Page 71 of The Fifth Soul

Before my hand claps to his, I look over his shoulder at Brandon. The firm set of his mouth tells me he doesn’t like how close Mel is to me. I wait for his eyes to meet mine. With a small nod, he tells me to proceed if I wish.

I turn back to Mel and meet his golden-brown gaze. “You have a deal, demon.”

CHAPTER 27

BRANDON

“This is not what I expected to see in the underworld,” Bianca tells me while staring off into the view.

After we explained to Mel why we needed the souls, he suggested we go to his home in the underworld. The fact that Gabriel accompanies us might be the only reason I agreed. I don’t completely trust the angel, but I have far more faith in his moral compass than the demon. Yet, his obsession with his brother proves he can be troublesome. However, I am fairly confident in my abilities to keep Bianca and myself safe.

Bianca isn’t the only one to be surprised at what we find once we cross the gates to the underworld. My brain fails to understand how green fields of flowers and valleys of mountains, as far as the eye can see, can exist here. A trick of the eyes, if I have ever seen one.

The walk from the gates to Mel’s residence is only about twenty minutes. It took longer to fly down the stairs. Gabriel and Mel flew down quickly with their wings and waited for us at the landing. Once the fog had dispersed, Bianca was so taken by looking at everything around us that I took our sweet time in going down.

Mel’s home is a decent size. The outside looks like a modern cabin. The inside is simple and clean, with no personal touches littering the space.

Gabriel walks behind his brother, straight to the fridge, and takes out a juice carton. Perfectly at home, the angel moves around the kitchen like he’s been here a million times. He probably has. Even once a year adds up over the centuries.

“Will you two have to stay close to us for this work?” The angel asks between gulps.

Announcing that we know little about the limitations of Bianca’s gift is out of the question. I need to be careful with my words. We might have made a deal with Mel, but I’m not fooled into thinking that any misstep won’t be used to his advantage.

“We’ve never had to add a demon or an angel. We can test how far you can go. As long as you’re in her sight, it should stand.” I move my gaze between the two.

“You could have simply said you didn’t know. No need for so many words,” Mel snaps.

Gabriel pats his brother on the back with a good humor smirk. “Don’t be rude. Be grateful.”

Mel scrunches his nose like the word grateful somehow brought a stinky smell. “I’m not rude. I’m also not stupid. This isn’t a favor. It’s a service I’m paying a lot for.” His eyes narrow on Bianca. I don’t like it, but before I say anything, he adds, “I don’t want you listening to my private conversations with my brother. That’s not what I agree to.”

“Tough shit. You get what you get.” She crosses her arms and scowls at the demon with a lot more confidence than I would give her credit for.

I wish I could kiss her. I love how she doesn’t cower n to him. Anyone would, and who could blame them? I’ve trained since childhood to level with predators like Mel and never show weakness. Bianca is doing amazing.

“I don’t care to listen to your conversations,” Bianca says. “We can test the length of my gift. After you do your part.”

On that note, I pull out of my bag the cursed book. Careful not to touch it directly, I hand it to Mel wrapped in a cloth. The demon takes it and leads the way to his office. The small room is full of books and dark wood furniture. Only one window in the room allows little to no light inside.

“Good old friend,” Mel greets the book. He drops the cloth and gives it a closer inspection. Like the book somehow can hear him, he whispers, “No soul here for you to steal.”

I pocket that piece of information.

“You’ve seen this book before?” I ask him.

The demon shakes his head but doesn’t meet my eyes. He carefully traces the words carved on the book’s cover with his index finger.

“The book isn’t familiar, but the magic used to create it is.” He finally looks at me and asks, “The young boy with the silly voice is who you wish to spare?”

“You can hear him?” Bianca steps forward, but I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Is he okay? What’s he saying?”

Mel gives her a grimace. “I'd rather not say.” His expression only prompts Bianca to want to know. He knows what he is doing.

“Mel,” I say in warning.

His voice then echoes in my head. “What would you have me do, Prince? Shall I tell the girl of his suffering?” His smirk is devious. Out loud, he answers, “Do not worry, princess, he will not remember his time there.” Using the title sounds like a mock coming from his lips.

“Here.” I hand him an emerald stone. Mel takes it without a word, knowing exactly what to do with it.

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