Page 25 of Till Death

“I’d rather not,” I bit back.

“Too bad for you. You have no choice.”

He snapped his fingers and the world began to tilt. Keeping my eyes open spelled instant nausea for me so I squeezed them shut, fighting against the odd twisting of gravity until I got my balance once again. It took seconds for everything to smooth out once again.

When I finally managed to open my eyes, we stood in an office eerily similar to the one Azrael had claimed at Styx. I placed a hand on my stomach and waited for the rolling there to quit.

The large room spread out in every direction with a wall made entirely of glass directly in front. A mahogany desk the size of the Titanic ran parallel to the windows, though its surface was barren. The stench of sulfur and rotten eggs didn’t penetrate these walls, and a deep breath brought with it a light undertone of pine.

My distrust deepened.

“I’m sorry if this is a little strange for you.” Amon released me at last and walked around to the opposite side of the desk, taking a seat at the large leather chair. “I know I’m not what you were expecting. Probably not this.”

No, I expected a cat-and-mouse game where I came out the loser. I had to make sure he didn’t trap me the same way the Greed demon had.

No kissing allowed.

“You think?” I drawled.

“Maybe you’d feel a little more comfortable with something to eat? Drink? Do you want to sit down?”

Keeping my hands at my sides, I stared at Amon until his eyes widened further and his gaze turned knowing.

“It’s this form, isn’t it?” he continued. “I wanted to go for someone nonthreatening and nondescript. How about I try something a little more familiar? It might make the conversation a little easier for you to swallow.”

I didn’t respond, only watched in horror as his flesh began to bubble and melt. His hair lightened, his skin went golden, and his brown eyes shifted into a very familiar blue. Broad shoulders, wry smile…

Soon I stared at Cole. My breath caught in my throat.

Those familiar brows drew down in a low V and did something bad to my insides; I wasn’t sure if I wanted to lash out or burst into tears.

Both were on the table.

This didn’t seem fair. Amon effectively strangled me with a single shift, almost as bad as wrapping his hands around my throat.

“What’s the matter, Jade?” Amon/Cole asked. He’d even gotten the voice right. The same way Hank—

I stopped, holding back the urge to scream in his face. “What are you?”

“I think you already know the answer. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already come into contact with another of my kind before. In fact, I know you have, so it shouldn’t be a far jump.”

“Another shapeshifter?”

“Exactly. I can be whoever I want. Whoeveryouwant me to be. If not this form, then another, or another. Would you like me to try?”

It was too much work to look at that face and keep my mind on track, especially not when I tried so hard to connect the dots and failed. Yes, I’d seen another shapeshifter before. But how did Amon and Hank fit together? “Change into someone else, then,” I demanded. “Literally anyone else. Where are you hiding Cole?”

Amon cocked his head to the side, intrigued.

I watched him shift into the same Mr. Nice Guy he’d been when he first introduced himself, his hair an average shade of brown to go along with hazel eyes and straight nose. Those eyes were a lance shooting straight through me.

“My son means a lot to you.”

It was less a question than a direct statement. I bared my teeth in answer. Amon clearly already knew the answer and wanted to get a rise out of me. “You tell me where he is right now. I want to see him,” I demanded.

“I have no problem showing you,” Amon said simply. “I actually admire your spunk. Your gumption. It took a lot for you to get here, especially with the war raging in your town. You’ve made it far, Jade Blackwell. Farther than a lot of people gave you credit for, I’ll admit. Love is a powerful motivator.”

He lifted his finger and thumb and snapped them together. The nearest wall began to shimmer in a wave of heat. Soon it became as transparent as a window into another world. Except Cole stood on the other side with his back hunched and his eyes glowing a deep red.

---