My heart started beating again, and the sudden rush of my pulse made me light-headed. Tod wiped the last of the blood from my mouth, then leaned forward and kissed me, and I let the feel of him and the taste of him—of all things good and safe and strong—drive the memory of that other kiss from my head.

“Just...in the future, save all the good stuff for me, okay?” he whispered into my hair, holding me so tight I couldn’t have breathed if I’d needed to.

“It’s yours. All of it. All of me.” I put my head on his shoulder and clutched handfuls of his shirt. “I’m all yours.”

That was the only thing I could see clearly, when I tried to picture forever.

Chapter Twelve

When Tod finally pulled away, it was only so that he could see my eyes. “We’re going to get your dad back. I’m sorry I was out of reach when this happened. I was looking for Thane.”

“Oh, yeah.” That’s why he’d been in the Netherworld.

“What does that mean?” He frowned, studying my face. “You knew?”

“I went to reaper headquarters last night and I overheard. I didn’t mean to, but once I figured out Levi had given you a special assignment, I was kind of glad. We need to catch Thane. And I figured you didn’t tell me because Levi wouldn’t let you, right? This is a secret assignment?”

Tod exhaled and held my gaze. “Kay, this was my idea. Levi thought he’d be too far away by now, and we’d have to wait on a sighting from one of the other districts, but I asked him to let me look into it. At first, I didn’t find anything, but then early this morning I found one of the souls he took off with after Emma died.”

“Where?” I wasn’t sure I’d processed everything he’d said yet, but that question couldn’t wait. “Where is he?”

“I haven’t found Thane yet, but he sold one of the souls in the Netherworld, one district over. I’m not sure what he got for it, but that’s proof that he didn’t leave the area immediately. He may still be close.” Tod smiled, and his whole face lit up with the possibility shining in his eyes. “We’re going to catch him, Kaylee, and he’s going to pay for his part in...everything.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you requested this?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to catch him as a sort of late birthday present. Because your party...well, it kinda sucked, and you deserve to get something you really want for your birthday. Something other than death, horror, and mayhem.”

“I have what I really want.” I grabbed a handful of his tee and pulled him closer for another kiss. “And I don’t like secrets.”

“Not a secret. A surprise. Similar meaning—completely different tone and intent.” Hegrinned. “I wanted to surprise you. What were you doing at headquarters, anyway?”

Well, crap. Tod would have been the first—possibly only—person I told after Emma, but timing was definitely not on my side lately. “I...um...may have taken Beck’s soul back from Levi to give to Traci’s baby.”

“You what?” Tod sat on the edge of the tub and ran one hand through his curls, and when he met my gaze again, his irises were twisting slowly in frustration. “For someone who doesn’t like secrets, you sure keep a lot of them. Does my boss know you stole his letter opener?”

“If he hasn’t said anything to you, I’m guessing he doesn’t know. But I didn’t take the letter opener, I just took the soul. And I wasn’t stealing it, I was taking it back. The way I see it, several people have a legitimate claim to that soul, including me. But Levi’s not one of them. It should go to Beck’s son. Traci and her baby deserve a chance, and that soul is the very least that bastard owes them.”

“Kaylee, I sympathize with Traci. I really do. But you can’t get involved with another incubus. It’s not safe.”

“I can’t not get involved with this incubus. His mother may not even be alive when he reaches his first fertile period, but I will. Traci deserves a chance to raise her son, but the rest of the world deserves not to be preyed on by him. So, like it or not, I’m involved.” I shrugged. “And honestly, I can’t swear that I’m not going to get involved in other crazy Netherworld chaos between now and forever. Eternity’s a long time.” I hesitated, searching his eyes while I took a deep, nervous breath. “Are you still with me?”

He took my hand, and that tension inside me eased, just a little bit. “I meant it when I said forever, Kay. You’ve been mixed up in crazy Netherworld chaos since the day we met, and I kind of like knowing that even if we live another thousand years, we’ll never be bored, in any sense of the word.” The heat in his eyes hinted at double entendre, and I couldn’t resist a smile. “But I wouldn’t mind a heads-up next time you decide to jump into the crazy end of the pool.”

“Fair enough. Though you should probably know there isn’t really a not-crazy end of the—”

The front door flew open and smashed into the wall, and Tod and I both turned toward the sound as Styx began growling furiously. “Kaylee!” Nash called.

Tod groaned. “You left the front door unlocked?”

“That was probably Emma. I don’t use doors much anymore. Besides, everyone who wants to kill me is on another plane of existence.” I shrugged. “The front door doesn’t seem like a particularly meaningful barrier.”