Deity (Covenant #3)(54)

Pulling open my sweater, I looked down and cussed.

The entire front of my tank top was drenched in blood—my blood. Then I remembered everything: the night before and this morning with Aiden that’d seemed so perfect. Aiden—oh gods—he’d begged me to hold on and I’d left.

Anger rushed through me. “I can’t be dead.”

A soft, feminine laugh came from behind me. “Honey, if you’re here, you’re dead. Like the rest of us.”

I turned around, ready to clock someone in the face.

A girl I’d never seen before squealed loudly. “I knew it! You’re dead.”

I refused to believe I was dead. This had to be a bizarre, pain-induced nightmare. And seriously, why was the chick so happy that I was dead? “I’m not dead.”

The girl was probably in her twenties, wearing a pair of expensive-looking jeans and strappy sandals. She clutched something in her hand. I pegged her for a pure-blood, but the open and sympathetic look in her gaze told me I had to be wrong. “How’d you die?” she asked.

I hugged my sweater around me. “I didn’t die.”

Her smile didn’t waver. “I was shopping with my Guards at night. Like these shoes?” She stuck out her foot, angling it so I got a good view of them. “Aren’t they divine?”

“Uh, yeah. The shoes are great.”

She sighed. “I know. I died for them. Literally. See, I decided I wanted to wear them out, even though it was getting late and my Guards were getting nervous. But seriously, why would there be a bunch of daimons on Melrose Avenue?” She rolled her eyes. “They drained me dry and here I am, waiting for Paradise. Anyway, you look a little confused.”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, looking around. This couldn’t be real. I couldn’t be stuck in the Underworld with Buffy. “How come you don’t look like them?”

She followed my gaze and winced. “They haven’t been given this yet.” A shiny gold coin lay in her open palm. “They can’t cross over until they have passage. Once it’s placed on their body, they’ll look all kinds of fresh and new. And they’ll be able to catch the next ride.”

“And what if they don’t get a coin?”

“They wait until they do.”

She meant the souls on the other side of the river. Shuddering, I turned my back to them and realized that I… I didn’t have a coin. “What happens if you don’t have a coin?”

“It’s okay. And some of them just got here.” She placed an arm around my shoulders. “It takes a couple of days in most cases. People like to hold funerals and stuff, which totally sucks for us because we have to wait here for what feels like eternity.” She paused and laughed. “I didn’t even tell you my name. I’m Kari.”

“Alex.”

She frowned.

I rolled my eyes. Even dead people needed an explanation. “It’s short for Alexandria.”

“No. I know your name.” Before I could question how she knew my name, Kari steered me away from a group of angry-looking Guards who were examining my ruined clothing. “It does get kind of boring down here.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? You’re a pure-blood.”

Kari laughed. “We’re all equal down here, honey.”

My mom had said that once. Funny. She had been right. Gods, I didn’t want to believe it.

“And besides, when I was alive… I wasn’t a hater,” she went on, smiling softly. “Maybe it was because I was an oracle.”

Shock forced my mouth to gape. “Wait—you’re the oracle?”

“It runs in my family.”

I leaned closer, inspecting the deep hue of her skin and those dark eyes that suddenly looked way too familiar. “You’re not related to Grandma Piperi, are you?”

Kari laughed throatily. “Piperi is my last name.”

“Holy…”

“Yeah, weird, right?” She shrugged, dropping her arm. “I had the huge purpose in life, but my love for shoes kind of ended it all. Takes the term ‘killer shoes’ to a whole new level, right?”


“Yeah,” I said, totally wigged out. “So, are you the oracle that came into… whatever when Grandma Piperi passed?”

A few moments passed and then she sighed. “Yes, I did… unfortunately. I was never big on Fate and destiny, you see? And visions… well, they suck most of the time.” Kari looked at me, her obsidian eyes narrowing. “You’re supposed to be here.”

“I am?” I squeaked. Aw, man…

She nodded. “You are. This—I’ve seen this. Like I knew I was going to meet you, but I had no idea it would be here. See, oracles don’t know when the passing of their own time will be, which blows.” She laughed again. “Gods, I know what’s going to happen.”

Now that caught my attention. “You do?”

Her smile turned secretive.

My fingers dug into my sweater. “And are you going to tell me?”

Kari fell quiet, and did it matter now that she was making little sense? She was an oracle and I was dead. Wasn’t a thing I could do about anything, right? Shaking my head, I took in the rest of my surroundings. I couldn’t see where the river led to; it flowed to where was nothing but a deep, black hole. To our right there was a small opening, and a strange, bluish glow emanated from whatever was beyond this place.