Page 72 of Trust the Fall

“It depends on your vice,” Law says, waggling his eyebrows.

I frown up at him and motion for him to continue.

“Beautiful women offering to keep you company, only to capture and torture you. A river of whiskey to drown in. Essentially, the seven sins acted out.”

My nose scrunches in distaste. I’ve had enough of the seven sins to last me a lifetime.

Luke warned you that you’d never be happy here.

“You asked,” Law chuckles.

“All that is true,” River cuts in. “But as long as you know that about this place, you’re safe. You simply don’t give into the charm. Keep your eyes trained forward and keep going. Only the weak perish.”

“Why would Luke choose this awful place to live in, if there’s more out there?

“It’s the perfect place for security purposes. There’s really nowhere to hide in the Barrens, Victoria. There isn’t a need for a patrol here. They can see their enemies coming easily.”

“The Barrens?”

“It’s what this place is called. Each sector has a name, like anywhere else.”

“How far do we need to go?” I ask, wondering what horrible places we’ll see along the way.

“Not far, just to the edge of Abdiel’s territory. He was the horned demon who was with Nolda. He won’t give us any problems. He’s given you and me safe passage as a favor to Lucifer.”

No surprise there. That one in particular was next-level creepy but calculating. He watched the room, taking everything in, while Nolda ran his mouth and indulged in the finery.

“Why would he allow that? What’s in it for him?”

“To gain trust. He’ll be the first to strike if Lucifer is ever to be overthrown, but he’ll hedge his bets for now.”

If.

Of all that was just said, that one word is the one I hold on to. It gives me a modicum of hope. If River hasn’t completely lost faith in Luke’s ability to remain in control, then I certainly won’t.

“Where do we go from here?” Law asks, sounding impatient. “I don’t think it’s wise to stand around. They’ve likely discovered our absence and have demons searching now.”

River nods. “We might be given safe passage, but that doesn’t mean Nolda isn’t lurking. With his ability to stay hidden, we need to be cautious.”

“This is where we part,” River says. “You’ll want to head off to the east, beyond the two clusters of stalagmites in the distance.” He points to some towering rocks that seem miles off.

“I’ll never make it there unseen,” Law surmises. “You only mentioned safe passage for you two.”

River grabs my hand, pulling me away from the frozen people. “Not my problem.”

“River,” I chastise. “We can’t leave him here to die.”

“Like I said, not my problem.”

Just when I start to soften to the reaper, he goes and reminds me that he isn’t exactly a good guy. The jury is still out on him and right now, I’m leaning toward untrustworthy.

“Make it your problem,” Lawrence bites, rounding on River. “If I don’t get to the Fae kingdom, the vampires will revolt, and the human population will suffer greatly. I’ve heard that you reapers are gunning for a release from your duties, but at what cost?”

I gasp. He was serious when he mentioned an extended holiday. The reapers are truly considering banding together for the first time and abandoning Earth? They’ll just allow chaos to reign?

“Things have changed in that regard. Now that she’s been found.”

River looks to me, and my lip curls in disgust. I don’t want to play any part in his or his people’s plans.