Barreling through the dark passageways of the palace, Jared hit the brakes when another door appeared before them.

"What're you doing? Go!" past-Death urged, pushing at him.

A flare of blue-green behind her made her turn. As before, there was nothing there. She stared into the darkness, not understanding why she kept seeing it.

"You go first, cupcake. I'm not getting my head chopped off."

Rolling her eyes, past-Death maneuvered by the demon, fearful of being followed. She'd never been concerned about such a thing before and wasn't certain if it was even possible for the death dealers to find her in the walls.

She opened the door into a dimly lit room with no windows. It was small, and she recognized the same ancient, quiet magic that resonated in the dungeon. Recognizing the pedestal in the center of the room, she started to retreat. The tunnels had indeed taken her to the safest place in the palace.

"Shit," she muttered. "You can't be here."

"What?" Curious and assured no one was waiting to attack, Jared shoved her hard enough to knock her into the room.

"Really. We need to go!" past-Death said, taking his arm.

"Stop." He gripped her neck in response. "What is this place?"

Past-Death said nothing, aware no demon in history had set foot in the sacred room. Only the two Deaths preceding her had ever been here. Even if her blocked memories didn't let her recall what she'd done in here, she innately knew this sacred spot and its power.

"Are those … souls?" Intrigued, Jared released her and strode towards the pedestal. A caldron sat on top, the glow from the souls in its waters the only light in the room.

Past-Death heard the sounds of distant pursuit, confirming the dealers had found a way into the passageways, and reluctantly pushed the door closed. "Only Death or Death's mate can find us here. We're safe enough for now. But we can't stay long."

Jared's growl was low and deep as he took in the contents of the caldron. He reached into the caldron.

"Don't touch!" she shouted. "The water is demon proof. It'll kill you instantly."

Jared hesitated.

"On second thought, do touch it. You're a pain in the ass," she added.

He lowered his hand without moving.

Past-Death stepped beside him and peered into the caldron. There were only a couple hundred souls in its depths, but they ranged in color from the large black one to different shades and sizes of red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange. The gems glimmered and winked.

"Death is guardian over the souls of the deities," she whispered. "It's why no one likes to fuck with Death."




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