Haunted Women of the Otherworld_Book 5 Kelley Armstrong

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lift of her fingers, she levitated to the floor. One stride and she was beside me. I blinked. She was so tiny,
not even reaching my shoulder. She laid a hand on my arm. Her bright eyes looked up into mine.
"You said this feels like a punishment. Do you really think we'd be so cruel, Eve? Yes, we wanted you to
join our angels, but when you refused, we accepted that. What you did down there, the sacrifice you
made& I won't say I underestimated you, because I've always known what you were capable of" a sly
smile "with the right prompting. But this sacrifice none of us expected. When you made it, we decided
we'd do all we could to make it easier on you."
"So I get to stay "
"In the ghost world? No. That, I'm afraid, is impossible." She returned to the dais, but stayed in front of
the wheel. "If there's one thing you clearly understand, Eve, it's the nature of a bargain. You give and you
take, in even proportion. That's what we can offer."
The child Fate appeared. "Do you know the story of Persephone and Demeter?"
"A Greek myth to explain the seasons, I think," I said.
"That's right. Hades, Lord of the Underworld, wanted Persephone for his bride, so he stole her away.
Her mother beseeched the gods for help, and they made a deal with Hades, that Persephone would
spend summers on earth and winters in the underworld. How does that sound?" Her pretty face
scrunched up. "Well, not exactly that, but something like it."
Before we could answer, her middle sister took over.
"You now have a job to do, Eve, and we expect you to do it. You also have another life to lead, and we
want you to do that. Half the year you will be with the angels, and half you will live here, with Kristof, as
a ghost."
I looked at Kristof. He smiled.
"We'll take it."
Epilogue
THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT GOD CREATED THE EARTH IN a week. I don't know much about
religious history, but I do remember that one. As for whether it's true, I'll leave that to the scholars. All I
know is that a lot can happen in a week. You can go from being a ghost pining for your daughter to a
heavenly bounty-hunter on the trail of a demi-demon killer. And you can go from reluctant crusader to
full-time angel, locking yourself into an eternal contract as a protector of justice. And other times, the
transition isn't so obvious, but in its own way, just as life-altering.
It had been a week since I brought in the Nix. I was still in the ghost world the Fates had given me one
more month here, as I prepared for my passage to the angel world. I still didn't know what to expect. I'd
already sat through two days of orientation crap, but most of it had consisted of a list of rules too long for
anyone without a full-blooded angel's perfect memory& or, at least, that was the excuse I'd use when I
started breaking them.
At the end of the week, the Fates gave Trsiel and me our first assignment. Nothing tough just a routine
rousting of some haunters, but with definite possibilities for fun. Before I embarked on that, though, there
was something I had to do.
Kristof accompanied me as far as Lucas and Paige's backyard. I stood in that yard for a while, looking
up at the house, remembering what it had smelled like, what it had felt like to be there, really there,
committing it all to memory. Then, slowly, I released Kris's hand and headed for the back door.
When I stepped inside, Lucas and Paige were in the kitchen, Lucas's back against the counter, a dish
towel over his shoulder, Paige leaning against him, holding his hands, face raised to his as they talked in
murmurs.
"Hey, guys," I said softly. "Just came by to say thanks. I know you cant hear me, but I wanted to say it
anyway. Thanks for everything. You're doing a great job with her. An amazing job."
Lucas chuckled at something Paige said, and brushed a curl off her cheek.
The back door banged open.
"Anybody home?" a voice shouted, loud enough to shake the rafters.
I turned to see a young man with light-brown hair, broad shoulders, and a broader grin. A familiar face,
at least in this house.
"Adam!" Paige disengaged from Lucas and turned as Adam caught her up in a hug, being careful not to
jar her injured shoulder. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect you until Monday."
"The real surprise is yet to come." Adam winked over her head at Lucas. "So are we ready for Monday's
meeting? Jaime's coming, isn't she? Recovered from her ordeal?"
As they talked, I slipped to the doorway.
"Bye, guys," I whispered. "I wish you all the best. You deserve it." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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