Page 154 of Finders Reapers

“She knows, right?” Rome turned to Fletcher, uncharistically weak. “Right?”

Fletcher didn’t answer, but Rome took his silence as a yes.

“Demon blood.” Rome nodded staunchly. “Then she’ll wake up. That’ll fix whatever Oriax did to her.”

Chapter 22

Jamal POV

Jamal tried to joke, to get his mind off the lifeless body on his lap, but it was getting harder.

Valentina’s chest was still. Jamal leaned down and held his mouth over his lips, thinking about the times he had kissed her that had been a lot more pleasant—no puff of air escaped her lips or nose. Her skin was turning colder by the second.

Reaper bodies operated much like human bodies to Jamal’s knowledge. Oriax had explained it as recycling the living material. However, Ollie had said that he only made the skins breath, sleep and eat because he had found that the adjustment period for new Reapers was much longer without bodily functions.

Valentina’s body was shutting down if it hadn’t done so already. The only reason that all of them held onto hope as they raced across the desert back to the office was that she was a Drude—though even Jamal had to admit that he didn’t understand how it worked with demons instead of human beings.

They had all been knocked unconscious from the blast, and none of them knew for how long. Her soul, if demons had souls, could have drifted away to join the other wisps that lingered in the ether.

Jamal reached for Valentina’s hand, slipping his warm fingers between her stiff ones.

The office block rose from the horizon like it was crawling through the pink winter sunset.

Jamal prayed it was not too late—but to which God, he wasn’t sure.

The Camaro skidded to a stop outside of the office. Rome was out of the car before Maddox had even shut off the engine—ripping open the door and hooking his arms under Valentina, dragging her from the vehicle and into his arms.

Maddox raced into the office to search for help.

Jamal felt his heartbreaking as the others showed such hope. Such confidence in her recovery, if only they could make it back to Charon in time. Praying that the higher-ups would understand why Valentina had to kill an angel and why they should revive her. Praying that it wasn’t too late.

Jamal knew it was too late.

He knew.

He couldn’t bring himself to be the one to say it.

Jamal unfolded himself from the car, helpless as he watched Rome race inside as well. Fletcher rounded the Camaro and stood at his shoulder. His expression was inscrutable, and his eyes were hidden by his long lashes as he looked down at the floor.

“She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?” Fletcher was the youngest, both in lived years and dead ones, and at that moment, he sounded it.

“I don’t know.” Jamal’s voice was hoarse.

“She saved our lives. She saved everyone’s lives. The universe isn’t that cruel.” Fletcher jutted his chin and faced the office. “Vallie loves us. We love her. I’ve never been in love before. I need her, and I need her to be okay.”

Jamal reached up and rubbed Fletcher’s shoulder. Taking the cue, Fletcher folded into Jamal’s arms. Fletcher tucked his head into Jamal’s shoulder.

Jamal wanted to point out that every single day, they saw the universe's cruelty. The paralysis that came over them when they tried to prevent death or speak to the loved ones they left behind.

Fletcher sniffed, and Jamal’s heart broke a little bit more.

Any love he felt at that moment, the blossoming familiar andknowing,was smothered by the anticipation of pain.

It felt like dying again.

Jamal acknowledged that he had been a player and a heartbreaker.

Valentina didn’t know that he had given that all up the moment he laid eyes on her. Thatshewas the reason he had broken up with Isabella and any other casual that he had in his DM’s on his (now deleted) tinder account.