Page 11 of Judge of Saints and Sinners

“Are you laughing at me?” The dog let out a soft woof, and my head flopped forward. “I know you are. I can tell. Okay, well, I have to go to work for a few hours, so if I come back to an enormous pile of—”

Clark cut me off, barking louder this time and making me grin. I jerked my chin at the building, and we were off, climbing each set of stairs with him by my side.

They were still long, but everything seemed a bit more manageable today, my body surprisingly well rested after last night. Turning onto my floor, I peeked my head out, holding Clark’s giant head behind my hip until I deemed it empty and therefore safe. Side by side, Clark and I bounded down the hall to my apartment. The key slid in easily, and a moment later we were staring at each other once again.

“I’m going to go now,” I announced, unclipping the belt and laundry line that I’d turned into a leash. Clark looked at me with disconcerting intelligence before wandering over to sit where he was when I first saw him yesterday.

“I’ll be back,” I said, my voice oddly thick. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Those tan eyebrows rose and fell, but Clark remained where he was sitting. Taking a deep breath, I scurried down the hallway, past my landlord's door, holding my breath that the guy wouldn’t open it. I couldn’t afford to be late to work. I had the day shift at the diner just a short walk away from home. It was good work, real value, honest money. That was what I needed. Maybe someday, I could have a chance to prove to people that I was worth the second chance.

Maybe that’d be the day I would believe it myself.

The thing about having to survive on your own for such a long time meant that I had become a little immune to the whole principal of right and wrong. In my mind, there was only survival. Anything after that was just a bonus.

Once upon a time, I’d been like everyone else, living in a cute, quaint little house in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. Then it had been simple, the lines between good and bad clear as crystal. But now, I was here, scrimping and saving and stealing my way to survival.

After my shift ended for the day, I found myself staring down at the crumpled bills in my hand, dreading every thought that bombarded my panicked mind.

Because it wasn’t enough.

My throat ached, but I pinched the bridge of my nose, a sad attempt to block the tears from leaving even as I desperately sorted through my mind for a new idea. One that didn’t leave such a bitter taste on my tongue. All around me, people walked by, unaware of my crisis.

Brushing off my uniform, I swallowed my shame. Morally gray was the color of the day. Again. Forcing a calm expression to my face, I turned to the streets around me and looked for my next victim.

5

Nephesh

“Say it one more time.”

I paused my pacing, aiming my most potent glare at my sibling. “In what language? I’m not sure how many times you want me to rephrase it for you, Arafel. The last time that Cerberus went to the living world and didn't immediately come back was when he found—” I swallowed ”—Anna. I think that while Hiriam is a living reminder of how shitty humans are, there’s a fairly good chance he's correct and that Cerberus has found my soul again. And if Father has caught on, I don’t want him going after them either.”

Arafel regarded me carefully, perched in his big office chair, wings glamoured away again, as were mine. Otherwise, we took up too much fucking space, even in a castle. A flaw, but one worth it, especially for the ability to fly.

“Have you felt anything? Any pull?”

“No, not really, but after the cave”—Arafel’s eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like regret before they returned to their iceberg blue—“my power has been drastically reduced. Especially on days like this when I’m personally processing souls by the thousand.”

Arafel’s head falls, staring at his black-tipped claws as he taps them against his desk. “I won’t lie to you. It would make sense. Especially if that’s how it happened before.”

“It would. And honestly I don’t need to explain anything to you. I rescued your mate, no questions asked. You owe me.”

The tension grew between us, until finally he looked up at me. “What happens if you get to the living world and you’re stripped of your powers?”

“Well then, let’s hope I find the soul bound or Cerberus finds me. Being around him gives me a small boost since he is one of my creatures. And if my soul is there, then I can only assume it will have the same effect that Lucia began to have on you as you spent more time around her.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re going to go up there, hope you can function, find your half-feral creature, find your soul, and what…? Drag them back down here and demand your soul?”

My eyes bored into him, fire licking at my fingertips as my temper flared. “I’m quite resilient, brother. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

“And if you find your soul, I know that Father has some concerns.”

“Father always has concerns in regard to my soul, little brother. Which is exactly why it has to be returned to the Underworld.”

“But not to you.”

I snarled. “We will finesse the details once the soul is safely in my care. I do not trust Father’s soldier or even my own for this task. And, as I was reminded last night, every other member of this Court is needed here. The dam will continue to do its work, as will my juror in my absence.”

“Nephesh…”