Prologue
THE GOD OF THE DEAD
The elevator descended deeper into the bowels of the hotel, and with each passing moment, my unease grew. The humans didn’t know that the Grim Reaper ran the most exclusive hotel on the Vegas strip. And no one knew what I kept in the basement far beneath the massive pyramid of dark glass, high rollers poker tables, and hottest night clubs. My greatest shame. And tonight, it called to me.
As the elevator doors opened, I stepped into a concrete room that extended out to either side. I met with a wall of steel bars, creating a structure similar to that of a zoo, but this held something far more dangerous than any jungle cat. The predator within couldn’t be unleashed on this world. I had done my best to keep him content under lock and key, but I could not deny his request when he called.
Despite the harsh lights overhead in the antechamber, the cage gradually sank into darkness, concealing the truth of its depths. A voice called out from the shadows, low and lucid for once. “You came,” it said, and a chill ran down my spine.
I loosened my tie, feeling the hot sting of power against my skin. It was wild, untamed, and as volatile as an atomic bomb. “You called,” I replied, wary of what this encounter might bring.
As the god emerged from the shadows, hair fell over glinting silver eyes and sharp features. The power sickness surrounding him made it difficult to look at him. It grated against me and stung like lemon juice pouring into an open wound. My eyes burned from the onslaught of energy pulsating off him, but I didn’t look away. I knew I had failed him, and it weighed heavily on my shoulders.
He grasped the bars of his cage, flexing muscles built on chaos and destruction. “The blade of bane, Grim. You found the blade of bane,” he said, his voice holding a dangerous undertone.
“Vivien did,” I replied, already aware of where this conversation was headed and trying to calculate a way to curb the outcome.
He grinned at the mention of my vampire bride. It was a terrible, sinister baring of the teeth. “Ah, the firecracker. We’ve met.” The mirth evaporated from his face, replaced by cold ruthlessness. “Bring me the blade, Grim.”
“The blade has bonded to a human, and only she can wield it now.” Perhaps the god retained enough reason to understand why I couldn’t bring her here. Why I couldn’t let any mortal near him.
He cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Then bring her to me.”
“I can’t do that either,” I said, squaring off my stance.
Xander stilled. He seemed unnaturally frozen, staring at me. Power crackled in the room, sizzling against my skin with anger and impatience.
My words came out low and careful. “Xander, she doesn’t know how to use it. And she doesn’t know how to protect herself. . .”
“. . .from me,” he finished. His voice became gravelly and raw. “Then bring her to me, Grim. And I’ll teach her. And with any luck, she’ll only need to learn once.”
I turned away from him, running a hand down my face. “We both know your luck is shit,” I muttered under my breath. But I owed him. I owed him what he asked, because even as the reaper of death, I couldn’t give him what he needed. It was my ultimate failing.
Xander’s silver eyes gleamed with warning as he bared his teeth. “Grim? If you don’t, I’ll break out of this cage and take matters into my own hands.”
The threat hung in the air between us, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing. We both recognized he was only in a cage because he let me put him there. As I stepped back into the elevator and the doors slid shut, I couldn’t shake off the unease that lingered within me or the burn of his power from my skin. As much as I feared for Miranda’s safety, I couldn’t deny Xander his wish.
The elevator suddenly jerked to a stop, the lights flickering before going out completely. A cold, malevolent energy filled the air, emanating from Xander.
It was a parting warning. Bring the girl or the beast will come out to play.
Miranda had admirably dealt with the problems of gods, but the predator in that cage was far more dangerous than any creature she had encountered. Mortals shouldn’t mix with monsters, and the beast I kept contained in the cage was more monster than god after all these years.
I could only hope that Miranda would quickly resolve this situation and absolve me of my ultimate failing. Otherwise, the beast would be unleashed.
ChapterOne
THE BADASS
Isank into the hot water, submerging myself in the froth of lavender-scented bubbles. A low, contented sigh slipped out of me. I welcomed the caress of the water around me. Embracing the pleasure of a near-scalding bath was almost painful after the intense week. I was literally trying to melt my worries away.
I’d been waiting for days to find the time to get in my porcelain sanctuary and melt my stress with scalding heat.
Spillover from the supernatural world had twisted my panties into such a tight bunch that I’d forgotten how to breathe properly for days. As if holding my breath would keep the bullshit at bay. There is that saying ‘don’t hold your breath’ for a reason.
I closed my eyes trying not to think about the idiot group of demigods who tried to break into the antechambers below to see Amit, the soul eating crocodile god. Then a half-crazed, scared vampire got loose in the hotel, biting one of my maids where there were a dozen witnesses who had to have their minds wiped. And then there was a clashing of personalities at the check-in desk where one employee ended up relentlessly quacking at the other. That’s right. Quacking.
Oddly enough there wasn’t a handbook on how to handle immortal chaos, or jackass employees who mock each other in inventively annoying ways.
