“No idea where that bitch went.”Reina clacked her longnails together in irritation.“As for the bracelet, well, Ididhaveit.Then I started dating this fallen angel who was climbing the politicalladder inSheoul.”
Jedda’s gut clenched.“Don’t tell me you did what I thinkyou did...”
Reina winced.“I did.I gave Slayte the bracelet so he couldharness the garnet’s power.He told me he was going to ruleSheoul.I was going to be his queen.”She swiped her hair out of her face with an angryshove.“Obviously, that didn’t happen.”She sniffed haughtily.“Oh, andwhatever you do, donotfuck the person wearing your gem’s jewelry.”
Uh-oh.Jedda shot a furtive glance at Razr.“Whynot?”
“Because it’ll bond you to them.”Reina studied her nails,which were studded with peridots on top of black polish.“Found that out thehard way.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”Razr’s eyes flashed,reflecting the same mix of anxiety and confusion Jedda felt.
The situation with Razr had already been complicated enough.
“I mean that they can control you.You know how I can healpeople with my gem?Well, apparently, my gem can also be used to tear peopleapart.”She smoothed her top again, clearing it of imaginary wrinkles.“Thatbastard used me to slaughter hundreds of demons at a time.Thousands.”Hervoice wavered with emotion, something Jedda hadn’t heard from Reina since Mandadied.“It was awful, but I had these feelings for him because of the stupidbond.Iwantedto help.”
“Where is he now?”Razr asked.
“Dead.A couple of months ago.”
“How?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Razr’s leather jacket creaked as he folded his arms over hischest.“Try me.”
Reina sighed.“The bastard was using the power to tearthrough an army of demons that belonged to some guy named...Revenant, I thinkit was.We were in some shitty region inSheoul, andthen out of nowhere, these four psychos with hellhounds rode in on horsebacklike the damned Horsemen of the Apocalypse and went all kinds of crazy on him.I escaped, but not before I saw Slayte get hacked to pieces and then eaten bythe hellhounds.”
Ew.Jedda wished she had a soda towash the taste of bile out of her mouth.“Where is the bracelet?”
“I don’t know.Probably in a pile of hellhound shitsomewhere.”
“Disturbing details aside,” Razr began, “that explains whythe gems suddenly came onto the scene.I didn’t hear about thatparticular battle, but the Horsemen must have told angelsabout it, and those angels recognized the use of the Enoch gem.”
Jedda looked over at Razr.“Who are these Horsemen?”
“Reina just told you,” hesaid.“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
Reina snorted in disbelief and Jeddalaughed,butquickly sobered.He wasn’t kidding.“The actual Four Horsemen?They’rereal?You know them?”
“They’re real.”He crouched to pick up what elves called“clover agates,” because of their color and shape.They were pretty, but theirweak energy was suitable only to nourish the tiniest of infants.“I don’t knowthem well.I’ve only seen Limos and Thanatos—Famine and Death—in passing.TheyvisitAzagothsometimes, and they often travel withhellhounds.I don’t know why.Hell, I didn’t even think the beasts could betamed.”
“If those things I saw weretamed,” Reina said,“I’d hate to see what wild hellhounds are like.”
Jedda nodded in agreement.Hellhounds were some of the worstfiendsshe’d ever encountered.Right behind Shrike.
“Sois that why you’re here?”Jeddaasked her sister.“You’re hiding from whoever has the bracelet now?”
“I’m hiding from Darlah.She swore to destroy me.I feltsafe while Slayte wore the bracelet––I mean, he was a cruel psychopath, but hewouldn’t let anyone hurt me.Now that he’s gone...”She drew in a raggedbreath.“I’m cool with hanging out here for a while.”She glanced at Jedda andRazr.“Sowhat’s up with you two?How’d you end uphere?”
“Long story,” Jedda sighed.
Reina arched a reddish eyebrow that almost matched her hair.“You guys fucked, didn’t you?Oh, man, Jedda...”
Yeah.This was a complication she didn’t need.But it alsoexplained why she felt the way she did about Razr.
Razr must have sensed her unease because he came up next toher and took her hand.“We need to talk.Can we catch up with your sister againlater?”
Reina nodded.“If you’re for real and truly forgave Jedda,where does that leave me?”
