The abandonment of my brethren pierced me deeply underneath that.
If they had helped me, if they had listened…
I died to save us all and now I was some kind of idol in their eyes.
Grim and Timothy had been trying to talk me into rejoining our kind, encouraging me to take my rightful place the last fewmonths. Where my body had healed, the wounds in my mind and essence were still raw, still festering with betrayal and pain.
Grim believed unity among immortals was our greatest strength against the encroaching darkness, but the scars of the past ran too deep for me to easily set aside.
The only being I cared to be around nearly just saw me lose it over gods who weren’t worth even a minute of consideration.
I’d thought being near Miranda so soon after what we did chained to that bed would be good for her. She could see it was safe to be around me, no matter what happened.
Instead, Grim tried to hurl me over the edge of my sanity in front of her. Fuck him. Fuck them all.
Once alone, my hands gripped at my head as voices and thoughts bombarded me so hard, I had to grit my teeth.
I needed a mission. Something to distance myself from the aggravation Grim caused.
In the long empty corridor leading to Wolf Town Club, a tiny black puppy appeared, jauntily stepping its way in the direction I’d come. It was rare to see a reaper puppy. It was even stranger to see one wearing a blinged out pink collar, as it would have required Grim to create one from the ether.
My mind suddenly flew in another direction, the only safe direction—toward Miranda.
In a moment of vulnerability, she’d once told me a tragic story from her childhood. One where she felt responsible for the death of the little dog she’d begged her parents for. When she’d been playing on her own, it had wandered out into the road and been hit by a car. The way she relayed the story, I knew it laid down an important pillar in her soul, one that taught her to never lose vigilance, to never play, and to be careful with who and what she loved.
A plan formed in my broken brain even as I made my way toward Grim’s private elevator. Stepping in, I hit the black button that led to his judgment chambers.
What could help take my mind off his revolting proposition more than an ill-advised mission into the afterlife to retrieve the soul of Miranda’s long lost pet?
I already knew I wouldn’t be sleeping, even after spending my every ounce of attention and energy on Miranda in that theater. Thankfully I knew a ferryman who owed me a favor.
Chapter 12
The Badass
After Xander left, I turned to Grim. “I take it there was a reason you called me here too.”
Grim’s unerring focus remained on where Xander disappeared, deep in thought for a moment before he pulled his attention back to me. “Yes, I’m afraid you will not be exempt from this gathering.”
I gritted my teeth. “Goodie.” Suddenly I wished I had sprung for the drink. “I doubt they want me there to share a cup of tea and tell me what a good job I’m doing.”
Grim shook his head even as his fingers flexed on the countertop. “I’m afraid they don’t think they can trust a human,and I’ve come to the conclusion it would be best for them to meet you and understand what a considerable force you are.”
I swallowed hard. That felt like a joke right now. I hadn’t killed a single chaotic god in the preceding weeks. The pressure just doubled over on me.
“Vivien told me about the last ball,” I said hesitantly, not wanting to set Grim off.
Vivien made a point to share what snooty meanie heads the gods, especially the demi-gods, were. My friend had a way with words.
One of the gods, Seth, had publicly presented Vivien with a collar inscribed with the words “Grim’s Bitch,” causing chaos and bloodshed that brought the party to a screeching halt. Vivien described Seth like an old George Clooney with an addiction to tanning, white suits, and gold chains who belonged on a yacht, throwing hundred-dollar bills at a bunch of young hoochies in bikinis.
Seth eventually lost his head to the Blade of Bane, but he was no doubt out on the streets again, thanks to me. Which also put him on my hit list.
I rose my chin to keep from letting my fear show. “Do you believe that this may be a setup to make an example of me?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Miranda,” Grim assured me. “Neither will Timothy or Vivien who will both be present.”
Somehow that didn’t feel nearly as reassuring as it should have.
