Page 111 of Reluctant Rebel

“Styx! Styx, come on, boy!” Brax shouted, shaking Styx. When he received no response, he looked at Eric and Gage. “What the fuck happened?”

“One of Z’s minions punched a hole in his chest right before Z forced us all to freeze,” Eric gasped out, tears streaming down his face. “Styx was affected by Z, too. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t heal.”

“No! Wake up. You’ll be okay. Styx, please …” Brax spoke brokenly, hugging Styx’s body to his chest.

Sabre was peripherally aware of Mikhail ordering people to gather up Z’s remaining followers. There was a lot to unpack about how things went down. She wanted to both shake and hug Jinx at the same time. But her priority was currently a dead hellhound and the broken heart of her mate.

“Step back. Quickly now,” Sabre ordered, pushing past Gage and Eric. Brax’s head whipped up, and the hope in his amber eyes made her tear up.

“You can bring him back?” Brax questioned.

“I don’t know. I don’t know, Brax,” she repeated, kneeling beside Styx’s still-warm body. “I’ve never tried to resurrect an animal before, let alone a beast of Hell.”

“But you’ll try,” Brax stated desperately.

Sabre smiled gently, cupping Brax’s cheek. “I’ll try,” she promised. And with that, she released her grace.

When Sabre entered the place of waiting, she didn’t see Styx. And that was bad. Whenever she went into angel mode to retrieve a soul, they were always right there. Right where they took their last breath.

Sabre looked around the different dimension. It was a direct reflection of Purgatory, right down to a blade of grass. She could see her family and friends in various forms of distress as they awaited a miracle. A miracle she had no chance of performing without a soul. Where Styx’s soul-body should have been, there was nothing but an empty patch of dirt.

“No,” Sabre murmured. “No, damnit! Styx! Here, boy!” she called, even though she knew it was pointless. “Styx! Please!”

She began to run, looking everywhere. She was damned if that fucker Z was going to take another thing from Brax and Mikhail. Z may have done them a small kindness in the end by killing himself and alerting them to Styx’s predicament. But she had no room in her heart for forgiveness. He had caused too much damage, too much trauma. Jinx, bless her stripped butt, was likely the only one with a heart big enough to offer Z one last chance of redemption.

“Fucking Jinx …” Sabre muttered ruefully. She was so proud of her.

“Sabre …”

She spun around quickly, her wings fanning out behind her as she took a defensive position. The only individuals sheever spoke to in the in-between belonged to the souls she was retrieving.

“Whoa,” Lucifer said, holding his empty hands up. “No need to get stabby. It’s just me.” His light eyes looked over her shoulder, and he whistled. “Check out your wings. Those are a thing of beauty. And the halo you’re sporting? Impressive.”

Sabre didn’t give a rat’s arse about her wings or the glowing ring floating above her head. “Lucifer? Again? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Lucifer’s dark brows rose. “I live here.”

Sabre frowned. What was he talking about? “You live in Hell.”

Lucifer looked around, a smile quirking his lips. “And where do you suppose this is?”

That gave Sabre pause. She walked the short distance to him somewhat cautiously. “This is Hell?”

“Sure is,” the other angel confirmed. “What did you think it was?”

“I don’t know. The in-between. The space between spaces. The time without time,” she explained.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Lucifer allowed. “But each in-between is a part of one of the four realms, simply in mirrored form. It’s just not accessible to the living.” He tipped his head in Sabre’s direction. “Unless you’re an angel in the business of souls, like you and me.”

That was news to Sabre. And at any other time, she may even have found it interesting. But she was too worried about Styx and her man. “So, this particular space of in-between happens to be in Hell. Why?”

“Because the soul you’ve come to retrieve belongs here,” Lucifer replied calmly.

Sabre’s hand fisted at her sides. “Hebelongswith Brax.”

“I’m sorry. I truly am,” Lucifer said softly.

Her stomach lurched. “Why are you sorry? You don’t need to be sorry, Luca,” she said, using his nickname. “Just tell me where he is so I can fix him.”

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