I swallow hard, tears burning at my eyes. “You’re telling me that in order to save my soul, I’m going to have to die.”
He nods.
A whooshing sound draws my attention, and I glance to my left to see both demons leaping into the air, heading straight for us. Their red eyes gleam hungrily in the darkness, and I can actuallyfeelthem tugging at my energy, feeding off tendrils from my aura. I grit my teeth as another wave of anger washes through me.
These bastards have already taken Cass from me. They’re not taking another damn thing, not if I can help it.
Before I can change my mind, I grab the scythe from the reaper. Power blasts through me, knocking me straight out of my body, and I use the momentum to launch myself at the demon closest to me. It twists in mid-air, avoiding my first strike, and we both land on the rooftop.
A whistling sound passes over my head as the second demon swipes for me, followed by a blast of searing red energy. I don’t have to look behind me to know that professor is drawing the second demon’s attention away from me, so I focus my attention on the first one. It charges again, and this time I’m able to dodge with lightning-fast speed, running around it in circles like I’m the Flash. It spins with me, getting dizzy, and once I have it thoroughly confused, I jump into the air, swing my scythe, and decapitate it with one clean stroke.
The head and body thud to the ground, then crumble away into nothingness.
“Well done, Miss Blake.” The professor’s voice snaps me out of the moment. I turn to see him standing behind the other demon, which is bound up with a glowing rope tied into a series of intricate knots oddly reminiscent of shibari. The rope seems to be coming directly from the professor’s palm, and he is staring at me with an expression that’s hard to read. I’d thought he’d be pleased, after working so hard to get me to pick up the scythe, but his dark gaze is thoughtful, as if I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve. “Please decapitate this one as well. I can’t hold him much longer.”
I do as he says, trying not to dwell on the fact that I’m getting awfully comfortable with this whole decapitation thing. The demon dissipates, and the professor vanishes the glowing rope with a wave of his hand.
“Now what?” I glance back at my body, which is lying spread-eagle next to the massive generator perched on top of the building. “I don’t suppose you’re going to let me go back into my body, are you?”
The professor shrugs. “I could. But I won’t be here to offer you my scythe the next time the demons come for you. The only place you’ll be safe at is Reaper Academy.”
Academy.“Is that where that guy I met the other day is from?” I ask, remembering my conversation with the reaper who’d taken Cass away. Bellator, was that his name? “Is he some kind of reaper in training?”
“Yes, and he was not supposed to be hunting alone that night.” The professor’s mouth twitches. “Though it is very fortunate for you that he did, and that he encountered you. Your full powers would have manifested at some point, even if you’d never picked up Mr. Bellator’s scythe, and with no reaper around to watch over you, you and your friend would have both been devoured.”
“My friend—you mean Cass?” I grip the handle of the scythe harder, using it to support myself as my knees weaken. “What happened to her? Is she all right?”
“She’s perfectly safe,” he said, “and waiting for you on the other side. You can see her, if you’ll just come with me.” He offers his arm out to me.
I hesitate, glancing back at my body. But really, what am I waiting for? There’s nothing to pack that I can take to the afterlife, and although I’m disappointed that I’m not going to get to hear about Mrs. Garcia’s date, it’s not the end of the world. My architecture degree isn’t going to do me much good if I’m dead, and I have no close friends, no family ties, no one who will grieve me very much. The one person I care about the most is already gone, and she’s waiting for me on the other side.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath, then loop my arm through his. “I’m ready.”
3
The moment I grasp the professor’s arm, he raises his other arm, palm out, and shouts an incantation. Runes glow upon his palm, and I gasp in surprise as a whirling vortex opens up right in front of us.
“Hold on tight!” he shouts as we’re sucked through. A kaleidoscope of colors whirls around my vision, making me dizzy, and I force my eyes shut to keep myself from getting sick. Some kind of force presses in on me, as if I’m being shoved through a very tight tube, and then—
Wham.My feet land on solid ground, and I stumble.
“Steady now.” The professor releases my arm so he can slide his arm around my waist, supporting me so I don’t face-plant into the polished wooden floor beneath us. “I forgot how shocking portal travel can be to the uninitiated. Are you all right?” he asks kindly.
I blink rapidly, trying to clear the stars from my vision. I feel like I did that time I drank an entire bottle of warmed-up, spiced red wine after walking home from school in a snowstorm. It hit me hard and fast and I spent the rest of the night puking in the toilet while listening to Cassandra tell me how I should have known better.
“I feel like I’m going to puke.”
A concerned look crosses the professor’s handsome face. “Here, have a seat.” He takes his scythe from me as he leads me to a leather couch. Some kind of energy seems to be emanating from him, creating a hum in the air that’s oddly soothing. I sink down into the couch, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. A moment later, the world stops spinning and I open my eyes. I’m in what looks like an office. The floor is stone and the walls are covered in dark wooden paneling. There’s a fireplace across from me, and a large desk to the side. Everything about this room is grandiose and has an almost regal feel to it. The shelves behind the desk are full of books, and most of the titles don’t appear to be in English.
A chill runs through me, and I bring my arms in, hugging myself.
“Tea?” the professor asks, crossing over to a sideboard where a tea set and a platter of cookies has already been laid out. He doesn’t wait for an answer, just pours me a cup, then places a few cookies in the saucer before bringing it to me. “Have some of this. It should help you feel better.”
Eating is the last thing I want to do when I feel like throwing up, but maybe the tea will help soothe my stomach. The cup is halfway to my lips when a thought occurs to me, and I set it down on the coffee table in front of me with shaking hands.
The professor arches a brow as he sits in the armchair adjacent to me. “Something wrong?”
“Yes, something is wrong!” My voice is higher than it should be, and I clench my fists, trying to get myself under control. “Why am I feeling nauseous, and why are you trying to feed me food and drink? I’m dead, aren’t I? I left my body back on Earth! Why would I still need to eat and drink?” I narrow my gaze suspiciously at him. “Is this some kind of prank you’re playing on me?” What if I’d hallucinated the demon fighting? Or maybe this was just some sort of crazy dream? Maybe someone had held up the store at gunpoint, and I’d been shot, and was lying in a hospital bed right now, an IV in my arm—
