My Soul to Keep
Page 60
I shook my head. I dont think so. Alec didnt sound very worn-out.
Okay, lets start with Nash. Tod leaned both elbows on the table, which put his eyes almost exactly level with mine.
Hes been taking Demons Breath for how long?
About a month.
The reapers blue eyes went dark like the ocean at night, and his fist thumped on the table. Why the hell didnt you tell me!
Because you werent around, and I didnt know! I hissed, glancing around the cafeteria to make sure no one was listening. And its your fault he was exposed in the first place! He accidentally inhaled some when we crossed over trying to save your girlfriend! Then you took him back to make his first purchase!
I never But his denial faded into shocked silence when the pieces fell together in his head. I didnt know what he was doing, and he wouldnt tell me. He just said he was calling in his favor, and thats all I needed to know. And honestly, I didnt even push him for information. I was so messed up then, I wasnt even thinking.
Because Addison had just died without her soul. His absence and absentmindedness had worried me. But I should have been worried about Nash.
I should have followed him. I could have stopped this before it even started! Tod ran one hand through his hair, and several curls fell over his forehead. And when he finally looked up, I couldnt decide whether I was more surprised by his admission or by the guilt and anger churning slowly in his eyes.
I almost never saw Tods eyes swirl.
Me, too. I stared at my hands, still clenched tightly on the tabletop. I should have noticed something was wrong. A pack of gum, and four weeks of school and back, shouldnt have been enough to make me miss something this big.
Tod sighed. How did he get into the Netherworld this time?
You didnt take him?
Hell, no, I didnt take him! Tod said, loud enough to draw several looks our way.
I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. Then I have no idea. He was supposed to be here with Doug, but you said he wasnt?
Tod shook his head in confirmation. Not that I saw, and I was here when they brought him in. How did he get Nashsballoon?
I sighed and took another sip from my bottle. Emma found it in Nashs bag during the party. I left Em in the car with the balloon. But she had to go to the bathroom. As shed explained while we watched the movie. We think Doug went looking for her and found the balloon instead. I sighed and stared at the table. I wish wed never gone to Dougs house tonight. But wecouldnt let Em go alone. I glanced up at Tod, searching for agreement in his expression. For some sign that this whole catastrophe wasnt solely the result of my poor judgment. Not with Everett bringing enough balloons to make a house float.
Everett? Tods hand fell from his hair to land on the tabletop with a thud. The dealers name is Everett? Are you sure?
Yeah. Hes tall and kind of angular. Nash says hes half-harpy, which is why we cant figure out how hes getting his supply here from the Netherworld.
Everett. That damned pointy-looking, son-of-a-shrew, Tod snapped. Then he met my gaze again. I know how hes getting it. He clenched the cheap plastic saltshaker like it held untold secrets of the universe. I swear I had no idea what I was carrying, butI brought it over.
20
WHAT? QUESTIONS TUMBLED in my head like shoes in the dryer, clanking painfully as they slammed into one another. Tod was ferrying Demons Breath from the Netherworld for Avari? Have you and Nash both lost your minds? This is really a very simple conceptone that you taught me! Hellion equals evil. Period!
Tods exhale was long, and low, and heavy. Avari had something I needed, and he doesnt take cash or checks. Not that I have either one, but I could have come up with some money. The reaper shrugged. But he already knew what he wanted from me. And Kaylee, I swear I had no idea what I was carrying.
The numbness in my brain and body faded, replaced by a scalding anger. Is that supposed to make it okay? That you didnt care enough to ask what you were hauling? What did you think he was sending up? Fuzzy kittens and care packages for the childrens ward? People were staring at us now, but I was so far beyond caring. Isnt working for a hellion a conflict of interest? I demanded through gritted teeth, my open-arm gesture taking in the entire hospital, and the job Tod carried out there.
It would be, if I were selling him poached souls, or something like that. But my business with him has nothing to do with my job, or with my abilities as a reaper.
Are you serious? I shoved my chair back and my pitch rose so high on the last word that dogs all over the neighborhood were probably howling in sympathy. Or maybe in pain.
Your reaper skills are what get you to and from the Netherworld. Without them, you wouldnt have interested Avari except as a snack. Another soul to suck. Youre totally abusing your abilities. And because of what youve done, one kid is dead, ones gone clinically insane, and your own brother is wandering around in the Netherworld like a protein bar with legs!
Okay, lets start with Nash. Tod leaned both elbows on the table, which put his eyes almost exactly level with mine.
Hes been taking Demons Breath for how long?
About a month.
The reapers blue eyes went dark like the ocean at night, and his fist thumped on the table. Why the hell didnt you tell me!
Because you werent around, and I didnt know! I hissed, glancing around the cafeteria to make sure no one was listening. And its your fault he was exposed in the first place! He accidentally inhaled some when we crossed over trying to save your girlfriend! Then you took him back to make his first purchase!
I never But his denial faded into shocked silence when the pieces fell together in his head. I didnt know what he was doing, and he wouldnt tell me. He just said he was calling in his favor, and thats all I needed to know. And honestly, I didnt even push him for information. I was so messed up then, I wasnt even thinking.
Because Addison had just died without her soul. His absence and absentmindedness had worried me. But I should have been worried about Nash.
I should have followed him. I could have stopped this before it even started! Tod ran one hand through his hair, and several curls fell over his forehead. And when he finally looked up, I couldnt decide whether I was more surprised by his admission or by the guilt and anger churning slowly in his eyes.
I almost never saw Tods eyes swirl.
Me, too. I stared at my hands, still clenched tightly on the tabletop. I should have noticed something was wrong. A pack of gum, and four weeks of school and back, shouldnt have been enough to make me miss something this big.
Tod sighed. How did he get into the Netherworld this time?
You didnt take him?
Hell, no, I didnt take him! Tod said, loud enough to draw several looks our way.
I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. Then I have no idea. He was supposed to be here with Doug, but you said he wasnt?
Tod shook his head in confirmation. Not that I saw, and I was here when they brought him in. How did he get Nashsballoon?
I sighed and took another sip from my bottle. Emma found it in Nashs bag during the party. I left Em in the car with the balloon. But she had to go to the bathroom. As shed explained while we watched the movie. We think Doug went looking for her and found the balloon instead. I sighed and stared at the table. I wish wed never gone to Dougs house tonight. But wecouldnt let Em go alone. I glanced up at Tod, searching for agreement in his expression. For some sign that this whole catastrophe wasnt solely the result of my poor judgment. Not with Everett bringing enough balloons to make a house float.
Everett? Tods hand fell from his hair to land on the tabletop with a thud. The dealers name is Everett? Are you sure?
Yeah. Hes tall and kind of angular. Nash says hes half-harpy, which is why we cant figure out how hes getting his supply here from the Netherworld.
Everett. That damned pointy-looking, son-of-a-shrew, Tod snapped. Then he met my gaze again. I know how hes getting it. He clenched the cheap plastic saltshaker like it held untold secrets of the universe. I swear I had no idea what I was carrying, butI brought it over.
20
WHAT? QUESTIONS TUMBLED in my head like shoes in the dryer, clanking painfully as they slammed into one another. Tod was ferrying Demons Breath from the Netherworld for Avari? Have you and Nash both lost your minds? This is really a very simple conceptone that you taught me! Hellion equals evil. Period!
Tods exhale was long, and low, and heavy. Avari had something I needed, and he doesnt take cash or checks. Not that I have either one, but I could have come up with some money. The reaper shrugged. But he already knew what he wanted from me. And Kaylee, I swear I had no idea what I was carrying.
The numbness in my brain and body faded, replaced by a scalding anger. Is that supposed to make it okay? That you didnt care enough to ask what you were hauling? What did you think he was sending up? Fuzzy kittens and care packages for the childrens ward? People were staring at us now, but I was so far beyond caring. Isnt working for a hellion a conflict of interest? I demanded through gritted teeth, my open-arm gesture taking in the entire hospital, and the job Tod carried out there.
It would be, if I were selling him poached souls, or something like that. But my business with him has nothing to do with my job, or with my abilities as a reaper.
Are you serious? I shoved my chair back and my pitch rose so high on the last word that dogs all over the neighborhood were probably howling in sympathy. Or maybe in pain.
Your reaper skills are what get you to and from the Netherworld. Without them, you wouldnt have interested Avari except as a snack. Another soul to suck. Youre totally abusing your abilities. And because of what youve done, one kid is dead, ones gone clinically insane, and your own brother is wandering around in the Netherworld like a protein bar with legs!
