Horus gave me a funny look and stood.
“Hey,” I called as he turned around. “Think you could scratch my back before you go?”
“Uh.” He held his hands up, clenching and unclenching his fingers with a nervous air about him. “Sure,” he answered reluctantly.
I leaned forward and peeled my shirt up over my shoulders.
“Here?” he asked, gently scratching along my spine.
“Oh yeah,” I groaned. At least I didn’t have to worry about him cutting my throat while I wasn’t looking, and it sure was fun watching him squirm. A god, afraid of me. Well, at least someone was.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling my shirt back down and replacing the pillows.
Horus nodded, looking relieved to have some distance between us again. He cleared his throat and made a beeline for the door, keeping a wary eye on me over his shoulder.
“Feel better soon,” he said and then disappeared down the hall.
Chapter 19
“What sculpture is to a block of marble,
education is to the soul.”
-Joseph Addison
I would have loved to skip my mentoring class Thursday night, and it’s not like I didn’t have a good excuse, but I really needed to pull off a passing grade. It wouldn’t do any good bickering with Maalik about staying in school if I flunked out. Besides that, I really doubted Grim wanted to pay for my tuition twice. I imagine that’s why he sent the nephilim escorts instead of a note to excuse me from class. He was bound and determined to keep Kevin under my wing and in my hair. I guess he figured I’d be less inclined to break any rules with a witness around.
The nephilim escorts Grim had assigned to me were quite the duo. Abe, the taller of the two, did all the speaking. His partner, Frank, just nodded and grunted occasionally when addressed. They each carried one of the golden spears crafted by Warren and wore golden armor with a royal blue cape. Their helmets were fashioned like the ancient Romans, with a matching blue crest. They managed not to crack a single smile in my presence, though I was hardly surprised. I was demon bait, and if they failed to protect me, it would look bad for their fragile new status in Limbo City.
Abe insisted that we travel by coin from Meng’s to Holly House, where he took it upon himself to search my condo for intruders before allowing me to enter. I quickly fed the hounds and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a green turtleneck. The nephilim seemed to relax a bit at Holly House. It was highly unlikely that a demon would breach the front gate, let alone the tenth floor. I gathered my school books and grudgingly followed Abe and Frank back downstairs and outside, where our coins would be active once again.
I stopped Abe before we ventured on. “I don’t want to interfere with your assignment, but do you think you could keep a little more distance between us when we get to the Academy? I don’t want to draw any more attention than we have to.”
Abe frowned at me and looked over at Frank who gave a soft grunt. “We’ll do what we can,” he answered.
We made it to my mentoring class twenty minutes early, which meant there weren’t too many reapers around to notice the guards showing up with me. Abe had a quick word with the professor and positioned himself in a back corner of the classroom, while Frank stood watch just outside the door.
My mentoring class was as boring as Grace’s Wandering Souls class was annoying. Edgar Dorian, an entirely bland fourth generation reaper, instructed the class in a joyless monotone, mostly reading aloud from a grossly outdated textbook. The only thing I could appreciate about the guy was the fact that he didn’t make us do group work, which was surprising, since the class was supposed to teach us how to mentor another reaper.
I couldn’t imagine being paired up with anyone in the class for an assignment. While it was true that no one was as unappealing as Craig Hogan, the other students weren’t exactly warming up to me either. I’m sure part of it had to do with the fact that I was the only reaper taking the class who already had an apprentice. Apparently, I was the only one who thought that wasn’t something to be envious of.
As the other students arrived, it became painfully obvious that my private life was not so private after all. I couldn’t count the number of glances that began on Abe and ended on me. I cringed, thinking how impossible my next shopping trip to Athena’s was going to be.
Edgar looked up at the clock on the wall behind his desk and cleared his throat. “Please turn to page four hundred and twelve and follow along,” he said in his Ben Stein voice. “The last chapter we will be reviewing covers how to command respect and obedience from your apprentice over their century term with you. Independence will be a natural struggle for your pupils, but it is a lesson you are expected to teach them, as it will also prepare them for a lifelong citizenship in Limbo City. We will first examine the benefits of training apprentices with the punishment and reward system…”
When I actually paid attention to the class lectures, I found myself disgusted with the content more often than not. I couldn’t remember Saul ever using any of the techniques I was expected to learn and use. Of course, Saul was a first generation reaper who was taking on apprentices a few hundred years before the academy even opened. The fact that I had already broken more than half the rules with Kevin so far was a bit discouraging as well. I really couldn’t see myself commanding respect and obedience from him. Once again, I thought about how much better off he’d be if Josie had been selected as his mentor. The thought of her commanding his obedience made me picture her as a dominatrix and I had to put a hand over my mouth and cough to hide my laughter.
Class couldn’t go by quickly enough. My skin crawled from all the eyes lingering on me. I was plotting how to make a mad dash out of there without upsetting the guards too badly, when Abe approached the professor. Edgar nodded and peered at me over his tiny spectacles.
“Ms. Harvey?” He crooked a finger at me. I gathered my books and hurried to the front of the class.
“Didn’t want to lose you in the crowd after class,” Abe explained once we were in the hall. Frank fell in step next to us and handed me a coin. I wanted to argue that it wasn’t necessary, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good.
When we arrived back at Holly House, Gabriel was waiting in the lobby. From the look on his face, I could tell he had heard about my second trip to Meng’s. He took my arm without a word and walked with us to the elevators. We rode up to the tenth floor in silence. He stopped the guards at my front door.
“She’s perfectly safe with me,” he all but growled. “You can stand watch out here.”
Abe nodded to Frank, and they turned to press their backs to either side of the threshold.
Once inside, Gabriel pulled me into the living room, out of range of any eavesdropping. My elbow was beginning to ache from his grasp, but I was too afraid to speak. He seized my other arm and pulled me around to face him.
“What the hell is going on, Lana?” he said.
I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out.
His brow dipped and he leaned in closer. “We’ve been friends far too long for you to not trust me, and while I’m waiting patiently for you to come to your senses and talk to me, you’re out nearly getting yourself killed every other night. So spill. Right now.”
My breath caught in my chest, and I felt a sob rising in my throat. Tears stung my eyes. I was trembling, terrified of what I was about to confess, even though Gabriel was right. I knew I could trust him more than anyone else in all of Eternity. Including Maalik.
“I killed Wosyet,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Impossible.” He gave me a gentle shake.
“No. I did, and now the rebels want me dead and Horus is blackmailing me into joining the Posy Unit to find another soul for him.” I sighed, knowing the momentary relief wouldn’t last, but still somehow hoping Gabriel would know what to do. I opened my eyes to see his horrified expression.
He swallowed hard. “Holy shit.”
“And I’m deep in
it.”
“How the hell did you get yourself into this big of a mess and not tell me until now? Wait, does Josie know all this?”
I froze. “Not exactly. She knows I’m gunning for the Posy Unit to get a soul for Horus, but I didn’t tell her about Wosyet or how Horus’s job isn’t exactly sanctioned by the council.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“No, and we really need to keep it that way.”
“Really?” he scoffed and dropped my arms to pace around the coffee table. “I don’t know how you killed a deity. Even a lesser one should have been immune to your efforts. If this gets out, you’re dead.” He paused and touched my arm again, more gently this time. “Lana, this is really bad. God, I don’t even know what I can do to help you at this point.”
“Well, I feel so much better now,” I said dryly.
“You need to lie low and keep those guards close. If you absolutely must travel, do so by coin. Let’s not risk anything.”
“Well, that sounds like a nice paranoid existence.”
Gabriel’s grip on my arm tightened again. “This is serious, Lana. Be cautious. At least until we eliminate the rebel base in Limbo.”
“I’m just sick about all this. I’ve never felt so helpless, and I can’t stand it.” I rested my forehead on his shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, Lana. I promise.”
“I really hate promises.”
Gabriel put a hand on the back of my neck and kissed the top of my head. “Yeah, but you know I actually keep mine.”
Chapter 20
“Love is like war:
easy to begin but very hard to stop.”
-Henry Mencken
A warm breeze drifted up from the river Styx and tugged at my curls as Bub’s little houseboat sputtered along its way to Tartarus. We hadn’t said much since he picked me up from the gates of Hell. The nephilim escorts were relieved that their duties were only required in Limbo, but not nearly as relieved as I was. I hadn’t realized just how valuable my personal space was until Abe tried to follow me into a public restroom. I was almost positive Grim would assign a female nephilim to me upon my return to the city.
Saul and Coreen scampered from one end of the boat to the next, taking in all the sights and scents. They hadn’t been to Hell since our short vacation last year, and they had only been out of the condo for short walks through the park since the apartment incident. The Nephilim Guard welcomed the extra protection when I suggested they accompany us. They needed more exercise, and I really loathed the idea of the guards following us around the park for everyone to see.
Bub abandoned the steering wheel and joined me on the deck of the boat. He was in jeans again and a gray dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I was really growing fond of his casual look. He leaned his back against the railing and folded his arms, frowning at me.
“So how’d you do it?” he asked.
“Excuse me?” I blinked at him.
His gaze narrowed. “Let’s not play games, pet.”
“How did I do what?” I stammered.
“Wosyet?”
“Oh. That.” I pressed my lips together and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jean jacket. Of course he was going to want an explanation, and I owed him one. He kept my secret, after all. If he wanted, he could have had my head on a pike by now. That was a sobering thought. Which led to a disturbing question. Either he really liked me, well enough to preserve my life anyway, or he was afraid of what else I could do. Or maybe he was like everyone else and was still wondering how I might be able to help him with his own personal agenda.
“I’m waiting.” Bub clicked his tongue nervously.
“Decapitation. With my axe,” I said matter-of-factly.
Bub’s eyes widened at my crassness. He unfolded his arms and turned to rest them on the railing with a sigh. “Where did you get this axe?”
“A vender in Limbo.” I didn’t want to incriminate Warren for something that wasn’t his fault, but if I could pass off the incident as a mishap caused by my weapon of choice instead of exposing my secret, maybe, just maybe, I could get out of this alive. “It was in self-defense. Wosyet ambushed my team while we were collecting a soul on that special assignment last fall.”
“Self-defense or not, your ability to slay a deity, even a lesser one, is enough to charge Grim with breaching the peace treaty.” Bub looked less than thrilled. “If this gets out, the rebels will use it to gain a larger following. It could mean war for Eternity. Again.”
I swallowed. “Well, I guess we just won’t let it get out.”
“Easier said than done. Especially now that Tisiphone is onto you.” He sighed heavily.
“What do you suggest we do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we can convince the council somehow that Tisiphone’s morals have gone askew since she abandoned her post. You obviously slayed some lesser demons last fall as well, so perhaps we can credit her vengeance to that?”
“You would know better than I how the council would receive that.” I ran a hand through my curls and looked out over the river.
I had to admit, I was a bit surprised at how eager Bub was to help devise a cover story for me, and even more surprised that he didn’t poke and prod at me to discover what he might have to gain in return. I was still holding my breath, waiting for the catch to reveal itself.
Bub furrowed his brow a moment and then relaxed. “I think it just might work.” He gave me a quick grin and went to kill the engine as we neared his summer home. Jack, his demon butler, waited on the dock, readying the ropes to secure the boat.
My stomach was doing flip-flops, and it wasn’t from the ride down the river. The number of people who knew the truth about Wosyet’s demise was growing far too fast. I had a feeling the rebels were just targeting me from vague assumptions based on the assignment details they received from Seth. They hadn’t gone after Josie or Kevin, but then again, I was the one put in charge after Coreen. I shuddered, thinking about how much more attention they’d be giving me if they actually had any substantial proof.
We walked Saul and Coreen around the property once to give them some boundaries to work with, and they began vigorously patrolling Bub’s estate. It wasn’t really necessary, but they were thrilled to have something useful to do.
Bub led me back to the den where we held our awkward little sessions. “I took the liberty of gathering your throwing stars, and Jack has cleaned them. Are you feeling up to physical work or should we stick to the books today?”
“No books, please,” I begged. Josie’s study parties were really starting to wear on me. Lately I was spending the majority of my waking hours with my nose in a book. I had nightmares about reading a textbook that never ended. I just keep turning page after page, and the words just kept getting longer and harder to pronounce.
I tugged off my jacket and threw it over one of the couches, revealing my blue, sleeveless turtleneck. It was a favorite and perfectly covered the scar on my neck. The material was a soft cotton, so it stayed cool on my skin, even though Bub kept his thermostat a good ten degrees higher than most. I had the sneaking suspicion that he did that just to encourage women to remove more clothing. My jeans were worn and had holes in the knees, so they stayed nice and cool as well.
Bub’s eyes glanced over my bare arms before they reached my face. “Aside from the throwing stars, which you’re obviously comfortable using now, there are some defensive maneuvers we could go over.”
“Super.”
He grinned and wandered over behind the corner bar. He fixed us both a drink and rummaged around in a cabinet below, tucking something small in the breast pocket of his shirt before joining me around the coffee table. He set our drinks down and motioned for me to sit with him on the sofa.
“Most demons give off a certain heat signature, and with enough practice and focus, even a reaper should be able to sense one approaching and their exact position. This goes even beyond the scent trial, and will enable you to fi
ght a demon should you find yourself in total darkness, which is considered an ideal ambush setting for most demons.” He pulled a small wooden box from his pocket and set it on the table before us.
“What’s that?”
Bub gave me one of his devilish grins. “It’s a shortcut.” He opened the box and sat back to watch my reaction.
I frowned and folded my arms. It looked like a box of Cuban cigars, except it was small enough to belong on a desk in a dollhouse.
“A shortcut?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me I have to get high in order to sense a demon approaching.”
Bub laughed and picked up one of the tiny smokes, running it under his nose with a savory sigh. “Just the first time or two. That should give you enough direction to get you there on your own afterwards.”
“I don’t think I care for this plan.”
“This is the purest blend of raskov. A clan of Slavic crones harvest it in Summerland. The effects last no more than an hour or two, so you have nothing to fear.”
My skeptical glare stayed in place. Bub rolled his eyes. “It seems a demonstration is in order.” He held a hand out to me. I cautiously took it and let him lead me around the sofa to the open area in the middle of the room. Bub’s hand slid up my back. My breath hissed out before I could contain myself. While the slashes Tisiphone had left me with were nearly healed, they were still sensitive.
“Sorry.” I blushed. “I’m-“
Bub took my arm and pulled me around, lifting my blouse up to examine my scarred back. He pressed a gentle finger against one of the marks. I was surprised at the coolness of his touch.
“I sometimes forget how fragile you are. You’re not quite human and not quite deity. It’s perplexing to say the least.” His fingers trailed up my spine, lingering softly on each mark until they found my shoulder.
2 Pocket Full of Posies Page 11
