Page 17 of Trust the Fall

“What are you doing here?”

I hadn’t thought about it before, but now, I wonder what he’s up to, considering he’s here and there isn’t any damned soul to be found. Had he thrown the rules of the reapers aside and joined Nolda? “You sound a little too familiar with that rogue demon.”

He shrugged. “Not sure yet.”

“Not sure why you’re here or if you’re siding with Nolda?” I press, suddenly very interested. If any of the reapers joined Nolda’s cause, it could be very bad for not only Hell, but Earth.

“Both? I did deliver a soul, but I’m sticking around for reasons I don’t quite understand yet. Nolda wants an audience, and here I am,” he says, lifting his arms out to the side.

His honesty takes me by surprise. He’s not trying to deny that he’s considering an alliance.

“You understand what working with him would mean, right?” His eyes narrow in consideration, and I plow ahead. “He’ll end humanity. Hell will bleed into Earth. Is that what you want?”

He bites his bottom lip, eyes still narrowed.

“I’m not sure that it concerns me or any of the reapers.”

I huff out a humorless laugh. “Don’t you live on Earth? Last time I checked, that’s where most reapers choose to reside.”

“Keeping tabs on the reapers, princess?”

“Ugh, don’t call me that. If I weren’t without my powers, I’d kick your ass and you know it.”

He chuckles. “It would be a decent fight, but I’m pretty sure I’d come out on top.”

“Care to wager?” I snarl.

He shakes his head, laughing. “I’ll take your word for it. But to answer your question, yes, I do live on Earth.”

“So you’re fine with demons taking over the place. You don’t care that Earth as you know it—your home—will be destroyed.”

“A house is just a house, Victoria. I have other places to go. Reapers don’t put down roots, so no, I don’t really give a shit.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“I just said I could care less about my home being destroyed. Don’t get my words twisted,” he says in a low, threatening voice. “I’ll hear out Nolda and then make my choice.”

A pit forms in my stomach as his final words flow through me. He does plan to choose a side. The balance of the universe rests in the hands of River and his kind, and here he is, hearing out the opposition.

“I thought you said you were here at the request of your queen?”

“I am, but if I had pushed back, she would’ve followed my lead. For the record, Nolda is the only one who’s reached out. He seems to actually care about the future of Hell. It’s more than I’ve seen from Lucifer, or God for that matter. Lucifer’s absence has already caused a shift in and of itself. There has to be order, and if Nolda’s plan brings that order back, he’ll have my allegiance.”

I feel sick. He didn’t have to say the words; his intense stare said it all. This is in part my fault. If Luke’s words were true, he was absent because he was watching over me. He wanted to be close to me even when I wouldn’t allow it.

If Earth falls, I share a large part of the blame.

“Don’t shoulder the burden for someone else’s decisions, Victoria.”

I appreciate his giving me a pass, but I can’t help it. It’s hard not to blame myself.

“How can I not?”

“It’s not your fault that Lucifer couldn’t stay away from you. The reapers certainly don’t blame you.”

It’s worse than I thought. One reaper on Nolda’s side is bad. The entire race of them? Catastrophic.

“I thought you all worked alone. No?”