Page 97 of Bones

Grief and understanding mixed on Denny’s face. “That asshole. Cherry-picking through the Bible to suit his needs. Claiming to be a voice of holiness while torturing me.” She shook her head and amended, “You.”

“Freud would like to know if you hurt your back during that slip,” Juno said.

Denny laughed. “Fine. I might be speaking from experience. My dad was a religious zealot like that. Hateful and horrendous throughout my life. He told my classmates I was Satan’s spawn, and they called me Demon Denny until graduation. Actually, after that.” She shook her head. “Joke’s on him. Heaven doesn’t take kindly to their direct orders being ignored.” She swayed her glass like she was doing a toast but aimed downward. “And now he’s the one in Hell.”

My brow lowered. “He had orders from Heaven and still thought you were from the devil?”

“Someone let it slip that I’d be working for the devil. I’m technically Levi’s employee. Assistant? That area.”

“Wait.” I remembered them mentioning Levi. Juno had even called him a lucky devil. But I hadn’t realized… “This Levi isthedevil?”

“Yes, and a charming one at that,” Juno confirmed. “But nothing like what you think you know. Not fallen. Not evil. He can be a snarky asshole, but some would count that as a positive and not a character flaw.” She pointed at herself. “Me. I’m some.”

“How are you an employee?” I asked. If it were a month ago, I would’ve run from the building, screaming my head off. But a week with Deke had been enough to prove that I had things wrong.

So many things.

That little flame of hopefulness inside me stoked brighter. I wanted to believe them, but voices of doubt spoke cruel words that made the flame flicker.

Voices that sounded a lot like Pastor Gideon’s shouted curses and Ryan’s insistence that I hide away to save my soul.

At my question, it was Denny’s turn to point to herself. “Haden Underwood. The name was another fun gift from my dad. As in, Hades and Death.”

I reeled at that revelation. “Deke said all of the mates were supposed to be human. Something about ensuring The Four cared enough to keep fighting for them.”

“Yeah, well, we were wrong about a lot.” Her displeasure at admitting that faded to a cocky smirk. “Stellan can slow things down in his head. It makes him a skilled and attentive?—”

“Ayy, we don’t need the details,” Denny interrupted.

“Detective. A skilled and attentive detective.” She raised her glass toward her mouth before adding, “And an even better lover.”

Denny rolled her eyes.

“If Levi is the devil, I’m guessing you’re not timeshare splitting the throne for king of the underworld,” I said.

“I’m also not a philanderer who kidnaps my lover and still can’t keep it in my pants. Even after we defeat Absolve, Nate and I will continue finding missing or lost souls before they become vengeful. We’ll work with Levi, but not because all those souls are headed for Hell.”

“Do you have magicks?”

“I can turn the soulless to dust. If Nate is with me, we can make them disappear completely. But not magicks like Juno or even Lilith.” She crossed her arms and pouted. “And I’m basically only like ten percent bitter about that. Hardly at all. A simple thirty percent sad. Which, honestly, that fifty percent is barely anything.”

My gaze shot to where Lilith sat on the loveseat. “You have magicks?”

“I told you.” I gave a slow blink, and she gestured to me. “Your golden aura.”

“I thought that was just feel-good, horoscopy BS,” I admitted. “Like when people say they’re moody because they’re a Libra born under a supermoon or that they’re going to have a good day because the stars aligned for them.”

“Or a bad day because Freddie Mercury is in the microwave,” Juno added with a cackle.

And honest-to-goodness cackle—albeit a pretty one.

“Yes. That. No offense.”

“None taken,” Lilith said. “I thought it was just nature’s magic, too. My parents are—were—hippies.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, referring to the recent death of her father.

“It’s okay.” She smiled, but it was wobbly. “Like I was saying, when I took pictures, I thought I could read people’s auras because I was just more in tune with nature and the universe.” That time when she grinned, nothing about it was wobbly. “Lennon says I’m a hippie goddess.”

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