Page 31 of A Queen Of Broken Realms
“What for?” I ask, my brows drawing together in confusion. I follow Ashen’s graceful strides as he walks to a sideboard, pulling a cloth from a stack next to a pitcher of water. He soaks it before stalking back to clean the lob of bloody spit from my dress.
“We have an issue. You want to improve the conditions for the souls here, correct?”
“Yes, of course. I really want to,” I say, glancing over my shoulder as Ashen swipes methodically at the stain, the fabric growing damp against my skin.
“Well, the best thing we can do is resurrect them.”
“As Reapers?”
“Essentially,” Ashen replies. He dabs at my dress a moment longer before his fingers flow down the back of my bare arm to signal that he’s finished his work. I watch as he takes his place at my side, the smoke of his wings thinning as his anger fades now that the stain is clean. “It doesn’t mean they have to take souls or go back to the Living Realm to deliver justice. But it would give them a place here. It would clear their confusion and nightmares. They would no longer suffer. We just have to ensure we are adequately prepared with accommodations.”
“I don’t get it, what’s the problem exactly?”
“We need a Resurrectionist. Demons will continue resurrecting through the Chamber, but to bring a soul back, you need a stronger conduit. You killed the last one. It was Imogen.”
I blow out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. I see how that could be an issue.”
“This is something Mr. Hassan can do?” Cole asks.
Ashen nods. “Yes. We just have to find an appropriate person to fill the role, but he can facilitate the transformation.”
“I volunteer. I’ll be the Resurrectionist, if you want,” Cole says. His boyish features suddenly look a little older with the weight of his words.
I don’t know much about this place, but I doubt the responsibility of that role would be a light one. When I shift my gaze to Ediye, I get the feeling she’s thinking the same thing. A brief flare of worry flashes in her eyes, but she shutters it away beneath the pride that also warms her expression.
A heaviness settles in my heart when I look at Cole again, knowing how much he’s already sacrificed for the balance of the realms. “Thank you, Cole. I appreciate it. Give me a little bit of time to think about it, okay?”
Cole nods with an understanding smile. “Of course.”
“We need to get this done as soon as possible,” Ashen says as he goes back to the sideboard. He drops the soiled towel in a basket, then pulls a pen and paper from a drawer. He writes a note and folds it, then writes a second and folds that too. His wings rustle beneath the smoke as his attention is drawn to his letters and they fade away, no hint of their existence evident on his shirt when the last sparks disappear. When he returns, he passes the first piece of paper to Ediye. “Take this to Mr. Hassan, he’ll know what to do. Get Eryx too, take him with you.”
Ediye’s brows twitch with confusion and she opens her note. Her eyes widen for just a heartbeat, and she meets Ashen’s eyes before folding it. “Will do, demon,” she says with restrained amusement in her voice. She sets the tourmaline sphere on the table, then takes Cole by the hand and pulls him along with her, shouting out aciaoon her way out the door.
“What the—”
“Cyrus,” Ashen interrupts, handing the other note to his second in command. The man’s stoic expression stays firmly in place as he opens the folded paper and reads the instructions. “Pay them whatever amount of money it takes. Whatever they want. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Cyrus pivots on his heel and exits the room before I can even toss him a question.
I turn to Ashen, my eyes narrowing as I scrutinize his unreadable face. The emotions I feel from him tell me nothing either. There’s only his residual rage and the determination to execute a plan set in motion. “We have to buy stuff? Do I have money to buy stuff? How expensive is this resurrectionist business?”
Ashen smiles as he passes me to place the humming stone in the bag and toss the strap over his shoulder. He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles before lacing our fingers and pulling me toward the door. “Money is not an issue, but we need a few things from the Living Realm. And I want them immediately.”
“Shocker. The demanding demon demands stuff.”
Ashen gives me a lascivious grin. “I have it on good authority that you love my demands.”
“Oh really? Whose authority exactly?”
“Your pussy’s.”
I snort a laugh. “That bitch is such a traitor. You come around with your sexy, brooding demon ways and your badass tattoos and that wicked tongue of yours and she just gives up all my secrets.” Ashen’s grin widens and he pulls me into his side, wrapping his arm across my shoulder as we walk. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“You’ll see.”
“What if I don’t like surprises?”
“That would be a pity, my vampire,” Ashen says as he presses a kiss to my temple. “Because they have only just begun.”
