Russell finally lets me go. When I’m back on my feet, he shoves his hands in his pockets. “So, Detroit, huh?” he says with a grimace. “You couldn’t have picked a warmer climate? You know it makes it hard to come back to Earth, knowin’ I might freeze to death when winter rolls around again.”
“You came back,” I whisper, wiping away tears with the sleeve of my shirt.
Russell reaches out and tenderly wipes a tear away with his thumb. “Yeah, I sort of had to, I missed my best friend. Nothin’ is the same without you.”
“Anya didn’t mind coming back?” I ask.
“Anya has to do a rotation on Earth as karmic retribution for disobeyin’ Heaven when she escaped Paradise to be with me—blah, blah blah.” He swipes his hand through his tawny hair. “I didn’t have to come with her, but Reed was offerin’ us this key job and it was a way to be together and see you. I mean, I’ve had worse jobs, right?”
“Oh, for sure,” I agree with a tear-streaked smile. “There’s that time you were a messenger—”
“Do not bring that up!” He laughs. “Anyway, what would I do in Heaven when everyone is here? I’d be bored, Evie. After the lives we’ve lived, I don’t think I could hang there for more than a decade before I’d need to get back into the game. And we don’t have inescapables anymore. No more Emil to ruin our lives.”
“Your inescapable is gone too.”
“Good riddance,” he says harshly, not at all unhappy that his evil counterpart has been destroyed.
“I don’t even know what it will be like not to have Emil around.”
“You still have to deal with demons all the time.”
“Yeah, but at least I know what they are now and I’m not at their mercy anymore.”
“Aren’t you?” he asks with a sad expression.
“No. I’m not. The faeries I’ve been living with aren’t demons anymore.”
“But you have to rescue souls from Sheol. That’s a dangerous job.”
“I can handle it.”
“If anyone can, it’s you,” Russell says. “Anyway, I know Reed’s glad he’s here. He hated Paradise. For a guy who once pined for it, he couldn’t wait to get back here.”
“He’s been in the game too long.”
“So have you.”
“I am the game.”
Russell smiles ruefully. “Truer words were never spoken, Red. I think he also missed you too much. So, when are you movin’ in?”
I’m spared from answering that question when Zephyr throws open the door. He picks me up and hugs me. “What is Sheol like? Reed would not tell me. He said that I had to ask you.”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” I promise.
He sets me on my feet. His ice blue eyes search mine. “Is there any way you’d consider taking me with you on a redemption run to Sheol to rescue souls?”
“Umm, I don’t know. I don’t see why not.”
“Excellent,” he replies with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Reed takes my hand and leads me into the room. I settle on the sofa next to him. Leaning against his chest, he wraps his arm around my shoulder, teasing strands of my hair between his fingers. Buns, Brownie, Anya and I discuss all the things Reed and I can do for our binding ceremony. Buns get Phaedrus to agree to perform the rites again. We spend hours chatting. I listen to their stories of Paradise.
“Do you want to see the rest of the house?” Reed asks. I nod enthusiastically.
Getting up from the sofa, he takes my hand. He gives me a tour of the house. Much of it I recognize from high school, but he leads me upstairs to a room I’ve never been in. It’s the master suite. The far wall is made entirely of windows. Two doors lead out to a grand stone porch overlooking the water. “Please tell me this is our room.” I grin. He closes the door behind us.
“This is our room,” he says. He walks to me and takes me in his arms and together we make it our own.
* * *
Living with Reed is effortless. He fills a void in me. I’ve been given a second chance at love. I appreciate it so much more than I did before; I take nothing for granted. My obligations, however, have not gone away. I am still the queen to my faeries. There are things that I have to do that I can’t discuss with Reed. He has his own secrets that he’s not allowed to share with me as well, secrets of his key and its gate to Paradise. Because we have mutual respect for one another, we’re able to get past it and accept the things we cannot change.
I glance at my watch again, and then gently move Reed’s arm from my shoulder. As silently as possible, I get up from my seat and I try to creep out of the dark home-theater room so that I don’t disturb the angels as they watch a movie. Reed follows me to the door. I slip out into the hall. Reed murmurs, “You have to leave now?”
“Brennus is coming to pick me up. We have a strategy meeting.” I gesture with my thumb over my shoulder. “He should be here any minute.”
“What’s your meeting about?” Reed asks as he follows me up the stairs and into the foyer.
“I can’t talk about it,” I say awkwardly. “I’ll be back in the morning, though. We can have breakfast together.” I gather a light jacket from the closet and my bag, which contains my battle hammer in it.