5. Azrael

CHAPTER FIVE

AZRAEL

T he last wavering glimpses of Josephine asleep in my chambers faded as I materialized in the Echoing Hollow. She'd been so exhausted after expelling so much magic and witnessing the fate of lost souls. She hadn't fought when I tucked blankets around her tempting frame.

Shadows twisted with the flickering of flames deep within the cavern ahead. Hands reached from the edges of the path, guiding the steps of any who dared seek to know their fate.

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to cover my ears. Murmuring whispers filled the air. The fragments were a maddening tangle of past, present, and future, impossible to distinguish.

Fucking seers and their melodramatic lairs. I hated this place.

I checked my wards for the hundredth time. The bonds held firm, but being this far from Josephine set my teeth on edge.

Easing that tension had been the whole reason for bringing her on the disastrous journey above. Darkest hells, I should have suspected something would go wrong. Clauneck wasn't one to allow slights to pass unanswered.

Her display at the park had been beyond my wildest expectations.

She shouldn't have been able to break through my illusion. Once a soul is determined to be taken, once the reaper has the soul in their grasp, nothing should interfere. Especially not a mere human.

And yet...

"The threads of fate dance a new pattern, Reaper." Veridian's voice cut through the din. "Your visit is... unexpected."

My skin tingled as I stepped through the wards guarding the mouth of the seer's cave. The pressure built, coiling tight against my neck and chest. The power was ancient, honed over untold ages and stronger than even the demons themselves.

I suppressed the shiver of unease creeping down my spine and fixed my face into a bored expression. "Spare me the act, Veridian. You knew I was coming."

The seer turned from where she worked an impossibly large loom. Her white, pupilless eyes bore into me, seeing beyond skin and bone, peeling back layers until nothing remained but raw, uncomfortable truth.

"Perhaps." A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "But the threads have been... restless lately. Particularly around you."

I didn't like the implications of that statement. "I need answers."

"Don't we all?" She bent back to her loom, her silver hair haloing around her head like a ghostly crown. "Tell me, Reaper, what troubles you so deeply that you'd brave the Echoing Hollow? Could it be the stolen sacrifice that has the realm abuzz?"

I tested my wards again as possessive fire licked at the empty walls of my heart. "She's more than that. She gained a soul's attention during a reaping."

"Indeed." The glyphs on Veridian's skin began to shift, the swirling patterns coalescing into fresh forms. "But that isn't the only attention she's gained, is it? She's awakened something in you. Something you thought long dead."

I snarled, patience wearing thin. "Can you read her or not?"

Veridian's laughter echoed off the cavern walls, mingling with the maddening whispers. "Very well. Let us see what the threads of fate reveal."

She closed her eyes, arms outstretched and glyphs pulsing with an unheard heartbeat. Her pinky plucked a single thread from the tangle on the loom, and she pulled it taut between her fingers.

The whispers in the cavern grew to a fever pitch.

"I see... a spark igniting an inferno. A key turning in a long-forgotten lock." Her voice took on an otherworldly quality. "The stolen bride becomes the thief, pilfering what was thought lost. Shadows dance with light, blurring the lines between realms."

"Speak plainly," I growled.

Veridian's eyes snapped open, fixing me with that unnerving gaze. "Your stolen sacrifice is no ordinary soul, Reaper. She carries great potential within her—potential that could reshape the very foundations of our realm."

"How?" I demanded. "What kind of power are we dealing with?"

"The kind that topples empires and births new gods," Veridian said softly. "Whether that power becomes a force for creation or destruction... that remains to be seen."

A chill ran down my spine. "You're saying she could be a threat?"

"To the current order? Absolutely." Veridian's lips curved in a mirthless smile. "To you? As with all women, that depends entirely on the choices you make and if she accepts your bond."

Bond. The word echoed in my head, sending my thoughts into a frenzy.

I could have a mate.

I could be bound in union and partnership. The lonely, hollow void of my existence could be filled with companionship, passion, and connection. I could have everything I had once foolishly given up for a poorly worded bargain and the chance to save a different soul.

Mates were almost unheard of for the beasts below. We weren't worthy.

But the pull I'd felt from the first moment I touched Josephine's soul couldn't lie or deceive. Her scent alone set my blood alight with a raging need to protect and possess. Every second since had only strengthened the desire to hold her, to touch her, to hear her soft moans and pleas as I worshiped every inch of her body...

I wanted to watch her lop Clauneck's head from his shoulders as punishment for all his dirty deals.

I opened my mouth to demand more answers, but Veridian held up a finger, silencing me.

A heartbeat later, I felt it—my wards shattering like glass.

"Josephine," I snarled, already summoning the shadows to whisk me away.

In a blink, I stepped into what should have been my chambers. The acrid stench of Clauneck's magic filled the air. Expected, but the veneer of Clauneck's halls still made my nose wrinkle in disgust.

And there, lounging on the illusion of Clauneck's throne, was Josephine's ex. The smug bastard's lips curved into a taunting smile as he met my gaze.

"Ah, there you are," Alain drawled. Power radiated off him—his master's doing, no doubt. "I was thinking you'd run off and left poor Jo all alone."

Red clouded my vision. How dare he enter my domain? How fucking dare he speak of the woman he traded away without batting an eye? "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking in on my bride. Jo's fine, by the way. Just bathing." He winked. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

The glyphs etched into my skin flared to life as fury consumed me. I lunged forward, ready to tear the smirking prick limb from limb.

But Alain didn't flinch. He raised a hand, and the oppressive weight of his borrowed power halted me mid-step. "Careful now, Reaper. You wouldn't want to upset your betters, would you?"

I struggled to push back, to move even a fraction. He had to be burning through the borrowed power, and quick. But for all the strength I felt in that power, it was no match for mine.

"You think this will hold me for long?" I sneered. "Get out before I return you to your master in pieces."

"What a temper," Alain chuckled. He leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. "Did you really think you could hide her away forever?"

The sound of footsteps made us both turn. Josephine stood frozen in the doorway, her wide eyes bouncing over the unfamiliar furnishings. Water still clung to her skin, and the thin robe she wore left little to the imagination.

Black silk. A little extra I left behind in her wardrobe.

Seeing her wear something of my choosing sparked a feral, possessive pride in my chest. But the sight of her in Clauneck's throne room, even just a copy? No. It had to be destroyed.

All of it.

Josephine's dark eyes landed on Alain, and the surprise melted away. She drew herself up to her full height and lifted her chin, those red splotches blooming across her cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

Alain devoured her from head to toe as he rose from his seat. "Hello, darling. Did you miss me?"

"Do not talk to her." I let my power flare. The glyphs etched into my skin blazed to life, straining against Alain's hold. "Do not even look at her."

"Or what?" Alain's eyes narrowed, all pretense of civility vanishing. "You'll reap me? I'm afraid that's not possible anymore, Azrael. I speak with Clauneck's authority now."

Pain sank deep into my skin and down to my bones. One symbol burned away, then another. Still, I drew on the extra protections to add to my own power.

Alain's voice took on a formal tone. "By order of Lord Clauneck, I demand the return of Josephine Clark. She was promised as a sacrifice, and her soul is rightfully his."

"No." The word came out as a growl, and another glyph burned away.

I stepped through reality and put myself in front of Josephine the exact millisecond Alain's grip on me slipped.

"You dare defy a demon's will?" Alain's eyes glowed with unholy light. "Perhaps you need a reminder of your oaths, reaper."

Power slammed into me, driving me to my knees. I snarled, fighting against the compulsion with every ounce of my strength. More glyphs flared and burned away, but Clauneck's influence was too strong.

Fury and shame scorched through me as I bowed my forehead to the ground before this pathetic human.

"That's better," Alain purred. "Now, let's discuss the consequences of your petty act of thievery, shall we? Resetting your reap count would be a kindness compared to what Lord Clauneck has planned."

I glared up at him, hatred burning in my chest. But when Alain's next words left his lips, that hatred turned to ice-cold fear.

"Your sister's soul hangs in the balance, Azrael. How much are you willing to sacrifice for this... distraction?"

The mention of my sister sent a jolt of pain through me. Memories I'd buried centuries ago clawed their way to the surface. Hester. So innocent, so pure. She deserved the best in the afterlife, not some wretched existence as a mindless ghoul.

"I'm not going anywhere." The heat of Josephine's glare should have singed the hair on Alain's head.

"I don't think you understand the situation," Alain sighed, reaching for her. "You were offered as a sacrifice, and it is not your place to decide otherwise."

"Isn't it?" Josephine batted away his hand, but her own trembled. "There's no reason to threaten Azrael if it's me you want. For someone so concerned with my retrieval, you sure had time to redecorate the place. You know what I think?"

I snickered, pushing against the power that kept me on my knees. She unknowingly bought me time. Precious seconds to gather my strength and focus.

"Enlighten me, my dear," Alain said dryly.

"I think you messed up. I think your boss is pissed I'm here and not locked away for his disgusting entertainment." Josephine's hands curled into fists. "I think you can't take me because of a technicality, so here you are trying to make Azrael do it for you."

Oh, she was a distraction. Just not mine at the moment.

My glyphs cracked and burned as I pushed harder against the compulsion. My skin and bones protested, pain screaming through my limbs as I channeled every ounce of power I possessed. The chandeliers swayed overhead, dust rained down from rumbling columns, and the surrounding air charged.

"What are you—" Alain started, but his words choked off as I surged to my feet.

The remaining glyphs shattered, the remnants of the broken magic flaring like green fire across my skin. My power exploded outward in a blast that sent Alain stumbling backward. He slammed into the far wall with a satisfying crunch.

I climbed to my feet as the illusion of Clauneck's throne room disintegrated like smoke. My true chambers flickered into place around us, but it was Alain's low moan and the trickle of blood from his lips that brought a vicious smile to my face.

I rolled my shoulders, savoring the fear that bloomed in Alain's eyes. "My turn."

The destruction of my glyphs had left me drained, my powers barely a whisper beneath my skin. No matter. I'd take pleasure in breaking him, anyway.

I stalked toward the crumpled pile of asshole that dared threaten my mate. I wrapped my hand around his throat, dragging him up until his feet dangled above the floor. His legs kicked uselessly, and his eyes bulged.

"You dare speak of my sister?" I snarled, leaning close. "You dare enter my lair and threaten what's mine?"

Alain sputtered, fingers digging into my wrist. Without Clauneck's power, he was no match for even my drained state.

"Just... orders..." he choked out.

"Then follow this one," I growled, hurling him toward the door. "Get. Out."

He crumpled to the floor in a heap. "This isn't over," he spat, blood and spittle flying. "Lord Clauneck won't be satisfied until he has his sacrifice. You've only delayed the inevitable."

Then he vanished, retreating to lick his wounds at his master's feet.

I swayed on my feet, exhaustion hitting me like a tidal wave. My bones throbbed and my skin felt paper thin, but the threat was gone.

Josephine was safe.

She threw her arms around me, nearly knocking me down in the process. Her touch lit me up like a live wire. All the exhaustion faded as her sweet scent filled my lungs. I slid an arm around her waist, gripping the curve of her hip.

"Are you hurt, little dove?" I murmured against her hair.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up." She leaned back, surveying my face. Fierce determination buried the worry in her expression. "But we need to talk."