Page 40 of Judge of Saints and Sinners

I would rather hurt her now than hurt her when my magic overwhelmed me. Because it would. It was only a matter of time. Especially now that I knew that her soul was accessible to me.

Our deal was done. All it would take was one brush of my magic, and my soul would be mine again.

Fuck.

“What is your name? Your real name. All of it.” Her eyes shone with a kind of worry as I came to a stop in front of her.

“Nephesh.”

Justine’s brows flew high. “What?”

“Ne—” I held the syllable out “—fesh. Nephesh.” There was a strained silence as she stared up at me, her mouth working the sounds out a few times.

“There’s more, isn't there? You can freeze time and start fires. Your dog is a figment of mythology. You aren't just some casual demon who deals with damsels in distress, are you? God, I should’ve known.”

My smart, smart little mate. “No, I’m not.”

“So I’ll ask you again, Nephesh. Who. Are. You?”

“I’m Nephesh. I am the Judge of the Underworld. A prince of Hell, the heir to my father’s throne. I am his arm and his fire. I have spent my many lifetimes sending souls to their ends, all in the pursuit of power.”

The soft sounds of traffic sounded behind us, but I saw only her. Watched the way her throat bobbed. There was fear in her scent, but she didn’t show it. “Why are you here, then?”

“I’m here for you.”

She took a step back, forgetting herself and bumping against the diner wall. I don’t pursue because I couldn’t stop looking at the way her face had gone white as snow. “I don’t understand. Me?”

“You… You are not a normal human. You have something of mine, and I need it back.”

“What? No I don’t!” Something in the shadows shifted, and I tensed immediately, sending out a soft wave of magic to sense others around. There was nothing now, but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been a moment ago. The instinctive urgency to get us away from her rose up in me.

I didn’t think twice before reaching forward to take her elbow. Justine jerked away.

“We can’t talk here.”

“Yes, we can. I’m done being lied to. We aren’t going anywhere until you tell me the whole thing.”

“I never lied.”

“You also didn’t tell me the truth.”

“Semantics.”

Her arms slapped at her sides in a frustrated gesture. “Semantics are everything, Ju—I mean Nephesh. Tell me. Tell me, and we will go somewhere else.”

With a snarl, I paced a short line then turned around and marched back over it. “You don’t understand the burden I carry, the one that I have carried every day of my life. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“It has everything to do with you. If I don’t complete my mission, my family will suffer. If I do…”

“Fuck, Nephesh. I’m here, waiting. I want to help you. I want to know. What does this mean? Tell me now.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“You’ve been trying to do that for days.” Justine held up her wrist, the deal mark still shining clear on her skin. “Something isn’t working.”

I stopped pacing, my head hanging as I tried to figure out our next move.