“Why? We don’t have any say in this,” said Peter. He glanced between us all. “Do we?”

“No, but eventually someone from Management will come here to size up the situation and will talk to us in their assessment. Everything plays a part. Those wanting the position will strut around, show how they could keep this place in line, and put their bids in.”

“Is Nanette going to be at this meeting?” I asked suspiciously.

“Yes,” said Hugh, eyeing me. “And so will Cedric.”

I eyed him right back. “I’m telling you, it’s not Cedric. I’m certain of it.”

“What, you have donuts with him for a week, and now you guys are BFF?”

“No, but I know him better than you do. And I think I understand Nanette better than you too,” I shot back.

“So, you guys . . .” began Cody, a questioning note in his voice.

“Are you sleeping with Cedric?” Hugh demanded. “Are you playing both sides now?”

“No!”

“It kind of sounds like it.”

“You guys,” repeated Cody.

“Look,” I said, “you just want to believe Nanette’s innocent because you think she’s hot.”

“She is hot. For a demon.”

“You guys!” yelled Cody. We turned to him. “What about us?”

“What about us?” I asked.

“What are we?” Cody’s face was pinched and worried. Like Peter, he no longer seemed that excited about his newfound freedom. “Are we human?”

I opened my mouth to answer and then fell silent. I honestly didn’t know. Hugh glanced at me and shrugged.

“Not exactly,” said Peter. “I think we’re kind of . . . in stasis. We’re neither mortal nor immortal.”

“We have to be one or the other,” argued Hugh. “There’s no purgatory equivalent to mortality.”

Peter shrugged. “Hell’s still got the lease on our souls. That’s not going to change, no matter who our archdemon is. Removing him from the equation cuts us off from the abilities we get with immortality, but that’s temporary.”

“But does it cut us off from immortality itself?” asked Cody. “Can we die?”

Silence fell.

“Shit,” said Hugh.

“I think . . .” Peter bit his lip. I had a feeling he was at the end of his knowledge on this subject. “I think they’d bring us back if we did.”

“You think?” asked Cody incredulously.

Peter threw up his hands. “I don’t know! This has never happened to me before, okay? Maybe we are human. Maybe we can get sick. Maybe we can lose in a fight. Maybe Georgina’ll get her period. I don’t know, okay?”

“Whoa,” I said, straightening up. “What do you mean—”

“Just stop it, all of you,” exclaimed Hugh. “We’re not going to figure any of this out right now. Just go to the meeting and find out there. Grace and Mei are trying to manage things for now, and they’ll know what’s up. No point in panicking now.”