Page 7 of Right Hand Of The Reaper
Double shit. They were Hell Hounds. They couldn’t judge the souls like a Reaper.
“Have you tried calling him? Been to his place? Called his cell?”
She gave me a flat look. “No, Roux. I completely forgot to do those really obvious things.”
I rolled my eyes. I loved this girl but sometimes she was a right snarky cow.
“I’m going to have to do it, aren’t I?”
Lila nodded gravely.
“Fuck.” Judging souls was reserved for the Grim Reaper. I might have been his right hand, and I might have trained for this for if he eventually retired, but I’d never judged a soul in my life. What if I sent someone to the wrong place? What if I upset the balance of the Hellish Planes? What if—
“Are you Roux?”
A soft, rich voice pulled me from my inner panic attack. I turned to my left and met the most gorgeous pair of eyes I’d ever seen. They were a strange mix of navy blue and purple, swirling like a galaxy deep in space. Framed with thick dark lashes, they were deep and mesmerising, and seemed to be holding more mysteries than the universe itself. Midnight blue hair sat on his shoulders in dishevelled waves, at odds with the smart get up he was wearing. High cheekbones gave way to a deliciously full mouth, his lips pillowy soft and perfect for kissing. He was gorgeous, but there was no doubting what he was. A Metus demon, class five on the Underworld scale. Known for playing havoc with your dreams and turning your fears into reality. They were rare and super powerful, and my core clenched at the violence that was restrained beneath that exquisitely tailored suit. Oh, the fun we could have together.
What the hell was a rare demon doing here?
Lila jabbed her elbow in my ribs. Oops. I’d been full on staring. And the mystery man did not look impressed.
“Yes, I’m Roux. What can I do for you?”
“Excellent.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a crisp white envelope. “As next in command here at GRIM, it is my duty to inform you, that following some serious accusations against Thane, we will be shutting down this facility and transferring all souls contained on the premises into the care of the Royal Guard.”
“You can’t do that,” Lila snapped.
“All soul collections will cease while the accusations are investigated.” The mystery guy extended his hand out towards me with the offending envelope in it. “All the details can be found in here.”
I took the envelope. “Who are you?”
“My name is Atticus Drake and I have been sent by the Guild to lead the investigation.”
I took the envelope and shoved it in my pocket. “You can’t cease soul collections. Do you know what will happen topside if the dead roam free?”
Atticus shrugged. “They won’t be running free. His majesty, King Hades, has requested that the Royal Guard handle all the current case files of GRIM. I suggest you get these shipped to Infernium immediately.”
I barked out a laugh. “Really? Those idiots can’t tell the difference between a human and a dog.”
“Not my problem. Now, I’d be grateful if you could show me up to Thane’s office. I’d like to get started right away.”
I raked him over slowly, making sure he knew I was sizing him up. “I don’t think you understand how serious this is, pal. If souls start wandering off or get missed because those wankers over at the Royal Guard fuck up, the whole world upstairs will go to shit.”
A dark eyebrow arched above his left eye. “Wankers?”
“Yes, wankers.” I refused to be embarrassed by my choice of word. It was entirely fitting for the demons Hades kept as his own personal guard.
Atticus sighed, a sound of exasperation and annoyance. “I get that you’re annoyed and that this is a pain in the ass, but I am here to do my job. Hate me, like me, I don’t care. I’m not here to be your best friend, and I’m not here to deal with any fallout my being here might bring. Contingencies have been made.Youneed to allow me to do my job. I don’t care if you’re a Reaper. I have a bag of tricks that will take you down if you stand in my way.” He smiled thinly. “Understood?”
“Fine,” I snapped. “But you’re right. I don’t like this one fucking bit.”
I left Atticus to set himself up in Thane’s office and headed down the corridor to my own. I had snagged the corner office with glass walls on either side and the best view of the city. I may have played dirty to get it, but I didn’t care. I walked out on my balcony and stared out at the setting sun. Hues of red and orange played across the skyline, drenching the city in a warm glow.
I pulled the envelope out of my pocket. What had Thane gotten himself involved in now? I flicked open the seal and was just about to pull out the papers when Lila stormed into my office.
“That asshole. He can’t do this.”
I gave her a flat look. “Did you miss his little speech downstairs?” She huffed and folded her arms. “He can do this, and we will have to let him. It’ll be over quicker if we just let him get on with it.”
