Page 34 of Bound to Death

I picked up the pace but stole another look back at my angel friend who had moved with us, apparently trying to get my attention again, stopping only when our very irritated host called out to her.

“Amidya, you come, too,” Charlize Theron’s doppelganger ordered.

The blonde, Amidya apparently, visibly paled, instantly looking a little green around the gills. It actually comforted me to know that angels weren’t very different from humans. They showed emotion the same way we did and reacted in ways I could decipher. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried about why she might be so hellbent on getting my attention, or why she was clearly concerned when her eyes tracked back over to where Iwas. I knew that look of fear that dripped from her expression. It was the same one I wore the night Emily got into an accident.

Amidya was afraid I’d get hurt.

Her heels clacked as she hurried through the red door, and with one last fleeting glance at the room full of angels, stars, and galaxies, I followed Thanatos into the white light beaming from the open red door.

It was disorienting to go from a galaxy-scape to a cozy living space with a fireplace and desk situated in the corner of the room, but the silent man at my side made sure I kept walking. He helped me into a seat and then took his. Charlize Theron’s doppelganger grabbed something from the desk before turning and crossing her arms. Amidya took her place beside the dangerously gorgeous woman, fidgeting in place but no longer looking at me.

“I’m guessing whatever you’ve come for, it has something to do with that mark on her wrist,” the angel said, getting straight to the point. “But you know why I can’t help you.”

Thanatos sighed. “I thought that you out of everyone might understand wanting someone you shouldn’t, Michael.”

I’d wondered since he first mentioned her name if she was who I thought she was. It was a common enough name, but something told me she wastheMichael. Didn’t take a genius to put it together, but I stayed quiet. The way her eyes flashed silver and her body tensed made me obscenely uncomfortable.

Michael brushed back her hair, laughing without amusement for a second. “That’s low, even for you. But I guess we all have our moments, don’t we?”

Walking over to us, the angel eyed me with caution. The killer next to me tracked her movements like she was the greatest threat we’d faced yet, and from the way she looked at me, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was.

“What are you willing to risk to persuade my help, I wonder? What soul are you willing to take?”

Thanatos seemed to understand what she was getting at. I, on the other hand, was totally lost. Whose soul? Mine? Someone else’s? Whatever it meant, I got the distinct feeling that if he agreed, he’d be breaking some major supernatural rules. I needed to tell him he shouldn’t. It wasn’t worth throwing the world out of balance to save one soul. It wasn’t even clear why he would.

“Than—”

His icy tone cut me off. “If you promise to remove it, I’ll collect her for you.”

Amidya’s eyes went impossibly wide. “But that—”

Michael threw her head back and laughed. “I never thought it’d be that easy. I’m a little annoyed that I didn’t think of it first. But I guess we’re all fools when it comes to—” She trailed off, and I waited with bated breath for her to finish. “If you can do it before the human falls into a coma, then I’ll remove the mark. But…” Her smile disappeared. “You’re better off doing your duty, Horseman. Being on the wrong side of both God and Hades is…well, I’d be curious to know how you think you could manage it after you got what you wanted.”

Holy fuck. On the wrong side of two unbelievable names, and for what? Me? Why?

I stood up, decided. “I don’t know what the two of you are talking about, but I think I’ve heard enough.” Looking down, I stared at the impossible man on the couch. “It’s not worth it, Than. Taking someone else’s soul for mine goes against everything I believe in. I won’t let you, so you’re better off just doing what you came to do. I’m not afraid to die, especially not if it’s you who’s the one who collects.”

I hadn’t expected Michael to bark a laugh before dropping an arm around my shoulders, but when she did, Thanatos’s starenarrowed. “You know what, human, I like you. If only you knew what you were asking him to do, you might change your tune there a bit. But I admire your courage. I can see how you’d be chosen as a Counter Soul.”

Counter Soul?

Before I could ask what the hell that was, Thanatos was on his feet, shadows crawling angrily across the walls and floor, attempting to ensnare the angel with her arm around my shoulder. Michael clicked her tongue and flicked her wrist. A sword was suddenly clutched in her hand, and without knowing how it happened, its sharp edge was already against my throat.

The couch went skirting back until it hit the wall with powerful force, cratering the plaster. Shadows lifted from the floor, whipping out, but Michael easily deflected them. Though how, I couldn’t figure out. With the wind? Invisible light? I was still having a lot of trouble following what was happening. My eyes couldn’t track anything. But large, black veins were already growing down Thanatos’s cheeks. His true face. The monster beneath.

He'd never looked so terrifying.

Death closed his eyes, exhaled a breath, and then fixed his gaze on Michael again. “You have my word. Two days. I’ll deliver her soul to you, and you’ll remove Asha’s mark.”

I couldn’t see Michael’s expression, but the way her blade pressed against my neck felt like a warning. I couldn’t breathe without worrying it’d cut into my flesh. But for some reason, Thanatos appeared more worried about what she’d do to me than I was. His eyes dropped to the blade at my throat several times, his jaw working. His shadows moved around him in growing agitation.

But after several torturous seconds, Michael removed her blade and released me. “Two days, Dead. I don’t get why you’d risk so much for some human, but if it means I can haveherback, then I’m willing to remove the mark as promised. But the consequences are yours. Remember it.”

I was already in his arms, the shadows creating a barrier between us and the two other angels. “You don’t have to tell me that. But as always, you underestimate my power and relationship with Hades.”

She smirked and shrugged. “In this case, I certainly hope so.”

But that was it. The shadows eclipsed us before we were somewhere I didn’t recognize. All I knew was that it didn’t feel like I’d gone back to the human world. No, if anything, I’d crawled deeper into the supernatural realm.

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