“To be with me…” She trailed off, feeling like a fool under the Memitim’s looks of pity. He’d lied.
“He came to us with a stain on his soul.” The auburn female glared at the blond male, and Idess knew he’d played a role in this somehow. “Rami begged us to stay, rather than return to Earth, and because he’d failed his test out of love, we gave him another chance. But his own guilt is what blackened his soul. When he found out what you’d done, it simply accelerated what was fated to be anyway.”
All those years, Idess had punished herself… and for nothing.
“Come forward,” the auburn-haired female continued. “You have earned your reward.”
Idess froze to the floor, which might as well be ice instead of marble. “I can’t.”
The blond male moved toward her. “You cannot be refusing to Ascend.”
“I want to stay on Earth.”
“You want to be with Lore,” Reaver said.
She didn’t deny it. “Please. I know I’ll be human. Mortal. But I love him.”
“If you’re mortal,” Reaver said gravely, “his gift could kill you. You know that, right?”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
“What if Lore isn’t willing to chance it?”
She shrugged. “I won’t know until I get there.”
“Be sure about this,” the black-haired female said. “What is done cannot be undone.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Reaver blurted. “You know, the done-undone thing. I’m proof of that.”
The carrot-topped male who had been silent shot Reaver an annoyed look. “Stay out of this, battle angel. Don’t you have demons to smite?”
“Totally. There’s an exorcism planned in Melbourne today. But I have an hour to kill, and this is way cooler than X-Box.”
“You make me very glad I Ascended before the age of electronics and ridiculous slang,” the blond male said.
“I’m sure your age of Black Death and witch-burnings was much more fun,” Reaver said dryly.
The auburn female held up her hand. “Enough.” She approached Idess, her expression concerned. “You are certain?”
“Yes,” she breathed, “oh, yes.”
“You cannot remain as Memitim, but your service has earned you more than a mortal existence. If your reason to stay on Earth is to be with Lore, then we will bond you to him so that his power will not kill you, you can travel via Harrowgates with him, and your lifespan will be his. As a half-breed, he has centuries of life ahead of him. When he dies, so shall you, and assuming that you don’t fall prey to evil, you will both be granted entrance into Heaven.”
Heaven? “So… his soul is human.” Idess could hardly breathe at that news. They would be together. Forever. “Do it,” she said. “Make it happen.”
“There is a price. A duty, if you will.”
“Anything. Just hurry!”
“So be it.” The female waved her hand, and instantly, the link to Lore was back.
With a vengeance.
Idess’s knees buckled. Reaver caught her before her knees struck the floor. Darkness and rage slammed into her brain, as well as misery and sorrow.
“Lore,” she gasped. Automatically, she brushed her finger over her wrist, but his heraldi was gone.
“You are no longer Memitim, and he is no longer Primori,” the female said.
“I have to go to him.” She caught glimpses of him… no, not him… but of what he was seeing. Blood. Weapons. Detharu. “He’s at the den. I have to go. Send me there!”
“We can’t get you inside—”
“Then outside! Now!”
The raven-haired female shook her head. “You are human now, and no match for demons in Sheoul.”
“I don’t care! I remember how to fight. Just send me!”
Reaver gripped her shoulders and spoke to the Council. “I got this.” When Idess looked up at him, he grinned and waggled his brows. “Battle angel. Let’s go kick some demon ass.”
Twenty-six
They materialized in Sheoul, just outside a giant door that was guarded by two drooling Ramreels. The beasts didn’t even have time to draw their machetes before Reaver went Terminator on the demons. He didn’t fight them; he demolished them.
When they were nothing but steaming piles of quivering flesh on the ground, he brushed off his hands and pushed the door open. “I can’t enter without an executive order. Good luck.”
“Thank you, Reaver.”
With a nod, he was gone.
Idess’s bare feet slapped the floor of Deth’s den as she ran, the crimson robe flapping at her legs and ankles. Dread rumbled through her, plowing into the overwhelming fury and pain the link brought from Lore.
Oh, please no. Idess exploded through the doors… and skidded to a stop. Her heart slammed into her rib cage and remained there, plastered to the bone and not beating.
Lore was raging, was a bloody mess as he battled several demons. Sin was on the ground, struggling against the fierce hold of three Ramreels. Their bleeding wounds and the weapons scattered around Sin spoke of her valiant attempt to kill them before they’d taken her down.