Page 72 of Bond of Passion

No doubt. She’d obviously been born with the empathy cells, but…wait. If those were controlled by the gene he was talking about, why hadn’t she been born with dark skin? Had her Resurrection fixed the screwup?

“Deja, your eyes look glazed,” Idess said in a teasing tone. “Eidolon yakking about his pet research projects does that to people.”

Eidolon looked a little sheepish. “Maybe.” His watch beeped, and he gave it a quick glance. “I’m late for an appointment. Idess, let me know when my computer is working again. And, Deja, thanks for the sample. I might have more questions for you later.”

Great. Just great.

He walked away, and as Deja stood to go too, Idess looked over at her. “He’ll have more questions. Trust me. He’s excited to be able to study a Neebless. The guy can’t resist a mystery.”

“And I’m an extra rare mystery.”

“What do you mean?”

Deja shouldn’t have said that. But, dammit, she was tired of the lies. Tired of the mystery of why she looked the way she did. Tired of this whole revenge plot that was way more complicated and exhausting than she’d ever thought it could be.

If Tavin could come clean about killing the female he loved, then she could do the same and finally confide in someone.

She just hoped Idess was the right someone.

Idess’sexpression became concerned. “Deja? Is there something you need to say? You can trust me.”

Deja stood there, fidgeting with the little container of breath mints in her jacket pocket. Finally, she just blurted it out. “I’m one of the Resurrected. But this isn’t the body I died in.”

Idesslaughed, but when Deja didn’t join in, the other female got serious. “You’re not joking, are you?” Idess turned away from the computer, her attention engaged completely. “What do you mean that you’re not in the body you died in? You weren’t a Neebless when you died? Or you’re in a different Neebless body?”

“I mean that I died a Neethul. I came back as a Neebless.”

“That seems odd.” Idess contemplated that for a second, and then she grabbed her cell phone and started tapping out a text. “You know what?” she said as she typed. “I know exactly who can help make sense of your mystery.” She tucked her phone into her pocket, stood, and held out her hand to Deja. “Come with me.”

* * * *

Idessled Deja outside the hospital and into its underground parking lot.

Baffled, Deja looked around at the cars and black ambulances parked near the entrance. “Why are we here?”

Idessturned to her. “You know who Azagoth is, yes? I assume so since you know you’re Resurrected.”

She nodded. “Azagoth, formerly the Keeper of Souls, also known to humans as the Grim Reaper.”

“Right. He’s my father,” Idess said, and Deja’s throat closed up with a humiliating squeak. “After he destroyed Sheoul-gra, he was given a new job and a new realm. And up until a couple of months ago, there was no way to access his realm. But Reaver pulled some strings and maybe made some threats, so Azagoth’s children can get in by invitation only, and we have to cross through the Nether.” She looked over at Deja. “By the expression on your face, I’m guessing you don’t know what the Nether is?”

“I don’t know who Reaver is, either. I’ve heard his name, but…”

“Reaver’s an angel. He’s basically the angel. Long story. Have Tavin explain it to you.” Idess’s voice went low. “You are mated to him, right?”

Deja cringed. Thought about lying. But there was no point. She and everyone else would find out eventually. “How did you know?”

“Your jacket is zipped up all the way to your chin.” Reaching out, Idess tugged the collar down, revealing the glyphs that went almost to her jaw.

“Do you think Eidolon knew?”

Idessgave her a you’re-kidding look. “One hundred percent. But we’ll talk about that later. We’re running out of time to get to Azagoth’s place. I got permission from Azagoth’s mate already, so we’ll go through the Nether, which is a plane of existence between the living and the dead,” she explained. “It’s where human souls reside when they aren’t in Heaven.”

Idesstook her hand, and suddenly, they were standing in the same place in the hospital parking lot, but everything was different. Nothing moved, and there were no sounds. Or color. Everything was black, white, and a million shades of gray.

Deja fit right in. She was practically camouflaged, but Idess stood out with a faint glow.

Still holding hands, they moved through the Nether like it was water, as if some invisible force were trying to hold them back. Deja opened her mouth to ask Idess how long they’d be there, but the other female held her finger up to her lips and shook her head.