An eternity in the inferno. Kester was going to give her up to Emerazel. Her heart pounded. She needed to get out of here. Glancing around for an escape route, her eyes landed on the chandelier. She could leap up, kick Kester in the face, and bolt into the elevator. But it wouldn’t be on her floor, and she’d have to stand there waiting for it to arrive while Kester summoned the goddess of fire and brimstone. Bollocks, Ursula.

Could she make it out a window? Did windows in penthouses even open? Even if she did escape, the goddess had total control over her mind and body. There was no way to run from her.

Raw panic flooded her body, and she began pacing like a caged animal.

Kester’s phone buzzed, and he stepped away from her, yanking it from his pocket. After a moment, he exhaled, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “You are very lucky Zee was there.”

“Why? What happened?” Hope bloomed in her chest.

He shoved the phone in his pocket. “Zee was able to glamour everyone at the club. They won’t remember you.”

“How?”

“Zee’s a fae. That’s one of the reasons I sent her along.”

“Fae? I don’t even know what that is.” She was still vibrating with panic; her statement came out as an angry shout.

“The fae can influence people’s thoughts. Luckily for you, she convinced the security guards to hand over the tapes of your panicking face.”

Ursula loosed a long breath, steadying her nerves. She slid her face into her hands, trying not to imagine Hugo burning in hellfire. “A relief from my death sentence. I could kiss Zee. And now I just need to find Hugo. I heard him saying he was going to the opera tomorrow night.”

Kester smirked. “You see? The prospect of your own torment clarifies your thinking, doesn’t it?”

She glowered at him. “I don’t need you to gloat about it.”

“Obviously, you need training. I can give you until tomorrow night to collect Hugo’s soul, but beyond that I’ll have to report to Emerazel. Even this amount of leniency is risking my own skin.” His glacial voice chilled her blood. “And do not create a scene again, or we’ll both end up in flames. You have one thousand pages in your ledger—a thousand souls you must collect. Don’t give Emerazel the pleasure of reaping your soul before you get through them.”

He pivoted, stalking out of the room, and Ursula was left on her own to stare at the cold vastness of New York.

Chapter 18

Ursula hugged herself and crossed into the cavernous living room. The apartment felt noticeably colder without Kester in it.

On an oak coffee table, an uncorked champagne bottle rested in a bucket of ice, two empty glasses next to it. She sighed. Kester had obviously been planning a little celebration, assuming she’d somehow succeed.