Page 5 of Death Wish

I was in trouble.

Should have seen that coming. Fighting with a soul I was meant to help pass on? Not exactly the best work etiquette, but what did everyone expect? The guy started it. I was defending myself.

As I did every time I got summoned to headquarters, I wondered if there was any way I could get out of going. Pretend I hadn’t seen the alert or claim I’d been busy with an assignment and had forgotten.

But as quick as the thought surfaced, it was squashed. How many times had I tried that? Never worked. Azrael then sent Simon on my tail, and being a were-creature, he was too good at the tracking part of his job for me to stay out of Azrael’s grasp long. Even though he was my mentor, Simon had never disclosed what his animal side was or showed me his alternative shape, but it had to be a talented hunter because he always found me.

But maybe this time, I could—

A loud beeping came from the tablet in my hands, and the green light blinked faster, cutting off my thought.

“What the fuck—”

Suddenly, Azrael’s face appeared, his dark hair and sideways grin unmistakable, like an alley cat facing down a cornered mouse.

“Heck,” I corrected myself quickly. Cursing in front of my boss and the Angel of Death? Unwise. I had filed that one under another one of my mental lists a long time ago. A list of big fat no-nos.

“What’s a matter, Jade?” he drawled, his green eyes flashing. Immortality looked good on him, permanently making him look in his mid-thirties at most. When I had first met him, I even thought him handsome, but after many trips to his office to be reprimanded, the allure faded fast. “Didn’t expect to see me? Was hoping to run off again?”

I blinked. “Of course not.” I faked a cough to regain myself. “I didn’t expect to see you on here. What is this anyway? Have you always been able to pop up whenever you want?”

“No. We’ve made some upgrades. You know to keep with the times.” He paused for emphasis and locked gazes with me. “And our employees.”

So, because of me. Heard that one loud and clear. “Ah, I see,” I said. “I was on my way to you. Just have to find a portal and…”

“A block down Summers Street, turn right onto Caroline. Walk two blocks. You’ll see it.” He never broke eye contact as he said it, only raised one brow.

So much for getting out of Azrael’s summons from now on. “Got it.”

“I want you here in no later than five minutes, Jade. Five minutes.” The screen went black. The green light shut off, too. I waved my hand over the tablet to make sure Azrael wasn’t going to just materialize again. When nothing happened, I stuck it back in my pocket.

Man, I hoped he couldn’t do that whenever he wanted. Guess I had no choice now. I had to suck it up, get to the portal, and go to Styx.

I went over to the spirit door I had drawn on the parking lot’s blacktop and smudged the chalk with my boot. Instantly, the orange glow extinguished, confirming the door was closed. Then, I followed Azrael’s directions, walking down Summers and Caroline, and came to the portal right where he had said it’d be. It was in between two storefronts, in a small alley, partly hidden from plain view.

Portals were stationed at random points throughout the afterlife, marked with a sign and designed to help spirits travel short or long distances. Since there were no cars, trains, or airplanes, portal-travel was the only means of transportation. Besides walking, that is. But since I was in Carmel, Indiana right now and Styx Corp. was in its own dimension entirely, I couldn’t reach it while taking a nightly stroll.

Like with the spirit doors, portals worked in a similar way. They were marked with an intricate symbol and transported whoever stepped on them to their desired destination.

I stood over the symbol. As the pattern glowed white as it activated, I was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu. I had been sent to headquarters so many times over the last few months, it was becoming a bad habit.

Speaking clearly, I said the two words I dreaded, “Styx Corporation.”

Warm air rushed all around me, tossing my hair up and over my face. I brushed it back in annoyance as the dark alley and store buildings blurred. Then they disappeared altogether, and in the next second, a giant white marble building surrounded by huge columns loomed in front of me. Like something right out of ancient Rome. White steps led to a grand entrance. Two stone-carved women statues flanked the large glass doors, one holding a baby to her naked bosom and the other with a human skull in her outstretched hands. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they represented.

Sucking in a deep breath, I trudged up the steps and went in.

The outside may have been modeled after Greece, but the inside of Styx Corp. mirrored modern-day corporate America. A grand foyer stretched out in front of me, all high ceilings, straight lines, and polished marble. Brushed silver with some abstract touches made up most of the decoration scheme.

At the very center of the room, a huge metal lighting fixture hung right above a U-shaped desk. Styx’s main receptionist, Maryanne, sat behind it.

The old crone fixed me with her typical piercing stare the moment I stepped through the doors.

“You can’t seem to stay away, can you?” she quipped, pushing her huge glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Hello to you, too, Maryanne,” I said, not missing a beat. “Did you know that after my assignment today, I stopped at a museum and saw a couple of your relatives in their new fossil exhibit.”

She harrumphed. “You think you’re so original, don’t you?”

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