Page 43 of Stalked By Pestilence

Her eyes were a scathing reprimand when they flicked up to the snake monster behind me. “They’re here to start the apocalypse. That’s what he’s doing with you. You’re his Counter Soul, and in order to start it, he needs to kill you and take your soul.”

Zelus had a tight hold on me, as if he was afraid of the things she was saying. Every muscle against my back was rock-hard and frozen.

I didn’t really register much until she muttered, “And he tried to kill me while he was at it.”

I sucked in a breath. He tried to kill mybest fucking friend?!That snapped me out of my surprised stupor.

“Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me,” I growled and pushed on his steel-band arms locked around my waist, the reality of what he was and what he’d kept from me drowning me in so much emotion I couldn’t catch my breath.

He tried to hold onto me, but Thanatos was suddenly there. Black shadows reached out toward Zelus from every corner of the room and wrapped around him. A hiss escaped his mouth, but then they were gone.

Stumbling, I nearly went right into the wall, but Asha had an arm wrapped around me before I could. “Oh, Ems, I’m so sorry. Ididn’t…there’s so much I need to tell you. I never wanted to talk about it like this.”

“Just tell me one thing,” I said, trying to breathe, but it was impossible. Panic had set in. “Was that why you left? Were you hiding from demons or…did he take your soul? Is it already the end of the world?”

“No!” she shouted before coughing. “No, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Thanatos did everything he could to protect me. But I have a lot to tell you, and I’d rather not do it by the front door.”

My throat hurt. “He protected you when it was his job to murder you?”

Her smile was so full of love. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

I tried to ignore how much my chest hurt as we wandered inside—how it felt as if my heart had been torn right out of my chest. Asha had the Horseman fall in love with her and do everything he could to protect her, but I…

I trusted Zelus. I’d believed him when he said he was there to keep me safe. But his protection had ulterior motives. He didn’t want a demon to get me because it was him who needed to do it.

Of course the first guy I let in would want to kill me to end the world.

Chapter Eighteen

Emily

Asha led me over to our couch and sat down with me. My throat was tight as she told me everything that happened to her. It was surreal to think Death existed, and he was hot. Also, a magician with a saucepan. I’d said as much, and she laughed before patting me on the back and going on.

After explaining that she’d been marked by Pestilence—aka, my slimy bastard—and had to find a way to stop the sickness from killing her, I was having trouble breathing again.

“Than figured out a way to save me, but then…well, Michael found me. She wants the end of the world as much as some of them do. Not all of them do, though, Ems. Some are fighting to stop it from happening, but that still means killing us.”

“Of course it does. Because why leave us alive when you could stab us and be sure it doesn’t happen?” My knee-jerk reaction was to crack jokes when I was overwhelmed and spiraling. “So what happened? You didn’t die, did you?”

Her eyes were softer now, the toll of her story weighing on both of us. “I did.”

“But you’re—”

“Not dead?”

“Yeah.” I stared at her, looking for signs that she was dead, or worse, undead. Were zombies a thing here? Vampires? Ghosts? Horsemen with weird abilities clearly existed. Same with the existence of a hot-as-fuck Death.

Her arms were around me as she held me close, her warmth soothing some of my fear. “It’s complicated. I’m not too sure how it happened, but I guess I have a new job now.”

I was a little afraid to ask. “And what’s that?”

“Helping souls find their afterlife.”

My fucking best friend became Death. What were the odds?

“That’s cool, I guess. Beats working at an office,” I said, voice hollow.

Asha’s laugh was just as hollow as mine. “It’s got its perks.”