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A knock on the door came a moment before a guard came in. “It’s time.” His tone came out careful, respectful, his gaze hesitant.
It was an entirely different reaction than I’d had before, when I had been stared at like a new chew toy. The mortal in hell, the one who sat to the side of Lucifer for some reason. The guards had been amused at best, but now?
Now he gave me the same suspicion given to the far larger and scarier folks.
I nodded, walking past the guard at the door. He moved backward to leave more space between us, as if he didn’t want to risk coming into contact with me.
A muttered insult rested on my tongue, but I kept it in.
It wasn’t this guard’s fault that I was in a testy mood, and taking it out on him would be unfair. He had one job—to take me to the stupid official audience where I would ask Lucifer for my favor before the end of the entire party and competition ordeal.
And what I was going to ask, I still had no idea. I’d expected for Hunter to figure that out, since he understood what a person should ask. However, since I’d been the one to land the killing blow on the reaper, I was awarded the actual favor.
I was still dressed as I’d been during the fight, during the night before. In short—I was a mess. Penis robe and all.
At least I didn’t turn back into my normal old self naked, as Hunter did. Then again, Hunter became that smoke creature, but it was still arealcreature. When I transformed, I hadn’t been just another form of my same energy. Instead, I had been something entirely different.
It was odd to not have Persephone at my side. While I didn’t love her cheery nature or distractibility, I’d grown used to it. When I reached the courtyard, I spotted the woman in question there, in her seat, trying very hard not to look at me. She’d still attended—she’d just not wanted to walk with me for the first time.
That same unease that had haunted me since realizing what I was crept into me again. Persephone, who had managed to see good in the devil—who I was pretty sure had no good in him—had written me off. She had chosen to avoid me, to not look at me, as if I were suddenly different.
I am, aren’t I?
I walked forward, spotting on the other side of Lucifer extra seats filled with none other than the black team.
Even still, I tore my gaze away before seeing any of them clearly. I knew where they sat, saw Kase, Grant, Hunter and Troy all looking well enough.
I wasn’t brave enough to face them, not yet.
“Approach,” Lucifer said, crooking his fingers.
I tucked my hands into the pockets of my robe, missing those moments before when the spells tattooed on my arms had kept me hidden.
Others stood around, faces I’d seen over the last few days, including Fredrick, Colter and the acting Magistrate.
All of them eyed me as if trying to understand me, as if trying to see what they’d missed before, trying to see the monster beneath, the one I’d hidden.
“You have won a favor from me. It must be something I am capable of giving. It must be something with a definable consequence. That means you cannot ask me to give you a good life. You could ask for two million dollars. You can ask me to kill someone,but you cannot ask me to make you immortal, unless you were asking me to find a person to turn you into a specific type of immortal. Should what you ask be impossible for me, I will tell you, and you will not forfeit your right to the favor.”
“That’s a lot more caveats than I thought would be involved in a favor from the devil,” I said.
“I am a careful negotiator. And, no, you cannot ask me to makeyouking of hell or the devil. I’ve had people ask, and as that is a birthright, it isn’t something I can give away.”
I snorted. “Trust me, I don’twantyour job.”
“Good to know. Now, Ms. Harlin, the question falls to you. What do you want?”
I didn’t know. Nothing came to mind. Nothing seemed important enough. I could ask him what I was, but even if I had a good idea now, I doubted he knew much more than I did. I could ask about the shadow, about the thing I’d come looking for, the reason behind all of this, but he hadn’t seemed to know. I could ask him to take care of the shadow, but according to his rules, it wasn’t a definable consequence if he didn’t know who the shadow was.
“Can I wait and ask for my favor later?”
He nodded. “You have one year to claim your favor. Just prior to the time running out, I will call you here again for a last chance, and you will be given a method of transport here in case you come up with a favor in the meantime.”
It wasn’t ideal, but at least I’d have time to think.
I opened my mouth to tell him my choice, that I wanted to wait, when a scream echoed out from behind me.
He lifted his gaze, a quick motion that showed the first real moment of surprise from him.
