Page 3 of Indecent

“You could,” the stranger said. “Or…”

The reaper sighed in annoyance.

Daniel clung to the word like a lifeline. “Or what?”

“There is a way you could get back to Earth.”

“Shut up, kalmach,” the reaper hissed, baring his mother’s teeth at the stranger.

Kalmach. Daniel knew that word. It was the type of demon that had attacked the guild last year with an army of possessor demons. They could look human, but they weren’t. They had wings and sharp teeth and claws. What the hell was a kalmach doing in Purgatory?

“You’re a demon,” Daniel said.

The kalmach ran a hand through his hair. “Well, yes. Is that a dealbreaker?”

At one time, yes, it would have been. But now? After he’d seen his brother and his friends find happiness with demons on Earth? He knew better than to judge a demon by its origins.

“No, it’s not a dealbreaker.”

The kalmach beamed at him, looking rakishly handsome with his lopsided grin and twinkling black eyes. “Fantastic.”

“Leave here, kalmach!” the reaper hissed. “You do not belong here.”

The kalmach ignored her. “It won’t be easy to get back to Earth. What do you know about halflings?”

Daniel’s heart jolted—fear, hope, shock, all scrambling for dominance. “They used to be human.”

The kalmach nodded. “If you descend, you can go back as a demon.”

“He would never choose such a thing,” the reaper said. “He is a holy man. His soul would be torn apart in Hell before he could reach the transformation pools.”

The kalmach’s gaze didn’t waver from Daniel’s. “Not if he has a guide helping him get there.”

“You? Why would you help me?” Daniel asked.

The kalmach’s head tilted. “You aren’t the only one who wants to get to the surface. All the usual routes are closed. But you… If you become a demon, you’ll get an express trip straight back to the surface, usual routes be damned. And I’ll be able to hitch a ride.”

“If you follow this demon into Hell, you will damn your soul for all eternity,” the reaper warned. “You will never see paradise. You will never see your mother again.”

It should have been an impossible choice. He’d missed his mother terribly growing up. His father was a strict man—a lot like Commander Sloan, really. Growing up without her should have left a hole in his heart.

But he’d had Nicolas. His big brother had looked out for him in all the ways he could have wanted. Nicolas nursed him back to health when he was sick, made sure he drank plenty of water during training, checked him for injuries when they started going out in the field together. If he had to choose between his fuzzy memories of his mother and the real-life, high-definition relationship he’d left behind with his brother, it was no contest.

“You’re sure it’ll get me back to the surface?” he asked. It was one thing to trust the demons he’d already met. He didn’t know this one, and it was a serious gamble to trust him with something so big.

The kalmach’s steady smile didn’t change. “I’m certain.”

Daniel pictured Nicolas and Julian and Ashmedai. He would do anything to get back to them. They needed him. He couldn’t rest until he knew they were safe. What kind of paradise could it be if he couldn’t ever see his brother and friends again?

Reading the resolve on his face, the kalmach held a hand out toward him. “Come with me.”

“No!” the reaper said, stepping toward them. Her pupils glowed white, and all the color leached from his mother’s face. “You cannot do this! His soul was not bound for Hell! You break the natural laws for your own gain, demon!”

Daniel rushed toward the demon, slapping a hand into his. He yanked Daniel closer, wrapping his arms around him.

“Don’t scream,” he said. “Or—you can if you want. It just won’t help anything.”

The demon transformed before his eyes, his warm skin paling rapidly through shades of inhuman gray to eerie white. Black horns sprouted from his skull, long and twisted, and behind him, his bat-like wings stretched widely.