Instead of arguing with him—what was the point?—I crossed my arms. “Can I go?”
He waved me off. “Go and get some sleep, Ms. Harlin, because I suspect tomorrow’s competition will be even more taxing. And, Ms. Harlin?”
I faced him once more.
“I will give you a piece of good advice. Do not think about betraying me, plotting against me or otherwise working against me. People who cross me do not last long—especially mortals.”
I thought back to the shadow, to the man who had tried to chop me into pieces, to Jerrod and Olin and the poltergeist. I met Lucifer’s gaze head-on, met his not-so-subtle threat without flinching with a fact of my own. “And you should know, I’m a lot harder to kill than I look.”
* * * *
I woke, jerking upright. The mist stuck in my throat and lungs from the dream wasn’t easy to forget, to push away even if it hadn’t been real.
The dreams felt worse in hell, more real, more all-consuming. It made me miss the ambrosia, that short burst of blissful, easy sleep I’d managed after drinking myself into a stupor.
I rolled over, trying to pull real air in, to reassure me that I wasn’t in that damned dream. Funny that I’d be happier to find myself in hell.
“No wonder you never had a long-term boyfriend. I don’t think anyone is sticking around if they wake up to that.”
I wiped my mouth before turning to find Gran standing beside the bed, two cups in her hands. “Why are the dreams worse here?”
“Because you’re closer to death here.” She sat on the edge of the bed, then held one of the cups out to me. “Drink that. Don’t just hold it.”
The heat seeped into my palms, and I forced myself to sip the bitter tea. After I swallowed it, I shifted to get more comfortable. “What are you doing here?”
“You slept late, and I got tired of waiting around. Hell is far more boring than you’d expect.”
“I never would have expected that.”
“I’ve complained to Lucifer about it before, but he never does anything. He is one stubborn man. He used to be more fun, though. He’s gotten worse the last few years.”
“I can’t imagine him ever being fun.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Gran said, frowning as if trying to remember. “We’re down to two teams.”
Fear gripped my chest at that.
Gran patted my leg. “Unclench, dear. Your boy toys are just fine. Green and orange lost their last members, leaving only blue and black, both at full strength.
A pride that was probably totally inappropriate hit me at the fact that my boys had done so well. Maybe I didn’t need to worry quite so much, but I couldn’t help it. My words to Lucifer were true.
I’d do whatever it took.
This whole thing might have started out with me caring only about the shadow, about the spirits, but somewhere along the way those idiot men had become just as important.
Which was beyond stupid, because none of them had proven they wouldn’t break my heart just as soon as it was in their best interest.
“Lucifer isn’t behind this, is he?” When she looked at me with her eyebrow lifted, I took another drink. “Why would he call me, then?”
“Despite what Lucifer might claim, he isn’t all powerful. His lines of communication are a little thin, these days.”
“These days?”
Gran smiled, one that spoke volumes about what she didn’t say. “Let’s just say he has a little less movement than he used to. I wouldn’t suggest you ask him, though. He’s touchy about his shortcomings.”
I didn’t bother to ask her how she knew. Gran rarely offered real information to me, but she was always right. “So we have another party?”
“Given there are so few teams left, I’m going to guess we only have another two. Tonight, blue or black will be taken out, leaving tomorrow for the big event.”
“Any idea what they’re up against?”
Gran shrugged. “The first few rounds are usually boring. Normally there are more of them, but your team didn’t seem like they wanted to drag this out. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it so short.”
“You know, this tea isn’t that bad.” I frowned, staring down at it. “Please tell me this doesn’t have any of that weird plant in it?”
“Ambrosia?” Gran shuddered. “No, never. Have you seen that stuff being grown?”
Thank fuck.
“So why is it better than usual?”
“Probably because you miss it. A week in hell will do that to a person. I was stuck here for a few weeks years ago, and by the end of it, black gas station coffee was orgasmic. Sort of like how after a few centuries of abstinence, even a lousy lay is great.” She offered me a smile. “Not that I think you have that problem.”
I thought back to Hunter, to how he’d taken me the night before, and took another drink of my tea to hide my reaction.
I might be willing to kiss Hunter and the others in front of an entire party, but actually talking about sex was too far.
A sound from the courtyard rang through the room, something like a bell.
Gran turned to peer that way. “That means we have about two hours before the party starts.”
“Will they be there?”
I didn’t need to specify who they were.
“Oh, I suspect your boys will be the belles of the ball. It’s been a while since we’ve had a show as good as they put on. In fact, I bet we’ll have a few extra people who didn’t feel the first night was worth attending. Then again, Hunter always draws a good crowd.”
I could see that. Hunter was nice to look at, and he sure managed to make things interesting.
“He’s a show,” I agreed.
“It’s not just him. While folks down here don’t always get a lot of information, Kase and Grant are fairly well known. Your little team there is like straight out of a
