“That’s why I became a hellhound. I needed power to avenge her. And I still haven’t succeeded. Abrax is Nyxobas’s son. He’s not an easy man to kill. But Emerazel made me a promise: once I’d filled my ledger, she would find a way to reclaim Oriel’s soul. I just needed to do everything she told me, to please her in every way. Every soul I reaped, every person I killed—it all had a purpose. It was all in the name of getting Oriel out of hell. Only I’ve started to wonder if Emerazel has any intention of sticking to her bargain. As I’ve come close to filling my ledger, she’s only added more pages. And yet I keep going, because if I fail, all of it was for nothing.”

Ursula swallowed hard, almost wanting to look away from the raw pain etched on his face.

“When my soul was stolen in the fae realm,” he continued. “I experienced just a brief glimmer of Oriel’s torment. Pure, crushing isolation. Complete abandonment in the void. That is what Oriel has felt for centuries. And it hit me like an arrow to my heart: there is no Oriel anymore. After all that pain, her mind would be completely shattered, lost in the rush of Nyxobas’s night winds.”

Sorrow tightened Ursula’s chest. “I’m so sorry, Kester.”

He lifted his glass, his eyes suddenly clearing. “But you got me back from that. I owe you my sad, sorry life.”

She touched his arm. “We got through the impossible last night. We reclaimed your soul, and Zee’s. And I’m spared from Emerazel’s punishment. Maybe we can free ourselves from our debts to the gods.”

He shook his head. “You can’t fight the gods, Ursula, even if you fought Abrax. And didn’t I tell you not to take on fights you couldn’t win?”

“It worked last night, didn’t it? We got everything we needed.”

“But you lost your lucky rock.” Mischief glinted in his eyes again.

“I’m not ready to joke about that yet.” She scowled, then arched an eyebrow. “Wait. How did you know I lost that? I never told you that.”

He reached into the pocket of his grey trousers, pulling out her smooth, white stone.

Her heart sped up. “How did you get that?”

“After my body reconstituted on the dance floor, I grabbed this out of your wyrm-skin purse. I would have returned it sooner, but Abrax interrupted me.” He folded his fingers around it, curling it to his chest. “And now, I’m afraid I’d become quite attached to it. It’s brought me such good luck, you see. You’ll have to find your own.”

She lunged forward, spilling her whiskey as he held it above his head, out of her reach. She climbed onto his lap, prying it from his fingers.