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“Death is coming for you too, Meredith,” I growled, snapping my teeth near her face. “Which murderous beast would you rather face? The monster your son has released, or the monster your son has become? Or...would you rather face me?”
Her eyes widened, darting between me and Juniper in confusion. I grinned, letting her get a good look at the fangs. “All I need is for you to agree. Offer me your soul, and I won’t kill you.”
“What good is a demon’s word?” she snapped, but I could see the desperation in her eyes.
“I swear it,” I said, laying my hand over my heart as if that meant fuck-all concerning my honesty. “Offer me your soul, here and now. Guarantee yourself some peace in the afterlife. And I’ll let you go.”
My claws hovered over her skin, eager to dig in. All I needed was her word. Just one little agreement and…
“Fine,” she snapped. “Fine, take it. I —” she shrieked as my claws dug in. I made my mark hurriedly, roughly, the strings of her soul binding to mine within moments. It had been a long time since I’d taken a soul from pure desperation, especially one so vile as hers. Cruel souls felt sosticky,like they were covered with a slime that could never be wiped away.
But claiming her did what I needed it to do. Power flooded through me, my vision flashing for a moment as my body healed, bullets pushing out of my flesh and dropping to the floor. I gasped at the rush, breathing rapidly as my strength returned. It wasn’t really pleasure so much as it was simply relief.
When I opened my eyes, I felt alive again.
Meredith was staring at me with absolute horror. “Black eyes,” she whispered. “Merciful God...Deep One, deliver me…”
I stepped aside, motioning toward the door. “Run while you can. YourGodlyson will be back soon.”
That seemed a horrifying enough prospect to get her moving. But she only managed a few steps. Juniper grabbed her from behind — and slit her throat.
I’d promisedIwouldn’t kill her. Juniper hadn’t been part of that bargain.
“See you in Hell,” Juniper said, kicking her over onto her back and standing over her as she bled out across the white carpet. As the light drained out of the Hadleigh woman’s eyes, Juniper looked back up at me, uncertain wonder on her face. “She’s right, Zane. Your eyes are black. They’re solid black.”
I didn’t have time to contemplate what that meant for me. Juniper’s face fell and she raised her hand, pointing behind me. Her eyes were wide as she yelled, “Zane! It’s back!”
The window behind me shattered, glass bursting around me. A massive hand encompassed me, crushing me in its grasp, and yanked me out into the night.
53
The Reaper’s fingers squeezed tight around me, my ribs aching under the strain. It hurled me out into the night, and I managed to curl myself up before my back struck a tree. The wood splintered, and I rolled out of the way the moment I hit the dirt as the pine toppled over and crashed to the ground.
The wind howled around me, the rain coming down in a torrent. Claiming that woman’s soul had left a bitter taste in my mouth, but if the Council wanted to come for me over a breach of rules in a circumstance like this, then I’d gladly offer afuck youto their smug faces.
It wasn’t just about me. If it meant being able to protect Juniper, if it meant being able to fight beside her, I didn’t care what rules I had to shatter. I’d use any means necessary. I would twist, destroy, and manipulate anyone and anything in my path for her.
As the Reaper lurched above me, its eerily glowing eyes blinking down at me, I smiled.
“Looking a little worse for wear,” I yelled. One of the beast’s arms hung down limply, and its bones were protruding from its wrist, its gray skin torn. It made me proud to know Leon had done it, to know the murderous bastard hadn’t gone down without making the Reaper fight for it.
Demons didn’t fucking lay down and die. If this was the end, then this Reaper would go back to Hell with the marks to prove I’d fought.
“You’re strong after all, demon,” the beast rumbled. “I look forward to a challenge I don’t have to gentle myself for.”
There was a rapid popping noise, and the Reaper flinched, turning its shrouded head in confusion back toward the house. Juniper was there in the broken window, down on one knee as she took aim again. More shots popped off, striking the Reaper in its numerous blinking eyes, and I immediately took advantage of the opening.
I launched myself up, straight for that injured arm. I got my teeth in its shoulder, ripping through taut muscle and sinew, tearing down to the bone and cracking it in my teeth. The beast roared, swiping for me with its other arm as Juniper continued to rain gunfire at it. The bullets likely felt like nothing more than a stinging annoyance, but even a tiny wasp could send a full-grown man running.
I dodged its swipe before it could hit me, and rolled under its armored legs. But its arm followed me around, striking me hard and throwing me back, tumbling me across the ground. In fury, it looked back for Juniper, but she had climbed down from the house and was sprinting toward the trees.
“Foolish human,” the monster growled. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
I lunged for it again, but it was ready for me this time. Its claws slashed across my face, cutting open my cheek. It dazed me for a moment, and that gave the Reaper the chance to throw me down, pinning me under its hand.
I struggled, biting its fingers and tearing off chunks of flesh. But the massive creature nudged off the shroud covering its face, and opened its massive mouth. Seemingly endless rows of teeth, long and sharp as needles, came down for me. It could snap through my neck and consume my entire head in one gulp —
There was a loud pop, and one of the Reaper’s glowing eyes burst, blood spattering my face. The Reaper roared, flailing back, freeing me from its grasp. I didn’t need to see it to know what had just pierced the Reaper’s face was no ordinary bullet: it was the amulet, now lodged deep inside the beast’s head.
