Page 60 of Whiskers on Kittens

Easton took the mop, set the cloth to the floor, and rubbed it over the droplets of blood. Sure enough, it left the floor spotless and polished in his wake.

“Oh, that’s fancy,” I said, peering down at the spot. “That’s amazing, Azrael.”

“Consider it a tool of anxiety control meant to give your wolf a useful task that will not destroy your sanity. He will appreciate having an outlet for cleaning as you are quite the tidy person. He will not have much to pick up after you.”

I eyed the hybrid. “Do I need to leave some messes for you to clean up? I can probably put some things in inappropriate spots if you’re one of those strange people who feels useful through tidying.”

Easton turned his ears back and growled at me.

Nice. I met him stare for stare and matched him growl for growl.

Darlene smacked the back of my head. “You can’t bite him right now. You can bite him later.”

“Well, she can try to bite me, but we’ve already seen how well that worked out for her.” His ears relaxed, and he showed off a wolfish grin. “Good luck, Kelsie.”

The wolf would suffer, and if I had my way, he would suffer for decades to come. My virus approved, and she settled, pleased with the future hunt ahead of us. “I’m not leaving here without making a body, Lucifer. Point me in the right direction.”

Lucifer gestured down one of the hallways branching from the lobby. “Third door on the right. That’s the men’s bathroom, and he should be finishing his business just as you step on in, so you’ll catch him unaware. He’s one of the ones you want the most, so don’t feel a need to show any mercy. Although really, finishing him off quickly would be a mercy, for he won’t be receiving any in my many hells, that is for certain.”

NINETEEN

“I really like this mop,” he informed me.

I killed six traffickers by the time our raid finished although my initial ambush in the bathroom proved to be the most satisfying of the lot. Sending someone who abused children to the darkest, deepest pits of the Devil’s many hells appealed. Easton killed one, and I suspected the wolf had only indulged as I had been occupied finishing off a bulky brute of a man with more muscle than sense.

I worried for the cop, but outside of disgust he wore his victim’s blood, he seemed to emerge from his first taste of a felony with dignity, grace, and composure.

As Easton disliked leaving messes for others to clear, he made use of his silk bag, sent the corpse on a trip, and mopped up after himself.

“I really like this mop,” he informed me.

I could tell. Rather than hurt his feelings and laugh at him, I patted his arm before giving the handle of his new mop a little rub to show my approval. “It will not bring shame to any home graced with its presence.”

Something crashed on the floor above us, and I wondered who had decided to get rough with a body-to-be. “Renovating this place is going to be a nightmare.”

Behind me, Darlene laughed. “But it’s not going to be your nightmare. I’m going to suggest that my daughter purchase it to turn into a good low-income housing complex. She can then negotiate with the state to operate it on their behalf. Her altruistic heart will sing from joy.”

In a nearby room, the Devil protested, and he stomped in. “Hey! If I can’t use my daughter, you can’t either. I’m right here.”

“You weren’t in the same room. If you hadn’t been playing with a corpse, you would have been able to hear me talk about our daughter.”

The Queen of Hell had no mercy, and I loved her for it.

The Devil sulked. “I was even being generous and tending to some of those stray seeds so Anwen doesn’t have to worry about them.” He held out his palm, and a box made of golden wood manifested. “The building next door is involved, and I found the seeds of six young boys. They are in the same state as the other seeds here.”

To my dismay, Lucifer held the box out to me.

“Why are you trying to give it to me? I thought taking care of any seeds was Anwen’s job.”

How was I supposed to take care of something as important as a soul’s seed? While I lacked understanding of the true value and importance of the seeds, I’d heard enough to learn they were as precious as life itself.

“You’re the best custodian for them. You have no idea how to show these seeds anything but love and care. Just keep the box, squabble with your male over ownership of it, and allow the seeds to bask in the glow of being wanted. When they have been balanced sufficiently, they’ll find their way back into the world. A few of the seeds will balance faster than others. You’ll be fine. There are limited criteria these seeds need, and you’ll handle them just fine.”

I accepted the box, which fit in the palm of my hand, small enough to stuff into a pocket. After a moment of thought, I decided my front pocket would suffice as a place to hold them.

While I had no idea what I would do with the seeds, they’d be safe and checked on often.

“There.” The Devil tilted his head and considered the ceiling. “They’re finishing up. You’re hearing the Babylonians and the shedu. The shedu have been riled up for none of the souls are worthy of redemption. The qilin are shepherding souls to spare the facets of death from doing the work, so all is well on that front. They’ve taken their pounds of flesh from the other floors. The angels and archangels will handle the general cleanup. He isn’t feeling like mortals deserve any clues to figure out what has become of these souls. These are mysteries nobody truly cares about solving. Those with family? The families have shunned them for good reason. Those who do want closure will receive a feathered menace paying them a visit.”