Page 143 of As Above, So Below

“We were lovers,” I say quietly. “And you can skip the lecture regarding the shortsightedness of falling in love with a succubus—we were doomed from the start. Netharis had already promised me to Kassil.”

“The Lord of Wrath?” She gives me a concerned stare.

Meeting her wide-eyed stare, I nod. “Druka helped me escape him, showed me love isn’t what Kassil and I had. It will be him Netharis sends to the realm to find me. When I left the hells, Netharis transferred ownership to him.”

Eve’s expression darkens, anger shadowing her striking features. “Are you telling me you didn’t have ownership of your own body?”

I give her a weak smile. “Not body, but essence. And yes. I used to belong to the hells. Everything I did was in the name of Netharis’ House. And when I return, it will be in the name of Kassil’s House.”

She releases a sharp, scrutinizing scoff. “What do you mean, when? You’re not going back.”

“I’m not immortal, Eve. I will eventually have to return,” I reply quietly. “I still hold a contract and when I die, my essence will be returned to Netharis.”

“Then you need to break that shit,” Eve says, her jaw setting tightly.

“I’m still working on figuring that out.” I rub my brow. “If it’s possible to break Celesta’s contract, I may be able to do the same.”

“Could whatever is in that box help you?”

I shrug. “It’s possible. But it’s more likely to make things worse.”

Scoffing a laugh, Eve says, “Worse than returning to the hells?”

No.

Not worse than that.

Not waiting for further prompting, I throw open the leg of my robs and grab the hilt of my dagger. In a deft motion, I unsheathe it and bring the point to my forefinger on my left hand. With a quick prick and a flash of pain, silver blood wells on the pad and I press it against the obsidian box.

Silver fills the swirling engraving, creating a stunning contrast between the pattern and the black of the stone. The stone absorbsthe silver, leaving no trace of my blood upon its surface.

Withdrawing my finger, a thin line of red light begins to draw down the center of the box where it splits. The two halves of the box pull back, exposing what lay locked away within.

I release a small gasp, and Eve a low whistle.

A soul crystal.

A bright gold light from the crystal’s center pulses like a heartbeat.

All the soul crystals in the hells were red—those who had signed a contract with Netharis or were otherwise damned to the hells. I’ve seen blue souls in the veil. Those souls were claimed by Gaia, hunted by Life Bringers. Silver is the standard color for the majority of souls.

But gold?

Who’s soul is gold? And why is it gold?

Does Netharis know it’s missing from the hells?

“What is this?” Eve asks as our eyes lock onto the crystal. The gold light of the soul illuminates her face in an otherworldly way.

I purse my lips.

As much as I want to tell Eve the truth, I can’t.

Telling her could alter her understanding of the realms. It could upend everything she knows about death and what she can expect upon leaving this realm. For the first time since my arrival, I have to lie for her benefit and not my own.

“I’m not sure,” I finally answer. “But I don’t think it’s going to help me break my contract.”

Not entirely a lie, but a lie all the same.