Page 12 of Right Hand Of The Reaper
“Pfft. As if you could handle me anyway. I’d eat you two alive.” They both scoffed. “Come on Scooby and Scrappy. Let’s see if we can find any more clues.”
I walked to Thane’s office and the same clean, dark aesthetic continued in here. Everything was so neat and orderly. It made me think about my own home and I shuddered. Mine didnotlook like this. Sheesh, even his bookcase was alphabetised and there were little tags on the bottom of each spine. Gods, had he catalogued them like a library? I laughed. He fucking had. It was so Thane. Everything had a place, and everything had a purpose. There was never anything out of place. Not even—
My eyes snagged on one of the books. It was upside down, the tag sitting at the top. I reached for the leather wrapped book and pulled it from the shelf. It was titledThe History of Reapers, the letters in gold foil and stamped into the rich warm leather. It was a well-worn and well-loved book and I opened the page to where the bookmark lay to find a chapter entitledThe Origins Of Reapers. But it wasn’t the chapter that caught my attention, but the white business card Thane was using as a bookmark. There was a single word printed on the front: DESTINY.
“Guys!”
Rafe and Rayne came sauntering into the room. They knew I wasn’t in danger because we were bonded in a way that they could sense it if I was. They were there to serve me and aid me, which was bullshit, but that’s how the Reaper and Hell Hound dynamic worked.
I held up the card to them. “Look. What would Thane be doing with the Fates?”
Rafe shrugged. “Does it say anything on the back?”
I flipped the little white card over and there was a handwritten message with a time and date from two nights ago. “They could be the last people to see Thane. We have to go.” The twins winced. “I know that the Fates are difficult creatures, but they have to know something.”
“But you know their information comes at a price. Are you sure you can pay it?” Rafe asked.
“This is Thane, my friend—”
“That’s debatable,” Rayne interrupted, not maliciously but he kind of had a point. I don’t think Thane had any friends, but I always had a soft spot for him.
“Whatever. I can’t stand by if he might be in trouble. I’ve got this sinking feeling that something is going on, that there’s a change in the wind coming and I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing.”
The twins looked at each other, their gazes steady and sure. Rayne pursed his lips. He was unsure, which I understood. The Fates were tricky creatures and often extracted a higher price than their information was worth. Rafe cocked an eyebrow, egging his brother on. If I ever wanted the twins to do something they didn’t want to do, I found persuading Rafe was the best course of action. Being slightly more impulsive, he was more likely to drag his brother with him, making my job a little easier.
“Fine,” Rayne said with a roll of his eyes. “But we go together.”
“And we go tomorrow night,” Rafe added.
“But—”
Rafe put his index finger on my lips. “No buts. It’s already late and you’ve got to see Hades tomorrow.”
I groaned and pulled away from Rafe, ignoring how much I actually liked him touching my mouth. “Do I have to?”
“Yes. You need to make sure he’s looking after the souls, and he might know something about Thane.” Rafe turned to his twin. “Come on. We need to go. Albert will be wondering where we’ve got to.”
I chuckled. Albert was a ghost that lived in their house. They had a few, but Albert seemed to be the one in charge and he kept an eye on things.
Rayne pressed a kiss to the top of my head and Rafe gave my shoulder a squeeze. I both loved and hated their affection with me. I wanted more and I know they did too, but this was all it could be. Stupid rules and laws. Pfft. I’d spoken to Hades about it on many occasions, but he refused to change the law. Said it was there to protect people, that if Hell Hounds we’re too wrapped up in their masters, then they couldn’t make objective decisions. I got that. I did. But I didn’t like it. And Hades was an arsehole.
“Fine. My bed is calling my name anyway.”
Chapter Five
Roux
Hadeslivedinamonstrous castle in the heart of Infernium. I mean the thing was fucking huge. And gaudy. And very Hades. He was an egotistical prick. Just because he was the most powerful being in the realm, didn’t mean he had to swan it in front of everyone’s faces. Urgh. What a dick.
I marched up the front steps and into the giant entrance hall. There was a reception desk where visitors were supposed to sign in, but I never bothered because I knew it pissed Hades off. It was one of the many ways I liked to entertain myself when I was here. The twins seemed to think that pissing Hades off, while amusing, was going to get me in serious trouble one day. But they also thought Hades had a thing for me, which was ridiculous. The guy hated me as much as I hated him. He might be good to look at, but that’s where my fascination ended.
As I approached the lift — yes, the guy had a fucking lift — the butler scurried out from his hidey hole and put himself in front of me.
“Welcome to Heart of Infernium. It is such a pleasure to see you.”
What the fuck. I never normally got this kind of reception. Usually, I was chased by security as I evaded their attempts to get me to stick to the rules. “Um…”
“His majesty has been expecting you and you will find him in his study. May I take your coat?”
