Page 10 of Death Trap

I never even heard of a were-komodo dragon. Didn’t even know such a thing existed.

“That’s…” I combed through my brain for something respectful to say. “Interesting.”

Smooth, Jade. Smooth.

“I’m assuming you’re a rare breed,” I added, trying to save myself.

“I haven’t met anyone else like me so far, so I would say your assumption is an accurate one,” he replied.

That must be a lonely feeling. And I should know. There wasn’t really anyone else like me either. And I didn’t even know what supernatural I was or why I was in this afterlife, either. All I knew was that I bore the angel mark on my chest, and so far, I was the only one.

“It makes sense now why you’re such a good tracker,” I told him with a small smile. “But aren’t those things known for their aggression? I’ve barely seen you smile, let alone be angry.”

He glanced up at the branches, and a few pink petals floated down around us even though no breeze blew.

“For centuries, I have worked very hard to control my emotions through meditation and prayer,” he said.

Centuries. I almost choked when I heard the word. I knew Simon wasn’t a rookie at the reaping game, but I didn’t know he’d been at itthatlong. Damn.

He was an old man.

“Well, you’ve done a good job. I never would have guessed you were one of those things.”

“Things” probably wasn’t the best word to use in this instance, but if Simon was upset, he didn’t show it.

Instead, he stood and took a few steps away from me before turning around again. “Jade.”

I hesitated, every muscle in my body tensing. “Yes…”

I don’t know how he did it, but he managed to make his voice sound even more serious than usual. “I asked you to come here for two reasons. Both are important, and I need you to listen to me carefully.”

“Okay.” I swallowed roughly, my throat suddenly drier than the desert.

“Your next assignment is a half demon,” he began, and at just those few words, my heart sank like a boulder in my belly. Cole Masters’s handsome face flung to the surface of my mind, and my first thought was:The bastard finally did it. His obsession got himself killed.

Or maybe Azrael had finally gotten to him and finished him off for not following through with his mission. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, my rampant emotions and thoughts tangling together into a jumbled mess, leaving me sweaty and panicky.

God dammit, Jade. Get over yourself.

As usual, I scolded myself for feeling anything else but disdain for the half demon, but no matter how much I tried, every time his face sprang up in my memory, I was gobsmacked with emotions. And they always collided and crashed and burned. It was exhausting.

And annoying.

Unfortunately, as many times as I’d told myself to forget that asshole, I hadn’t.Couldn’t.Even after everything he’d done to me, I thought about him whenever I used the gun he’d gifted me with, or saw Wyatt at the bar. We’d been through a great deal together, even if we’d only known each other for a short amount of time. But saving friends—and many more innocent people—from a full-blooded demon did something to you.

It had done something to me.

Seeming to read my body language, Simon touched my shoulder. He didn’t wear gloves like I did, and although his hands were rather bony, I welcomed the kind gesture.

“Jade.” His voice was gentler this time. “It’s not the half demon you’re thinking of. It’s not Cole Masters.”

Relief spiraled through me instantly. “Oh?”

“It’s a young man named Kyle B. Jensen. I’ll transfer his information to your watch, but I wanted to tell you personally, seeing that last time you tried reaping a half demon, things didn’t go quite to plan,” he said. “If you feel like this is too much for you—”

“Don’t be silly, Simon. I can handle it.” I said it a little too fast for it to sound believable. Even to my ears. But as long as it wasn’t Cole Masters at the other side of that spirit door, I would be okay.

“If anything happens or if anything seems out of the ordinary, press your distress signal on the watch, and I will be there immediately to help you.”

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