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The fear that had been conjured from meeting those men quickly morphed into relief. I was safe. My Rain was here, and he saved me.

“Lou,” I managed to cry, emotionally drained.

“He’s fine. Unharmed,” Cuckoo promised.

“I’m here,” Uncle Lou assured me. “Right here with Carrion.”

I opened my eyes, realizing I had squeezed them shut when I saw all the blood. “You’re okay.”

“Rina, he croaked.

Cuckoo released me as Lou opened his arms, and I rushed into them, allowing his warm hug to engulf me in the most parental and comforting embrace of my entire life.

“There, there. It’s okay now. You’re safe.”

I nodded and sniffled as he patted my cheek. “I’m glad we’re both okay.”

When he released me, I reached for Cuckoo. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his body around mine, sheltering me as if the last few minutes had terrorized him. In truth, it had been horrifying. Knowing these Sect members existed, that they wanted sex with children, and they never let their prey go was the scariest thing I’d ever encountered.

The flapping of wings had slowly diminished. All I heard now was the occasional flutter.

“Well shit,” I heard a male voice say. “I guess we missed the fun.”

“Rael,” Cuckoo breathed. “He’s a friend. A biker in an ally club.”

I clutched at his shirt. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t. If you want to see justice, come with me.”

I let him lead me into the living room, and I kept my gaze averted after I saw all the blood and feathers on the three men groaning on the floor. None of them could see since the crowshad taken their eyes. All that remained were gouged sockets and claw-marked faces.

“I’m Rael. A Reaper,” he announced as he greeted me.

I saw black and white face paint that resembled a skeleton but was somehow more intimidating than I could describe in words. His eyes shone with a silvery sheen that spooked me more than Cuckoo’s.

Something about him wasn’t all . . .human.

“Would you like to see these men meet their fate?”

I nodded. No hesitation.

“Let me show you how a Reaper sends souls to hell.”

I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t the spectacle that took place before me with the ground beginning to shake and the floor opening up, fissures popping with sizzling hot steam as hellfire burst through and heated the room.

My front door was no longer open, and I stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as the Reaper and another like him quickly transformed. Dark robes billowed in a soundless wind as they rose off the floor. Each bony hand held a scythe.

“The Sect of Primordial Light will be hunted until every last member is destroyed.”

With that decree, the two Reapers swiped with their scythes and sliced the souls of the Sect members from their bodies. I would never forget the cries of anguish and suffering, the pain so visceral it made the tiny hair on my arms stand up. The cloud, tainted souls stunk and made my nose burn. The filmy, greasy-looking images cried out, begging for a mercy they never showed and would never receive.

I watched as they were sucked into hell, consumed as laughter drifted up from below. I knew in an instant that Lucifer himself would welcome them and take charge of their eternal punishment.

The ground shook once more, and the fissures closed. Within seconds, the hole closed. The steam disappeared.

Only the husk of the three men remained. With a snap of his fingers, they burst into ash, sizzling on my floors before dissolving into nothing. No stench remained. No stain.

It was like they never existed.