This chapter is dedicated to pixelmum whose ONC story Parasite is an exciting cyberpunk with a MC who has a great voice. Plot is suspensful and will simply blow you away. Absolute worth the read.

Humming my favorite song from the jukebox under my breath, I straighten the vase with the little pink flower and scan the tray one final time. Steaming scrambled eggs, buttered toast with raspberry jam, a bowl of potato tots, crispy bacon strips, and last but not least a handful of chocolate-covered strawberries. This will be a nice treat for Cass when she wakes up.

"Howdy, Anchor. How is everlasting life treating you?"

My stomach lurches and I slowly turn around. Lou, dressed from head to toe in his leather gear, grins at me from the threshold of the golden oval door.

"What are you doing here?" I try to keep my voice steady, but a small hitch still sneaks into the last word.

"I'm here to collect a Cassandra Wallace. Have you seen her?"

"You know I don't ask for their names."

"Indeed, you usually don't, but I thought you might've made an exception. She is mega cute." He takes a few steps into the bar and the veil closes behind him. "It's odd that she hasn't checked in with any of the enforcers. I expected her already last night."

"How do you know she is cute?"

"I saw her fall to her death. Epic, I tell you. She jumped out of a plane"—he pauses for effect even though I have a pretty good idea what will come next—"without a parachute, of course."

"And what's so special about her to attract your attention?" I keep my tone pleasant, but internally, my gut tightens to a knot. His presence is a bad omen.

"I thought it would be fun to watch one of those pathetic suiciders die. Plus I started her punishment early." He gives me a conspiratorial wink. "While she fell to her death, I took it upon myself to tear her soul apart"—he chuckles—"and then I claimed one half for myself."

It takes all my effort to keep my fists tucked at my sides. "You can't claim her. You don't have a heart that could host a piece of her soul."

He waves off my concern. "That's just a technicality. Bottom line, she'll be suffering because every fabric of her existence will be craving for her soulmate. Watching her weep for me will be epic, don't you think?"

I want to tear his head off. "What happened to the other part of her soul?" Since he couldn't have absorbed it, it must have gone somewhere else.

"Dunno. It will probably wither away in the void." He juts his chin at the tray. "What's that?"

"Oh, a small snack I made for a guest."

"It looks like human food."

"It is human food. They call it breakfast."

He arches a brow. "You went to the surface?"

"Don't worry, I had coverage for the bar."

"That's not the point. Did Levinia give you permission?"

"Don't think that's any of your business."

He tilts his head and studies me with darkening eyes until I squirm like a worm on a hook.

"Maybe I'll ask her myself."

I chuckle. "Judging from your outfit, you took your motorcycle up here, so if you tattletale about my trip to Earth, I'll just have to let it slip that you are still using your wheels. You know how Levinia feels about them." I purse my lips. "What did she call them the other day? Cycle of doom?"

"Okay, I get it. Let's just keep those trips between us."

Excellent proposition. "Now if you'd excuse me. I'm kind of busy."

He turns to leave and for a breath, I'm actually convinced that I dodged a bullet when a cheerful "good morning" crushes that hope.

"Look who we have here." Lou's tone is as pleasant as it could be. He gives Cass, who's dressed in nothing but an oversized flannel shirt she must have dug out from my clothes pile in the closet, a curious once over. "It's Cassandra, isn't it?"

"Actually, I prefer Cass, but yes, Cassandra is my legal name." Her whole face lights up as she scans the tray. "Is that for me?"

Lou's response is faster than mine. "If you are Anchor's mysterious guest, it sure is."

"Awe, you even got me a flower and chocolate strawberries." She squeezes my arm. "Thank you."

"Say, did you spend the whole night with Anchor?" Lou asks.

Cass's smile fades; she gazes from me to him.

Fuck, he is ruining everything.

Not that there is much to salvage.

"If you could excuse us for just one moment?" Lou cups his hands around my shoulders and pushes me toward the storage room out back.

I dig my heels into the floorboards in an attempt to block his efforts, but his strength is unrivaled. He shoves me across the threshold and slams the door behind him so hard that it almost jumps off the hinges.

"What in Heaven's name is going on?" Spit flies from his mouth. "First you lie to my face, and then I find out you slept with her."

"You have no proof—"

"Zip it. I smelled cum on you the second I stepped into the bar, but I thought it was one of your usual demon conquests. Now seriously. How could you mess around with a human?"

I drop my gaze.

"And why does she smell like peaches and honey? She is a mortal sinner and should have blood and soul cruncher traces all over her."

"I might have given her a potion . . ."

He blinks at me. "Come again?"

At least it confirms that the vials I swiped during my last visit to heaven actually kill the stench of sins. "I thought that getting rid of the smell might make things a little easier for her."

He snorts and shakes his head. "Unbelievable, and totally pointless. The girl is headed for section K."

I gulp. "That can't be."

"She killed a child and took her own life."

"Still. The child's death was an accident, and she only killed herself because the whole incident crushed her. She's very remorseful and is certainly a candidate for redemption. The max she should get is section G."

"Well, as you know, I don't make that decision."

"There must be a mistake. Her sin had no premeditation or malice at all. Section K is reserved for the worst of the worst, mass murderers, serial killers, and people who commit genocide. If you stick her in there, you'll break her within days."

He shrugs. "Sure, but who cares? You are acting totally irrational, as if you actually like her. She is a human who is a weak creature by design. So what if she breaks? It's not your problem."

Something doesn't add up.

"What aren't you telling me?"

A cruel smile plays on his lips. "Unfortunately for your girl, she killed one of the reincarnated saints, which screwed up Levinia's planning for the next millennium. You know how upset she gets when that happens, so there was never going to be a redemption track for Cass."

I take a deep breath in an attempt to keep my shit together. "So Levinia condemned her to eternal torture because of a scheduling hiccup? That's simply not fair."

"If you don't like it, take it up with her."

"Oh, I will. In the meantime, why don't you let Cass stay? I'm sure I'll have it sorted in a couple of days."

Thoughtful eyes drill into me. "Something is definitely off with you, though I can't put my finger on it."

"C'mon, Lou, I've never asked you for a favor before."

He clicks his tongue. "Sorry, can't do. The girl is coming with me, and that's final."

"At least don't put her into section K until I had a chance to talk to Levinia."

Rolling his eyes, he walks out. I will my legs to move, but my body refuses to give me an inch. For the first time in my life, I'm numb and defeated; my chest hurts as if the devil himself cracked it open with a crowbar.

In the other room, Lou claps his hands. "Alrighty, hun, let's go."

"What about my clothes?"

"You'll get a uniform."

"Then where is Anchor? I want to say goodbye."

"Don't you worry about him."

"And the enforcer? Anchor said that I'm supposed to meet him first."

Lou barks out a laugh. "Hun, you forfeited your chance to shine at judgment day when you seduced my brother last night. Now it's time to pay for your sins . . . in hell . . . where the devil can keep a close eye on you."

Total WP word count: 5834

So Cass's respite is cut short as Lou sweeps in to take her to hell. He is our last MC and will soon get to be a narrator. How did you like him and what do you think his role is in hell? This was a fun chapter for me to write, and I hope you enjoyed it; if so, please consider a vote and don't be shy with your comments 💜

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter (which should hopefully be up in a few days).