Page 104 of Dead End

Praying the floorboards were up to the challenge, I held my breath as Max trudged into the house.

“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” I offered. I could practically feel Nana Pratt’s shining approval from on high.

“I would kill for an iced coffee,” Max said, fanning himself with a molten hand. “I need the caffeineandthe cool down.”

We made it safely to the kitchen, where the cherufe was greeted warmly by Claude. The revenant leaped onto Max’s shoulder from the countertop.

I noticed someone had already supplied Hel with a glass of iced tea, or possibly the goddess had served herself. She seemed like a woman of action.

I was relieved to see the coffee pot was full. I chose a lidded cup with a built-in straw for Max’s awkward appendages, added ice, and then coffee. “One iced coffee for my special guest.”

“I came to save you and here you are saving me.” He sucked down the refreshment with gusto.

“It means a lot that you’re both here.”

Hel polished off her glass of iced tea and smacked her lips. “Why wait for them to arrive? Why not invade them before they can invade you? Utilize the element of surprise.”

“Because not all deities in Paradise deserve to be swept up in a battle.”

Hel scoffed. “Name one.”

“I can do better than that.” I reeled off a list of names, including Kamikins, Libitina, Nabu, and Darago.

Max’s bulky body went still. “Darago, the volcano goddess?”

I nodded. “As a matter of fact, I told her about you.”

He jerked the cup away from his mouth. “Why? Why would you do that? Darago is terrifying. Goddesses like her are the reason I’m living in Helheim.”

“She isn’t like that anymore. She’s like you, Max. She doesn’t approve of sacrifices or hurting people. That’s the reason I mentioned you.”

“Then what is she doing hitching her wagon to The Corporation?”

“There are lot of deities and supernaturals there that don’t agree with the company’s ethos. Some were even brought there under false pretenses.”

“And yet they chose to remain.” Hel’s look of dismay was plain. “Where is your privy? The refreshment went straight through me.”

I pointed her in the direction of the downstairs bathroom.

Max shook his head. “Her bladder is the size of a pea. Don’t tell her I said that.” He set the empty cup on the counter with a thud. “How are we supposed to fight acomplicated enemy? What ever happened to Sauron versus Frodo?”

“Gollum was complex,” I pointed out. “Anyway, I only told Darago about you because I thought she could help you with your problem.” If Max eventually decided to return to his Chilean village with the Filipino goddess, the other cherufes might be persuaded to leave him in peace and stop trying to instigate deadly eruptions.

Max stared vacantly at the empty doorway. “I don’t have a problem anymore. I like my new home. It suits me.”

“Hel’s a good leader?”

“An excellent one. She cares about the souls under her command. She’s respected, and she’s fond of Garm, her Helheim hound.” His gaze shifted to me. “In fact, she reminds me a lot of you.”

“That’s kind of you to say.”

A chorus of voices in the foyer drew Max’s attention. “I hear His Royal Demonness. Let me go say hi.”

I took the rare free moment to scrub away a black scuff mark on the kitchen floor. A definite downside of high traffic in and out of the Castle was the dirt. I had to admit, I missed having a cleaner. Part of me wanted to ignore the mark and pretend it wasn’t there, but the image of a disapproving Nana Pratt bloomed in my mind. The elderly ghost had worked too hard to keep these floors clean to let them turn to rot now. Nobody could deny that guilt was a strong motivator.

My phone vibrated on the counter, and I was grateful for the excuse to stop. Despite my supernatural strength, the scuff mark wasn’t budging. Maybe The Corporation planted it here to drive me mad. Throw a mouse in my pantry and they just might manage it.

I picked up the phone. “Hey, Anna. What’s up?”

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