His light chuckle fills the small room, mocking me just as surely as the man himself.
“I askedyouto fix the messyoucreated by undertaking such an ambitious project without the proper precautions in place. I hardly see how it’s my fault that you couldn’t do that without making another mess.” His voice hardens as he stands in one swift motion, “I assume you’re working to figure out how to permanently fix the issue, now that you’ve procured samples of the stones?"
I nod dumbly, not sure how else to respond.
"Then I suggest you not let anything disturb you. With any luck, your biggest distraction will be…detained.”
An urge to scream bubbles up right alongside the burning desire to claw his fucking demented eyes out. As if in answer to my turmoil, shadows burst from my necklace and wrap around me like ropes, stopping me before I can jump across the table. My halted scream manifests in a frustrated cry as I watch Darro’s face twitch with amusement while he glides toward the door.
“Oh, bondage! How very stimulating. I’ll have to try it with your sister.” If looks could kill, Kier would drop dead, my mind all but visualizing the daggers that my eyes are throwing at him. “Do let me know when you figure it out. I really would enjoy never coming here again.” And with that, he disappears without a second glance.
Seth’s shadows stay put, pulsing around me like a hug. The pressure is calming despite my anger at being held back. In fact, I might have smiled at this small reassurance that Seth is still with me, if it wasn’t for Kier's words ringing hollowly in my head.Shit!
Seth is going to be in trouble, if he isn’t already, and it’s all my fucking fault. His shadows drop with my heart, before they disappear back into the necklace. Their absence leaving me shaky and cold.
12
Whoops!
Seth
The horrible standard-issue Reaper’s Guild office chair I’m sitting in creaks loudly as I shift, trying not to panic. Half a century. That’s how long I’ve worked as a reaper without incident. Well, alright, without aseriousincident. Now, in one twenty-four-hour period, I’ve managed to accumulate—I squint down at the now crumpled paper in my hands—five violations and four broken laws.Shit.That's actually kind of impressive.
Violations
1. Unsanctioned reconnaissance in a restricted zone(Unseelie Court? But Darro kind of invited Ryn, sort of.)
2. Unsanctioned conjuring of a shadow magicked artifact(Necklace. Okay, so that’s one.)
3. Excessive Intimidation(Unclear. Personally,I feel like it was just the right amount of intimidation.)
4. Zeroing out a blood debt without the use of proper protocol and grant of permissions(Bullshit. They can eat a dick on that one.)
5. Damage to a public access point(I have questions)
Criminal Law Breaks
1. Revealing oneself to Obwoms(Does it really count if they aren’t alive anymore?)
2.Unscheduled soul harvest which resulted in homicide(Yeah, okay, but it’s no genuine loss for the obwoms.)
3. Theft(*Borrowing. Darro basically gave us permission.)
4.Soul siphoning(Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckety fuck.)
Really, it’s just bad luck that I helped Ryn break into the Unseelie Court and steal soul stones on the same day that I had to commit a bit of homicide in order to save my friends. What did they expect me to do? When I got to Cian’s house, it was fucking chaos. He was as close to feral as I’ve ever seen anyone, and Trissa was bleeding out with a pair of rusty garden shears sticking out of her stomach while her ex tried to finish her off (which, by the way, would have doomed Cian as well)! It’s not like I could just walk away.
Clearing my throat, I look up into the face of my very annoyed superior and wince. “So, erm…to be fair, that access point was dodgy before I got there. Lots of rust. Not sure how much of that was actually me.”
Hellas’s orbs flare a bright crimson, and I duck my head with resignation. Oh, yeah. He’s pissed.
“People are dead.” His voice warbles slightly, and that alone really should be enough warning to keep my trap shut, but I’m me. And my mental and emotional state is delicate after all the highs and lows.
“Just the one.” My nose wrinkles and I mutter, “And he kind of sucked, to be honest. He was actively trying to murder my friends and burn their house to the ground.”
If psychopomps could release smoke through their orbs, Hellas’s would be chimneys. “The Norns are calling for immediate reparations. We’ve had to sacrifice ten souls from holding to satisfy the mess you caused by canceling out that girl's blood debt!”
I clench my jaw, anger replacing my anxiety. “That debt was bullshit. Multiple people gave their lives to pay it. It’s completely unfair that they kept upping the interest, and you know it!”
