraped across my skin like barbed wire stiffened my spine. That voice invoked fear. And I wasn’t immune. The chills returned, sweeping through me like waves of sadness and despair radiating from him.
But I’d had a lifetime of dealing with terrifying things, so I concealed my emotions.
When he was just a few feet away, I held out my arms in welcome and hollered, “So, it’s true. You’ve come for me, mate?”
Those bright eyes swept over me.
“Does it look like I’ve come for a mate?”
His voice was inhuman and eerie—just like him. He sneered, flashing his right fang again.
“Perhaps I’m here for a pet before she floats away like paper in the wind.”
My anger spiked, but I didn’t show it. I smiled instead.
“Well, this hardly seems fair for a first meeting. Shouldn’t you ask for my name if I’m to be a pet?”
Like hell I’d be his pet.
“I’m not one to play games,” he warned, and the world burning inside his chest seemed to brighten. Now that he was closer, it looked more like lava seething beneath his skin.
When the Devil stepped forward, I took a step back.
It wasn’t smart to run. The second he tried to grab me; I’d run as fast as my legs could carry me. I would make capturing me the biggest nuisance imaginable.
“Kara.”
My name tore out of his mouth like a pained sigh, and my pulse jumped. I hated how freely he said it.
“It’s time to grow up.”
I quirked a brow.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I still live at home.”
His chest expanded as his nostrils flared, then he tilted his head.
“Tell me, did you watch your father fade away?”
My smile waned, and all too soon, I realized I had given him exactly what he wanted.
“Grim can’t protect you anymore. He’s gone, Kara. And now, who’s going to protect you? It’s better for you to come to me.”
A rock rolled across the stone path as the Devil took a step forward—while I took another back.
“Don’t do that,” he warned. “It will make me angry, and you won’t like me angry. Well… I suppose you’re not going to like me at all, are you?”
He grinned, as if the thought pleased him.
“I can—”
The ground rumbled beneath my feet. My knees nearly buckled as I fought to keep my balance and glanced behind me. The tremors came from the castle.
A tower cracked, scattering dust and shards of stone, as it toppled over. Loud pops and groans followed as the structure crumbled, making my heart pound with worry.
“Did you do that?” I asked. “You—”
The Devil latched onto my wrist, silencing me with his fevered, unnatural grip as he pulled me behind him.
“What?” I glared at his back. Then I saw the flame-haired, pale creature standing across from us.
Harvest?
How did he escape Nova’s imprisonment? Did he cause the explosion instead of the Devil?
I liked my immortality, but I hated dealing with other immortals.
As the two faced off, silently observing one another, I yanked my arm from the Devil’s grip.
I couldn’t see his expression, but I heard him say, “You’ve been busy.”
“Helping you,” Harvest replied.
I scoffed.
“Indeed, you have,” the Devil said.
Harvest glanced at me. “How about I dispose of the Reaper behind you while she’s mortal? Or do you plan to do it yourself?”
The wicked glint in his eyes made me tense. It didn’t seem wise to taunt his creator. But what did I know?
Yikes.
I forgot I could die.
The moment Harvest’s words registered in my thick skull, I bolted.
I’m still mortal.
He was going to hurt me to get back at his creator, which felt ridiculous. The Devil might kill me just out of spite for everyone assuming he cared.
The reality?
The curse he placed on me as a baby cursed him, too.
I was all too human for my liking. . Killable. Disposable. He could rid himself of me and go back to world domination like none of this mattered.
Two minutes. That was how long I thought I had.
But before I could make it too far, a giant arm wrapped around my middle and pulled me back.
My spine smacked into an overly warm chest.
“What are you doing?” I complained, slapping his arm and catching a strong whiff of something that smelled like burnt marshmallows.
My fingers slipped into a crater on his forearm, and I glanced down.
More of that lava-like substance churned beneath his skin.
“Are you carrying around Hell inside of you? What is that?”
“That is what an eternity in the dark does to you.”
He yanked me away from my inspection and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Shouldn’t you be more worried about Harvest than me?” I asked, hanging upside down. “The guy’s after your throne. How are you just letting that happen?”
The Devil exhaled. “Silence. I’m already annoyed by his appearance—and by your inability to be quiet. The sound of your voice irritates me.”
I laughed. “Says the one who came for me. Just tell me… Are you here to kill me?”
“Why do I need to kill something that’s already bound to fade from existence?” he said. “I have no desire to kill any of you. It’ll be far more satisfying to watch you lose everything you fought for in the end—as the story goes.”
My stomach sank into my boots.
That was crueler. But it wouldn’t happen. My family would handle it, just like they always did.
“Where’s Harvest?” I asked, already picturing him going after my family—slaughtering them one by one.
The queasiness clawing at my guts made my eyes cross for a moment.
“He’s gone.”
My shoulders loosened, and I sagged against the Devil’s back.
There it was again—the scent of toasted marshmallows.
Hades, no. A monster couldn’t smell like such a delicious snack, could it? No way. The blood rushed to my head from hanging upside down. I probably smelled things that weren’t there.
Still… the Devil’s presence had kept Harvest away.
At least there was one positive in that wildly unfortunate situation—my family was safe.
As for me?
I just needed to hang tight until my powers returned. Then I’d pulverize the Devil into the ground and make my escape.
I kicked my feet and laughed, excitement blooming in my chest.
He adjusted me on his shoulder.
“Quiet. Your giggling pains my ears.”
Well, in that case—
I cackled louder.