AllFreeNovel
Share Us
5
ADDIE
Luca told me that Vi wasn’t allowed near his library, but she was the only one not working at Bad Moon Café, and I needed a ride. The vampire could yell at me if he wanted, but I didn’t have any other options after Maddox left me alone at his place.
“So, the two of you got hot and heavy in the hallway?” Vi asked, incredulously.
She shot me heated looks of excitement. I turned away from her and fought back a pout.
“He clearly didn’t want it. Hisbeastwanted it.” I put my elbow on the Jeep’s door and let my chin fall into my palm.
Vi made an exasperated noise. “Their beasts always know what’s good. The animal in them can be a lot smarter than the man.”
“Don’t let Morgan hear you say that. I think he would have a meltdown.” I slid a sidelong glance at my friend.
She laughed behind the wheel before picking up a rainbow-colored drink from the cupholder. I didn’t even want to ask what was in that plastic cup. It looked radioactive. What kept the colors from blending together? Why wasn’t it a sickly brown mess?
A cat mewed in the back seat. Vi and I each had interesting pets at this point. While mine looked like a normal cat, there was no mistaking Cinder for anything other than a hellcat. The creature was made of undulating fire that rippled with rainbow colors much like her drink.
The cat let out another loud meow and put a paw on the center console. While Vi reached up and scratched the beast’s chin, I flinched away from the heat pouring off it.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring Cinder along when Luca is worried about the books catching fire?” I asked, nervously watching the hellcat.
“Cinder and I are going to stay far away from the books. After we’re done burning Alvin’s corpse to dust, we’re going to play fetch.”
“I already turned Alvin’s corpse to dust. He doesn’t have anything to come back to,” I reminded her.
“I would have been happier if you’d destroyed his soul, too. He’s a monster that doesn’t deserve a chance to come back ever again.”
We all remembered how Alvin, the Pack’s last Alpha, had treated Ness. She’d spent most of her life under his boot until Ryder crash landed in the middle of the mess. She’d tricked him into helping. By all means, Ryder should hate her. Instead, they’d fallen in love during a time of war.
Vi had gotten just as lucky with Morgan. That wouldn’t be me, though. As a Reaper, I doubted I would have a fated mate. Why would fate attach a shifter to someone with such a short lifespan? The afterlife needed me. No shifter could have me when there was a larger purpose for me.
Sometimes, I understood Bastien’s resistance. I wanted more from this life. Nothing was enough when I knew that I would soon be put to work for all eternity.
I stepped out of the Jeep and headed towards the unpacked rubble. The books had been unearthed and a tent had been put up over the fallen library to protect it from the elements. That meant I wouldn’t even be able to see Vi through the opaque vinyl walls meant to block out UV rays.
That was fine, because I soon sank into the world of information at my fingertips. I sat on the vinyl covered ground and bit the tip of my thumb between my teeth as I read. First, I needed to figure out who the divine being in my visions was. I could see her face—or the half that was there—so clearly in my mind’s eye.
I scanned the pages of gods and old tales for the description of a woman with half a face. When I finally found her name, the book nearly fell from my grasp.
I recoiled at the information on the page. While I’d known that I was dealing with a divine being, something about confirmation shook me. It was as if I’d doubted my instincts this whole time.
A god would never reach out to someone like me.
I didn’t deserve divine attention.
I’m just a nobody.
However, it seemed that the Norse goddess of the underworld, Hel, had different opinions on the matter of my importance.
Hel.
Huh.
I didn’t quite know what to do with this tidbit just yet. While I knew who I was dealing with, I still knew nothing about what she wanted. The only way to find that out would be from her lips alone. These books could hold the secret to contacting her, but there were other things I needed to look into, and I didn’t have all day.
Vi would get bored soon.
