"So, what did you mean by there being other ways to intimidate?" I asked as we followed Azza and Lucifer in Lucifer's red Porsche 911. It was the first time I'd known him to drive. Laz was doing a Hell of a job keeping up as we sped down the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic.

"Well, like I said, hon, compulsion is the best option. Just tellin' them to leave you alone or go away will get you out of most anythin'. However, we can't compel some people. In cases like that, you can threaten to take their soul by 'tuggin'' on them."

"Tugging?"

"Yeah, you touch them and grab their soul, then tug. The soul won't want to leave because it isn't time, but the person will feel your power. That usually takes care of everyone else."

Curious, I asked, "What happens if I tug too much?"

"Then you end up killin' them and collectin' their soul. But it's hard to do. Since the soul doesn't want to go, you have to exert a lot of force to rip it from their body."

I shivered. "Have—Did you ever have to do that?"

He rubbed his face. "Once. It was a war situation, and I was new. I was on the battlefield to collect the general, but somehow, his next-in-command saw me and attacked. I couldn't compel him, and I had to have the general's soul. It was crucial. So, I had to defend myself, and the only weapon I had was bein' Death."

I put my hand on his leg, and he moved to hold it. "That sounds awful. I'm so sorry that happened to you."

He kissed my fingers. "After that, I started learnin' to fight, which later lead to takin' martial arts. I have several black belts and can defend myself in a myriad of ways."

"Should I do that? Learn to fight?"

"Fight? No, I don't think so. Defend yourself? I would say yes, just as a general practice." He glanced at me. "After that incident, I instituted a buddy system for conflict collection. You won't ever go into a situation like that without someone else there with you. That's another reason why I recommended Charlie. He's a fuckin' tough bastard, darlin'. You can't go wrong."

He braked quickly to slip in between two cars and follow Lucifer onto the off-ramp. The dealership was just ahead. I grinned like a loon.

"Horse fun aside," I said, easing the roadster with the Storm Surge chameleon color-changing paint job into the next lane to pass the semi, "I'm looking forward to deepening our relationship, Laz." The color of the hood slipped from pale green through gray to lavender as we passed through the truck's headlights and left it behind.

Laz reached from the passenger seat to put a hand on my leg as I drove. We were headed home, following my Fallen Angels in Lucifer's Porsche. Azza had convinced Laz to allow a demon to take his Cobra back to his loft's garage so he could come with me.

Laz's touch was electric. When he squeezed lightly, my body reacted. "Me, too, hon."

We rode in companionable silence for several minutes until he shifted in his seat.

"What's wrong, Laz?"

"Well, darlin'," he explained, "I'm wishin' I was driving so I could order you to masturbate for me. Just the thought has me hard as a rock."

I chuckled. "Sorry, darlin'," I teased him, "but this is my horse."

He grinned. "No, I get it. You want to drive her. But, if you feel the need to stop..." he let his voice trail away, leaving the invitation hanging in the air between us.

My phone dinged, and I had the car read the text aloud. It was Nyx with a collection.

"Why is Nyx sending me a collection? I'd expect it to be Charles," I mused.

"A good question. However, if the office has sent it, the soul is important, and you need to collect it."

I instructed the car to call Lucifer. "Love, I have a collection to make. Laz and I need to stop," I explained as I began to slow the roadster, preparing to pull off onto the shoulder.

"There is a rest stop about five miles up the road," Lucifer informed us.

Laz nodded. "Perfect. Bathroom stalls make for excellent places to exit in a crowd."

"So, how do I avoid being seen and all that?"

"When you portal, only supernatural beings can see the portals. However, everyone can see you disappear. Once you're across, you're invisible as Death. And, when you come back, you do it within a millisecond of when you left."

"Huh. I could go out collecting for hours, and when I come back, it's the same time I left?"

"Pretty much."

"How does that even work?" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Don't ask me, darlin'. I just know it works."

We drifted out of the light traffic, taking the exit for the rest area and slowing until we parked in front of the structure. As we walked in, flanked by the three of them, I felt like I had security detail following along behind me. It was both sweet and annoying.

I went into the bathroom and checked that it was empty. If it hadn't been the middle of the night, it probably would have been quite busy. I motioned for Laz to follow me in, and we stuffed ourselves into the first stall.

I looked at my phone again, concentrating on the information, and waved a portal. It opened in a hospital room prepared for children. I inhaled sharply and looked at Laz. "I—I don't know if I can do this, Laz. Not children."

He took my hand and kissed it. "I'm here. Let's go and check it out. Maybe it's not what you fear, sweetheart."

We stepped through into the room. A young girl, maybe seven or eight, lay in the bed, hooked up to numerous machines, including a ventilator. A man and woman, her parents, I presumed, sat next to the bed. I shuddered. I knew a deathwatch when I saw one, having been there with my daughter before Lucifer's second deal came my way.

My portal closed. We stood in the room, listening to the machines. The door of the room opened and several of the medical staff entered. Both the mother and father stood, the man gathering her into his arms.

"Are you ready?" was all the women in the doctor's coat asked.

The mother sobbed into his chest as he swallowed and nodded.

The doctor nodded to the staff, who turned off machines one by one until the room was silent. The doctor listened to the girl's heart with a stethoscope.

The mother began to cry in earnest as silent tears ran down the father's face. My cheeks were wet, and I shook. Laz wrapped his arms around me in comfort, but it did little to help. Memories of Deirdre's death nearly overwhelmed me. The fact that she was alive again didn't negate the experience of losing her.

We heard a portal open, and Nyx stepped through, checking items on her tablet. She glanced at me over the black frames of reading glasses, and I saw an eyebrow lift. "Still babysitting, Laz?"

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed as the heat in my body rose.

"Nyx, don't be an ass. You know very well this is Olivia's second day."

"Her record says she has experience taking souls. It seems to me she either knows the job, or she doesn't."

Before I could spit my anger at her, the little girl flatlined. Another portal opened, and Peter stepped through, magnificent in his white suit against midnight skin. He stood respectfully aside, waiting.

I saw the girl's soul begin to struggle, and I reached out a hand, palm up, inviting her to come to me. She rose and took my hand, sliding out quickly.

"Are you an angel?" she asked with wide eyes.

I knelt. "No, hon, I'm not. I'm just here to help. That man over there is Peter. He's an angel, and he's going to take you to Heaven."

She turned to him, and I gently passed her hand to him. He smiled a genuine smile and greeted her by name. He waved a portal, and they stepped through to rolling green hills.

I stood and stared at Nyx. I opened my mouth to speak, but Laz put a hand on my arm.

"Not now, Olivia. Strong emotions can carry over into the living and disturb them. Try and stay calm."

I nodded my understanding and raised a hand to wave a portal back to the rest stop.

Nyx raised a finger. "Death. We have not completed our night's work." She tapped the tablet, and my phone dinged. I checked it and found a long list of names, addresses, and times.

"Nyx! This many? On her second night?" Laz scowled.

"Temper, temper, Lazarus. As I said, she either knows the job, or she does not," she said, taking off her glasses and gently chewing on one of the earpieces as she watched me. I knew it was a test.

Laz turned to me. "You can text Charlie and have him collect them, darlin'. He is of high enough rank that taking significant deaths is within his skill."

A smirk appeared briefly on Nyx's lips. My eyes narrowed. No way in Hell is this bitch going to win. I stiffened my spine. "No, I can do it, Laz."

"I will come with you, Death," he assured me.

I smiled at him. He was a genuinely good man, and he cared about me. I took his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Laz."

Nyx's brow furrowed. She quickly tried to hide her reaction by putting on her glasses and scanning her tablet. "This one is next," she said, highlighting one of the names on my device.

I waved a portal to the location. I was horrified by what I saw. The word 'squalor' didn't adequately describe the living conditions of whoever lived in the hut. In the corner of the filthy floor, a woman clutched an emaciated child to her, rocking gently.

I couldn't look away. I searched for Laz's hand blindly beside me. He took it and kissed my fingers.

"She needs to take both of them, the mother first."

My eyes widened, and my throat closed. I felt weak in the knees and was grateful when Laz put his arm around me.

"Death. Darlin', you need to take her. Do it as gently as you can, but she is likely to resist. I'm so sorry."

Another portal opened, and Peter stepped out once again. His brow furrowed, and he spoke to Nyx. "This is her second day, right?"

"So I've been reminded."

"Well, I wouldn't presume to tell Death's office—" he started.

"Then don't," she said, cutting him off.

He huffed, clasped his hands in front of himself, and settled in to wait.

I took several calming breaths and stepped forward. I held out my hand to the woman and found the words in her language to invite her to take my hand.

She shook her head. "No. My baby needs me."

"Yes, that's right. You baby will continue to need you, which is why you must come with me."

Her eyes widened. "My baby? He does not live?"

"I'm so sorry, but no. He will follow shortly after you."

I heard another portal open and Lucifer stepped through. The woman began to scream at the sight of him. He stood, hard and stoic, as she wailed.

I froze at the sight of my love waiting for me to rip the soul from a screaming woman.

"Death!" Laz called to me, grabbing my face and catching my attention. "Olivia. Darlin'. You have to take her and give her to Lucifer. They have a deal."

I shook my head. "No. How do you know that?"

"Just the fact that he is here proves it, Death. He would not be here for the child."

I spun to Lucifer. "What was the deal?"

He closed his eyes briefly and swallowed. "She traded her soul for her son to outlive her."

"Outlive her?" I implore. "I have to take him next!"

"Technically, when she dies first, he will have outlived her."

"How dare you!" I shouted.

"Death! Calm yourself," Nyx ordered.

I rounded on her and pointed, "You! You will keep your mouth shut!"

She dared to smirk at me openly but didn't say another word.

I whirled back to Lucifer. "Did you know? Did you know that it would play out this way?"

He looked despondent. "I did not. I only know about the deaths of those with whom I deal. You know that from your time with Deirdre. I have no influence on Him and His decisions of when to take those that belong to Him."

The woman had stopped screaming, and she lay on the filthy pad on the even filthier floor, panting. I could tell she no longer had the energy to fight. I had no choice.