Page 1 of Deep Love

Chapter One

Delphi

“If you want to keepthose hands, you’ll take them off me right now.” I jerked my arms, succeeding only in sending streaks of pain through both of them as my captors tightened their grips.

“If you could actually make good on that threat, you would have by now,” the goon on my left said. “Time to face the facts, honey. Your power sifts out of you the farther we get from Seraphia. You don’t have the juice to harm a mosquito.”

“And that’s unfortunate,” Goon #2 on my right said, “because it’s mosquito season where you’re going.”

“Look, fellas, this has all been a misunderstanding, and I hate that your precious time has been wasted.” Maybe a little sweetness would get me out of this predicament. “How about you take me back to home base? I’m convinced we can get to the bottom of this mistake—”

“Mistake?” Goon #1 released a braying sound that could have been a laugh. “Since when does she make mistakes?” He looked around me to his partner. “Zeff, do you remember her ever casting anyone out that didn’t deserve to be cast out?”

“Never happened on my watch because it never happens, Criston,” Zeff said.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” I relaxed my body, hoping that if they didn’t think I would fight them, these burly soldiers of hers would loosen their sausage fingers around my arms. They were going to leave a mark if they held me with that much force for much longer.

And the bastards were right, of course. My power was at a mere fraction of what it had been and with each step we took away from Seraphia, more dripped out of me and the more human I became. The more likely their hold on my arms would leave bruises too. I could actually see the Chosen City’s borders now, and once I crossed that boundary, there would be only one way to get back in.

I had to die.

Again.

I’d done that once, and I have to be honest, not a fun time was had. Zero stars. Would not recommend. Though what had come after dying had been fan-fucking-tastic. The Sun Goddess, Solari, had welcomed my soul to Seraphia with the warmest embrace. I had been bathed in so much love, it’d been overwhelming at first.

Then my heart soaked it all in and a peace I’d never felt in my human life filled me. I’d been living in the Chosen City in a perpetually blissful state since then.

But someone shattered that bliss by setting me up. I absolutely would not do anything to get myself kicked out of such a perfect place. Only an idiot would risk losing something so beautiful, and I was no idiot.

“Yeah, you are,” Zeff said.

“What?” I’d almost forgotten he and Criston were still dragging me toward the exit door.

“You said you were no idiot,” Criston said. “We’re confirming that, yes, in fact, you are.”

“Fuck you both.”

“The only soul here that’s fucked is yours, sweetheart.” Criston shook his head. “Why did you do it?”

“I told you I didn’t do it. I wouldn’t. Never ever.”

“You expect us to believe you didn’t re-route all those souls?” Zeff actually stopped walking to look at me, so Criston stopped as well. Neither of them let up on their lobster-claw grips, however.

“Why would I re-route a bunch of souls from a trainwreck?” I asked. “I would never deny a soul entry to Seraphia. I’m there to welcome the souls just as Solari did when I arrived, and you know what? I loved hugging each and every one of them. It makes no sense that I’d send innocent and deserving souls in the other direction.” I pointed downward then shivered.

“You have stuck to your story that you were framed,” Zeff said.

“That’s because it isn’t a story.” I actually stomped my foot like a child. “Seraphia is supposed to be all truth and justice and love and light.” I shook my head. “Being accused of something I did not do, being banished over an infraction I did not commit, puts a big ol’ hole in the perfection, doesn’t it?”

“Once we get rid of you,” Criston said, “Seraphia will be perfect again.”

“No, it won’t because you’re getting rid of the wrong soul. The soul who did incorrectly send those souls downtown will still be in your precious realm, and who knows what other damage a chaotic soul like that will cause.”

Zeff took up our march to the city limits again, Criston matching his pace on my other side.

“You two are brick walls,” I muttered.

“Thank you.” Zeff puffed out his chest.