Soulbound

5. Ashe

I pull up to the security booth outside the parking garage just as my phone starts to ring. With a sigh, I reach for the radial button on the side of my helmet and for a flicker of a second I entertain the notion of ignoring the call. Instead, I answer it.

“What?” I groan, fishing my wallet out of my back pocket and flashing the security guard my badge.

“A shame they're calling you in on such a pretty day,” the attendant remarks in what I can only assume is his attempt at small talk. “Hope you're getting paid overtime, ma'am.”

I only nod in response as he raises the barricade and waves me through with a tip of his hat. Reapers never get a day off and I sure as hell was not getting paid enough for this gig.

“You're late,” the voice on the other end of the phone says as I steer my bike through the garage, the dull roar of the motor echoing throughout the enclosed space as I climb to the uppermost level. There was an edge of annoyance in his tone that made me grin.

“It's barely ten-thirty, calm down.”

Chandler may have been expecting me first thing in the morning, but my morning did not start until nine. Granted, I had made a stop by Café Roasted before heading into work, which was about twenty minutes out of my way and prolonged my commute, but the barista I was looking for was off today. It was probably for the best. Dani seemed pretty stunned the last time I saw her. I would have been, too, I guess, if I were almost run over by a car.

As I coast to a stop in an empty parking space next to the building's entrance, I spare a glance down at my arm.

Absorbing the full impact of the collision had left me with only a closed fracture and a few minor scratches. My arm had healed quickly enough, but even after downing half a bottle of whiskey to help numb the pain sleep did not come so easily. I may have the benefit of a demon's regenerative abilities and my body may be tougher than most, but at the end of the day I'm still part human and breaking bones still hurts like a bitch when a car hits you at about fifty miles per hour. My strength was the only thing that kept it from killing us both. Still, I've been through worse.

I'm not even sure why I chose to save her last night.

I've seen humans die; I've even killed a few of them, myself, back in the day. Saving her was reckless. And yet there was just something about her, something in her eyes, that fascinated me. The fact that she was able to resist Catalina's charm was enough to pique my interest, too.

Losing my necklace, on the other hand, was less than thrilling. I was not entirely sure if she had it or not, but it was the only lead I had so far. If it was not with her . . . well, I could only hope that it was.

There was no point in worrying about it now, though. Catalina would not like that I've kept Chandler waiting this long. With how irritable she was this morning, it was probably best if I did not push my luck with her.

“Just get in here, Ashe. We've got a lot to catch up on.” Click.

Well someone sounded irritable this morning.

My grin widens as I dismount, shaking my hair loose from the helmet before making my way inside. I never did make this job easy on him. Then again, he never bothered to hide his contempt for being my handler, so why should I bother masking mine?