I made to leave, but he grabbed my arm again. “You don’t understand. You can’t go back there right now.”
“You’re such a drama queen. I’m supposed to be here right now. A nephilim guard interrupted my vacation to insist I get over here. I’m sorry if that’s a problem for you.”
Maalik looked pained, but he let me go this time, choosing instead to follow me down the hall to the main conference room. Muffled voices slipped through the door. They didn’t sound overly happy, but I entered anyway, refusing to back down now that I’d had to argue my way this far.
The enormous meeting table was crowded with familiar faces. Cindy Morningstar and Holly Spirit both glanced up and gave me forced smiles. Parvati’s smile was more genuine, but she was pleasant to everyone. The Green Man and Kwan Yin were at the table too, but they were too focused on Ridwan, Maalik’s fellow Islamic angel, to notice my arrival.
“Rules are rules,” Ridwan shouted, before turning his twisted face in my direction. His surprise quickly shifted to malice. “What is she doing here?”
“I requested her presence,” Jenni said from the head of the table. She rubbed a hand over her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. “You can wait in my office, Lana. We’re almost done here.”
“The hell we are!” Ridwan’s wings flapped crossly and he stabbed a finger in my direction. “Her very existence is a breach in the peace treaty and needs to be dealt with. Immediately.”
My breath caught in my throat as everyone’s eyes zeroed in on me. This was the day I’d been dreading ever since Khadija had revealed the illicit nature of my purpose. The truth was out, and the poker faces staring back at me weren’t comforting in the least.
Chapter 3
“Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.” —José Maria de Eça de Queiroz
I was less resistant with Maalik as he led me away from the conference room and up to Jenni’s office on the seventy-fifth floor. The sound of my heartbeat pulsed in my ears, and I was only vaguely aware of Maalik as he filled me in on the finer details of the council meeting.
“Horus is not in attendance because his station is being challenged as well. Ridwan is petitioning the council to unseat him and mark him a traitor, due to his underhanded dealings with Grim—and you.” Maalik gave me a sideways glance as we stepped into the elevator.
I leaned against the glass wall and sighed. “Do they really count as dealings if I was being blackmailed? He threatened to out me to the council.”
Maalik scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped.”
“How?” I held my hands out. “By being even more overbearing than you already were? Besides, Horus wasn’t wrong about Khadija’s replacement. Winston was unstable on the throne. He wasn’t a true, original believer, and Grim was in no hurry to replace him. Something had to be done.”
“Horus should have brought the matter to the council.” Maalik’s wings fluttered as his back straightened. “Instead he let the promise of souls—souls he had no right to—buy his silence. He brought this on himself.”
“I suppose you think I deserve what’s coming to me too?”
His shoulders slumped and he looked away from me. Before he could say anything else, the elevator doors slid open, exposing us to the lobby of Reapers Inc. and a brooding glare from Ellen over the top of her desk.
My friendship with Ellen had been strained since Grim’s disappearance. She hadn’t particularly seemed to like our former boss any more than I had, but Jenni wasn’t much of an improvement in her book. The new protocols and filing system were driving everyone nuts, but Ellen definitely got the worst of it. I guess the evil one knows really is preferable sometimes. She clearly blamed me for the changeover.
“I don’t have a docket for you today,” Ellen said, glancing down at her schedule book. “You’re marked down for vacation—and if that’s changed, I wasn’t informed. It’s not on me.”
I shook my head. “I’m not here to collect a docket. Jenni called me in for a meeting.”
“You and half the city.” Ellen harrumphed and fingered a smudge of ash on her blouse. Duster, her pet toy phoenix, had resurrected recently, but there wasn’t a pet groomer in the city willing to handle the temperamental bird.
Maalik opened Jenni’s office door for me, and a hoarse sob trickled out to greet us. Inside, Meng Po was hunched over in one of the guest chairs with a box of tissues in her lap. Naledi sat on the edge of the other chair making soft, soothing sounds as she rubbed a hand over Meng’s back.
“Where’s Jai Ling?” My heart went off like an alarm, pounding in my ears again.
Meng’s sobs intensified as Naledi gave me a scathing look. Maalik closed the door behind us and put his hand on the small of my back, encouraging me to gather in closer. The room felt too warm, and the heat seemed to be radiating from Meng’s grief. I’d never seen her so distraught.
“Gone,” she gasped in between sobs. “Taken.”
Naledi patted her arm. “Shh, now. Lana will get her back. Won’t you?” she asked, turning her dark eyes up at me again.
“Wha—”
“Absolutely,” Maalik said, cutting me off. “I’m sure that’s why Jenni summoned her here. There’s nothing to worry about,” he added, giving me a strained smile and squeezing my elbow pleadingly.
“Right,” I said through clenched teeth. “But first, I need to know a few things.” Like why the hell all the odd jobs keep getting forked onto my overflowing plate.
Meng sniffled and blinked a few times, clearing the tears from her eyes. “She good girl, my Jai Ling. She go to market to buy fish and not come back. Last night, before dinner.”
I glanced up at Naledi. “Okay. Maybe you should take her home to rest for now.”
“Take the back way,” Maalik said, raising his eyebrows. “The council is out and about, and they’re in a delicate flux at the moment. Meng needn’t worry over their turmoil right now.”
Naledi winced. “The council frowns on my ability to manipulate the travel restrictions. Jenni has asked that I refrain.”
“The council has also refused to fully accept her as their president or you as their peer,” Maalik said. “So expecting you to follow their orders through her seems a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”
Naledi tilted her head to one side. “Good point.”
She stood and helped Meng to her feet. Maalik and I both offered a hand to assist, and where the stubborn old gal would have normally berated us for our courtesy, she made a point to thank us all, profusely.
“I know you will find her,” she said, hiccupping mid-sob. “I know she okay.”
I swallowed my doubt and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Naledi dug a coin out of her pocket, and a few seconds later, she and Meng vanished from the room, traveling through the channels that only the soul on the Throne of Eternity could access.
“Tell me you have more to go on than that,” I said, turning back to Maalik. “And remind me, why is this my responsibility again?”
The angel managed a look that was both apologetic and scolding. He deposited himself on one of the abandoned chairs with a frustrated huff, his wings flapping open suddenly and then settling again. “Meng Po trusts you. Assigning you to the task of finding her lost soul was the only way to keep her from having an outright meltdown.” His eyes rolled up to meet mine again. “Also, I need more leverage if I’m to protect you from the council. You must show them how invaluable you are.”
I snorted. “You want me to win their favor through good deeds? What do you call everything I’ve done over the past two years?”
“It’s not enough.” Maalik pressed his palms together, as if in prayer, and lifted his hands to tap his forefingers on his chin. “I’m sorry.”
I swallowed the lump forming in the back of my throat and sat down beside him. “So you really think finding Jai Ling will keep the council from executing me?”
His brow furrowed and h
e wet his lips. “It’s not just Jai Ling. If you want to prove yourself to the council, you need to uncover the soul trafficking ring responsible for all of the recent disappearances.”
“Shit.” I rubbed a hand over my face and leaned back in the chair. “This is Ridwan’s doing, isn’t it?”
Maalik nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“It had to be him, the one member I was sure you’d have the most influence over.”
“I’m not a puppetmaster, Lana.”
Angry tears tickled the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away and cleared my throat. “Well, lay it all out. I need to know who’s gunning hardest for me.”
“Cindy Morningstar is still burned that you exposed her undercover mission with Beelzebub.” He winced at having said my lover’s name aloud. “And Holly Spirit’s opinion of you has not been overly favorable since your close encounter at Holly House.”
I’d almost forgotten.
Last fall had been chaos. The rebels hadn’t been fooled by Bub’s undercover ruse for long, and they’d used him to demand ransom from me in the form of the throne soul.
My attempt to rescue Bub made me one of Limbo City’s most wanted for a short time, and it had resulted in a dicey run-in with Holly at my condo when she unlocked the front door for the Nephilim Guard to search the place. I eluded them before too much damage was done—and I just barely grazed Holly with my axe.
My name was cleared soon after, and though she didn’t have me evicted, Holly was certainly less warm and bubbly when our paths crossed now. She wasn’t thrilled about Bub shacking up with me either. His manor in Tartarus had been destroyed by rioters, and his flat in Pandemonium had been rented out to another demon. Where was he supposed to go? It wasn’t like he actually enjoyed living at Holly House, where he had to walk past an eight-foot fountain spouting holy water every day.
Maalik frowned as he continued down the list. “Kwan Yin has a formulaic voting method that is troublesome. She often votes in opposition of Meng Po, as if to cancel out their collective voice for the Zen Senate and remain neutral.”
“Like the fucking Switzerland of Eternity. Super.”
Maalik grinned dryly. “The Green Man’s voting method is similar, in opposition of Horus.”
“What? Why?”
“The Summerland Society has been advocating for some time now to unite with the Sphinx Congress and merge their territories. They hope through their aggressive voting methods to persuade the Egyptians.” Maalik shook his head. “I sincerely hate politics. I should have stayed in Jahannam.”
My cheeks warmed at the silent accusation. I knew I had been a deciding factor in his initial move to Limbo City, and even though it had been beyond my control, I felt guilty for the outcome.
“Well.” I slapped my hands onto my knees. “That makes five out of nine—out of eight if Horus gets the shaft. Guess I’m fucked.”
Maalik’s brows knit together and he placed a hand on my shoulder. “I think Morgan, the young Summerland soul in Naledi’s circle, might be able to change the Green Man’s vote yet. And finding these missing souls would most certainly appeal to Kwan Yin’s merciful nature. It might even sway Holly Spirit.”
“Right.”
“Don’t lose faith.” Maalik gave me a tender smile, but it was cut short as Jenni entered the room.
Her hair was coming loose from her chopsticks, and the circles under her eyes looked even heavier than they had when I’d first arrived that morning.
“Your brother is becoming a serious pain in my ass,” she said, shooting a dirty look Maalik’s way. “First I’m not worthy of the presidency, then Horus isn’t worthy of his seat on the council, and now Lana isn’t worthy of the breath in her lungs. What exactly is his angle?” She dropped a stack of files on her desk and sank into her chair.
Maalik shook his head. “He came here expecting transparency and honesty.”
“Boy is he in the wrong profession.” Jenni smirked and leafed through her paperwork without looking up at me. “I take it Maalik’s filled you in on why you’re here?”
I shrugged. “More or less.”
“Good. I’m reassigning Asha Dipika to the Posy Unit so you and Kevin can focus entirely on uncovering the soul trafficking ring. I expect you to select a new captain to take your place by tomorrow morning—”
“A new captain?” My head snapped around in time to see Maalik’s pained expression.
“Our chat hadn’t progressed that far yet,” he said sheepishly.
“You mean you didn’t want to be the one to break the news.” I turned back to Jenni. “Why am I being demoted, exactly?”
“It’s not a demotion.” She sighed and finally looked up at me. “You’re going to be captain of a new unit—Special Ops. You’ll work closely with the Nephilim Guard, and you’ll have Kevin at your disposal as well. If and when the council allows for more reapers to be introduced, I’ll assign you another charge, but until then, you’ll have to make do.”
“Wow. This is a lot to digest.” I pressed my lips together. “I don’t even know where to begin with the missing souls.”
Jenni leaned over and reached under her desk. She came back up with a box crammed full of files, placing it on her desk with a grunt. “Here are copies of all the reports taken by the Nephilim Guard over the past three months. I suggest you wrangle up Kevin and start going through them. The council expects you to deliver a plan of action Monday morning.”
“Is that all?” I asked, unable to keep the tension out of my voice.
“No.” Jenni folded her hands over the paper wasteland on her desk. “I also need you to visit Naledi’s throne realm tomorrow morning so she can revoke your ability to see a soul’s significance.”
I sucked in a startled breath. “Can she do that?”
“She’s going to try.”
“Would that stop the council from executing me?”
Jenni sighed. “Ridwan will likely still push for a vote, but it could improve your odds.”
I really hated Ridwan. For an angel, he was a total asshat, and it didn’t help that most of his hatred toward me stemmed from my previous romantic involvement with Maalik. I couldn’t tell what bothered him more—that Maalik had dated me in the first place, or that I had immediately moved on to a demon after our breakup. Either way, he was hell-bent on seeing me suffer.
Maalik’s hand found my shoulder again. “We’re doing everything we can, Lana.”
Chapter 4
“If I had my life to live over again, I'd be a plumber.” —Albert Einstein
The walk home was surreal. Saul was quiet at my side, sensing my unease. An overwhelming combination of fear and excitement worked my nerves into a nauseating jumble, and the barren streets provided little distraction from my thoughts.
Could Naledi really take away my unique powers? She had enough original believers within reach to secure the Throne of Eternity, so I wasn’t exactly needed in that department anymore. Plus, being an ordinary reaper would make the council view me as less of a threat. But did I really want to be an ordinary reaper? For the longest time, I sure thought so. Now, not so much.
A work demotion was one thing, but a voluntary demotion in physical ability just seemed wrong. Like agreeing to have a hand cut off.
The nagging little voice that used to constantly remind me of the caste gap between Bub and I had made an unwelcome return as well. Would he still feel the same way about me if I gave up the gift that set me apart from the crowd of cookie cutter reapers engineered for the harvesting trade? Would I feel the same way?
The something extra Khadija had bestowed on me changed the way I viewed the world and my place in it. I had purpose and drive—after decades of ambivalent depression. What would become of me if I lost that spark? Could I function as well without it? Would I even want to?
I dragged my feet on the way to the condo. Living at Holly House didn’t seem so glamourous now, knowing that Holly was planning on voting me out of existence. At this
point, I wasn’t sure if ending my lease would be a good or bad idea. Bub hadn’t exactly invited me to live with him at the new manor in Tartarus, but he had asked for my input during the design phase, on everything from the window dressings to the stones used for the walkway. Maybe I could stay there for a while, at least until I found another place in the city. Besides, he’d been living with me for months now. It was only fair, right?
The thought lightened my grim mood, and by the time I made it to Holly House, I was feeling a little better about life—despite the looming possibility of my demise and the scheduled loss of my special soul vision. I stepped inside the condo and nearly jumped out of my skin.
“He’s out!” Gabriel was perched on the back of a sofa in the living room. His wings flapped as he pointed a blue foam finger at the television and howled like a wolf. A handful of Cheetos hit him square in the face.
“Stuff it, messenger boy,” Kevin shouted from the opposite couch.
Ross, the captain of the Nephilim Guard and Gabriel’s roommate, chuckled softly at their banter, while the helljack puppies snuffled through the shag rug to snatch up the fallen Cheetos. None of them had heard me come in, the television was so loud. Ambrosia Ale bottles overflowed out of the trash can and lined the breakfast bar counter, and a trail of popcorn stretched from the kitchen into the living room.
I waited for the cheering crowd to fade to commercial before dropping the box of files down on the kitchen table. Everyone jumped, and Gabriel fell off the back of the couch, barely flapping his wings in time to keep from busting his ass on the hardwood floor.
“You’re home early,” Kevin squeaked. “I was going to clean up after the game.”
“It’ll have to wait. I need your help.” I patted the box of files and grimaced.
“Is this about the missing souls?” Gabriel asked, nudging away the helljack puppies as they tried to lick stray popcorn kernels off the hem of his pants. “Holly mentioned something about a new unit, but she didn’t say you’d be heading it up. That’s quite a promotion.”
Ghost Market (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. Book 6) Page 2
