“Sofia would have made them stay,” I whispered against his shirt.
“Asking an angel to stay in the Underworld is asking them to forsake their light.”
“So, Melinda was an angel?” Isabella asked, stepping up behind August.
“It makes sense,” Sebastian murmured. “No wonder she saw so much. But why ask to come if this was how it ended?”
“I think she had a reason,” Isabella said, reaching for Sebastian’s hand. “And whatever it was, we should be thankful. All Melinda’s ever wanted was to aid the Reapers.”
“I’m sure she died for a good reason,” Joy added. “But it doesn’t change the fact that Kitty’s back in Hell.”
August exhaled into my hair, holding me closer.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “We should have asked the angels more. Instead, I—”
“Reunited with family,” Isabella finished, smiling gently.
“Kitty’s essence is strong. She’s well. We’ll try again,” August said. After a pause, he tilted my chin toward him. “You’re with me, right? Odin, Cloud, and Finn have their own paths. Yours is with me. We might cross paths with them again, but you’re mine—and I’m yours.”
My heart swelled. I leaned in and kissed him.
“Always.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kara
Astinging sensation jolted me awake.
I jerked forward, hand already halfway up to summon my scythe—
But I couldn’t move.
Two heavy bands, warm and solid, squeezed around me. My breath hitched until I realized what they were: arms.Hisarms.
The Devil.
I blinked hard, struggling to orient myself. We were back in his room. He sat on the bed, and I was…in his lap. His massive arms held me in place. When I shifted, my back dragged against his bare chest, and a sharp ache flared down my spine. The soreness stole my breath, and I whimpered uncontrollably.
The last thing I remembered—
Demons.
Fighting.
Harvest—
I reached up and touched the back of my head, wincing. That hit had been bad.
Where was Melinda?
Where was Harvest?
My eyes lifted slowly to the Devil’s face. He stared down at me with a glare so intense I couldn’t begin to decipher it. Rage? Relief? Something else entirely?
Why was I alive?
Emotion swelled in my throat before I could stop it. My chest ached with the kind of confusion that made you cry before you even realized it. I should be dead. But instead, my power hummed through me, familiar and whole. I could feel it stitching me together, closing my wounds.
