I took one more sip of cocoa, holding the cool whipped cream and warm cocoa in my mouth for a moment, savoring, before swallowing. Then I handed him back the cup.
“I liked it when you at least pretended to tell the truth. Maybe go back to that.”
He grinned, a hot slash of teeth. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You didn’t honor our deal,” I said.
“That doesn’t sound like me.”
“You said you’d let Dad die in exchange for my soul. But you kept him. In you.” It sounded just as bad out loud as in my head.
“I promised you I would release him to the afterlife of his choosing. He chose to remain with me as a favor to Death, for a very limited time.”
“That’s a lot of risk and what-if’s on my father’s mortal soul.”
“Or it’s just fate.”
“Know her?”
“We’ve met. I’m not a fan.”
“Good. Free will’s a lot more fun.”
He chuckled. “Isn’t it just?”
I closed my eyes, too tired to get in an argument with him, and not really seeing any reason to at this point. He had my soul. But I’d get it back.
I was a Reed, and a damn stubborn one.
“We’ll see,” he said as he rose. Right. He could read my mind. I pictured him doing some unlikely things with his anatomy.
He laughed, then walked across the room, and settled down in the chair where Myra had been sitting.
I didn’t know why he was staying in my room.
I didn’t know why it was oddly comforting either. But the nightmares that were my memories were waiting for me down there in my slumber, and I thought that maybe having a demon occasionally—well, mostly, okay, only when he felt like being—on my side wouldn’t be a bad thing right now.
When I slept, I dreamed of fire and ash. All the flames were warm, and the ash that fell from the velvet sky melted against my skin with the sound of my father’s laughter.
Epilogue
“They put locks on it,” I said.
“Still not seeing a problem.” Ryder offered me a French fry from his plate. We were sitting at a table at Jump Off Jack’s, our local and award-winning brewery. It was where Ryder and I had gone on our first date.
“I didn’t say it was a problem. Just. It’s not. Not the same.”
I’d told him about the whole Mithra take over I’d seen happen. Then I’d filled him and Myra and Jean and Hogan in on the death-favor with Dad and Bathin.
Ryder had been furious when he heard Mithra had possessed him. I knew there was going to be a lot more reasearch into what Mithra could actually enforce in contracts. Myra was on board for finding a way to make sure Mithra couldn’t take over Ryder’s body again. Even Bathin said he’d be happy to help. We told him no, but still, he offered.
Demon.
Chris Lagon, a gillman and brewmaster and owner of this joint, deposited two fresh beers and gave me a wink. “Town feels all roomy now. Wasn’t sure I’d like it, but it’s growing on me.”
“They’ll be back,” I said, knowing he was talking about the gods who had left.
Now, a full two weeks after they had been forced to pick up their powers and pack up their bags, the town was both getting back to normal and still sort of holding its breath, waiting for the gods to return.
