I hope the next time he jerks off, something interrupts him for real. Something worse than me. Something with claws and hollow, gaping eye sockets. I hope the fucking wraith flashes him through the window.
Nathaniel slams his fist against the dashboard so hard the whole car jolts. “Oh my fucking gods, can we focus?” He twists in his seat to glare at us. “We just released a fucking wraith, we’re carrying a corpse, and you’re all making this so much worse than it has to be.”
That shuts everyone up.
A rare miracle.
Talon exhales through his nose, rubbing his temple.
“Look,” he says. “I don’t care about Cassian’s exhibitionist phase. I care about the fact that you, little Grim, lied to us.” His gaze sharpens as it lands on me. “So let’s start there.”
I clench my jaw, but fine. Fine. I knew this was coming. I knew they'd be pissed, I just... I thought I'd have time to handle it. To redirect it. Not have this goddamn interrogation in the car, while Cassian is still smug about his dick.
And by the look on Nathaniel’s face, this is just the warm-up.
They're going to get their revenge on me.
They’re vengeful like that.
“Alright,” I say, slapping some duct tape over the cracks in my composure. “Ask your questions.”
Talon and Nathaniel exchange a look before Nathaniel speaks.
“Did you know you’d stop being a Grim Reaper if your ex died?”
I do not answer immediately. Because technically, I didn'tknowknow it. Like, I hadn’t personally experienced it. But also... yeah, I knew it.
“Well, yes,” I admit finally, because lying would be stupid and they’re already sharpening their metaphorical knives. “But I hoped I would be able to punish my ex-husband after you killed him. You know. A fun little post-murder bonus round. I was kind of banking on you giving me his soul afterward so I could exact my well-earned revenge.”
Talon tilts his head. “And you just conveniently left that part out?”
“Would you have still gone through with it if I told you?” I counter, arms crossed, chin up, taking the moral high ground in a situation where I definitely do not have it.
Nathaniel scoffs. Yeah. That’s a no.
Cassian, who has somehow mastered the art of looking both furious and amused at the same time, exhales a laugh. A real one. Not a snort. Not a smirk. An actual laugh. I squint at him like he’s grown a second head.
“I don’t know, little Grim,” he muses, tapping his fingers against the wheel. “Seems like you didn’t trust us much.”
First sweetheart, now Little Grim?
And… trust?
“Oh, you think?” I snap. “Pardon me for not handing over my entire afterlife to three homicidal maniacs with the combined moral compass of a black hole and aliteralhit list.”
Talon looks away, jaw ticking. Nathaniel just lets out a long, slow breath like he’s counting to ten in his head. Cassian… I don't know what's up with him.
“You played us,” Nathaniel finally says. “We agreed to kill your ex because we thought it’d help you. But you knew you wouldn’t be a Grim Reaper anymore and decided that was not important enough to mention. So here’s the deal—we’re not doing anything for you anymore.Exceptsaving your life.”
“Hey!” I protest. “That’s—”
Nathaniel holds up a hand like a teacher stopping a student mid-sentence.
“No. We’re done being your little murder dogs.”
There is a beat of silence. A horrible beat of silence. Then Cassian mutters, “Murder dogs? That’s cute.”
I inhale sharply, turning my glare on Nathaniel. “That’s so unfair. You’re acting like I manipulated you into this, but let’s be real—youwantedhim dead too. He’s a murderer. I just gave you extra incentive. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
