Page 35 of Little Howl of Moon

“No,” Death interjected, raising a hand. “They stay. They ensure nothing gets out of hand. And they’reproofof your abuse of power when it comes to dealing fate.”

He growled, tearing his attention from us. Steel swallowed hard, his claws digging into me nervously. It was bad, whatever this meeting was.

“What do you want?” the Barista demanded. “Why are you awake?”

“You know why. Sit.”

“No,” Lucifer whispered. “No. You need to leave. We aren’t going to comply with what you ask.”

“I am here for a reason,” Death said simply. “Your daughter does not belong to this world. The other children, I do not know. But this one’s soul is in the wrong place. You know it to be true.”

“No,” Lucifer snarled, the air rippling around him. He stepped forward, baring sharp teeth. My heart skipped a beat and I looked away, his form hurting my eyes to behold. “You will not lay a hand on her.”

“She is not a mortal, and you know it. And you know her soul. You recognize it.”

The Barista grabbed Lucifer before he could lunge across the cafe. “You will not touch our oldest?—”

“Oldest? No. I mean your youngest. I don’t know what her name is here. She is not meant to be in this realm. Her soul is not in the right place. It will causedisruptions. TheBarista,as he’s called now, knows what I’m talking about.”

Silence settled over all of us. Lucifer’s eyes lit like pyres, but he turned to look at his mate. “What does he mean?”

The Barista’s expression became unreadable. He stared at Death, and then shook his head, looking at Lucifer. “I didn’t know for sure. I mean, I suspected she might be?—”

“What is he talking about?” Lucifer barked. “Who does he mean?”

“Tana.” The Barista’s shoulders stiffened. “He means she might be reincarnated.”

“Not might,” Death said. “It’s all very complicated, isn’t it? The way life and death work. The way souls work. The other realms, therulesthat glue it all together. Tana’s soul was not meant to come here, and she needs to return. She is tricky, and she is in the body of a child. She will become destructive in this form.”

“What?” Lucy whispered. “No. No, there’s no way. Not our daughter. She’s ours. She’s our child. You’re lying.”

The Barista was silent for a few seconds. His whisper shattered. “I didn’t know for sure.”

Lucifer stared at him, his wings dropping. “Why didn’t you talk to Trixie and me about this? Why?”

“Because I wasn’t sure?—”

“You suspected. That’s enough to bring it up to us.”

“Everything has been getting out of hand, and now Death?—”

“Deathis the least of our fucking concerns if ourchildren are at risk!” Lucifer shouted. “I don’t care if her soul is that of a goddess or another being, she is our child and she is ours to protect. Wewillprotect her.”

The cafe walls shook. Steel circled his arms around me and pulled us into another booth. He shoved me into the corner, blocking me with his body. “Steel,” I rasped.

He shook his head. “Just hold onto me.”

Their words changed into another language, the tones turning more monstrous. My ears rang and I pressed my face against Steel. There was a pressure in the air, a storm brewing.

Something waswrong.

Very, very wrong.

I heard footsteps beneath the shouting and the wind that was picking up outside the little coffee shop. A roaring, screaming wind that was sweeping in something different.

“Layla,” Steel breathed out. “Oh fuck.”

The shouting stopped and I struggled against Steel, peaking over his shoulder.