An hour later, Jade had two briefcases packed and lined up by the door. She gathered the next month's rent, sealed it in an envelope, and forced herself outside.
She wasn't looking forward to dealing with Ms. Berkins. The woman always seemed angry, like the world owed her an apology and Jade had been elected to deliver it. Jade had learned not to argue. Keep your head down, pay on time, and avoid becoming a problem.
That was the plan. It always had been.
Across the small lot, shadows clung to the corners of the building. Aamon stood within them, silent and watchful. After Zeth mentioned the unpaid favor, the unease in his chest had sharpened into a single, cold certainty: he could not risk leaving Jade alone.
Not when Reapers might come sniffing.
When Jade's door opened, his body tensed. He watched her descend the stairs and cross to Ms. Berkins's unit. The demon's form melted deeper into shadow, and he glided closer without sound, close enough to hear every word.
Jade knocked.
A moment later, the door cracked open and an old woman peered out with narrowed eyes. "Jade. It's early. What is it?"
"Good morning, Ms. Berkins." Jade's smile was practiced. Careful. "Sorry to bother you, but some family business came up. I'll be leaving soon to handle it, and I'm not sure when I'll be back."
Ms. Berkins's expression hardened instantly. "Are you trying to get out of paying rent?"
"No." Jade lifted the envelope. "Never. Here."
Aamon felt a hot flicker of irritation at the accusation. Jade didn't even flinch. She only held the envelope out, patient as a saint.
Ms. Berkins snatched it from her hand. "You told me you had no family."
Jade's smile twitched. "It's… complicated."
"And what was all that noise last night?" Ms. Berkins's voice climbed, sharp and loud enough to carry. "I told you before, no extra occupants."
"I'm sorry." Jade's shoulders drew in slightly. "It was a personal matter. I can't really explain more than that."
Ms. Berkins scoffed. "How long is this 'business' going to take? If you don't plan to occupy your space, there are others who would gladly take it."
Jade hesitated, and Aamon felt his anger rise again. Not because of the threat. Because of the way Jade shrank beneath it, as if she'd already accepted the worst outcome as her default.
Ms. Berkins continued, voice dripping with judgment. "You've been a good tenant… up until last night. I'll give you one week. Hold your things for a week, then clear them out. If you come back and it's available, you can have it again."
Jade nodded once, quietly.
Ms. Berkins's eyes swept over Jade's disheveled shirt and puffy face. "And you should clean yourself up. You look terrible. Trying to scare away your chances of getting a husband?"
Before Jade could answer, the woman slammed the door.
Jade stood there for a beat, then let out a slow breath. Relief loosened her shoulders. The conversation hadn't been as catastrophic as she'd feared. She glanced down at herself under the pale lot light.
There were dried streaks on her shirt. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her face felt tight and swollen from crying.
She sighed, embarrassed now that the adrenaline had faded. Why hadn't the demons said anything? Then again, why would they care? Demons probably didn't notice when mortals looked human.
She turned back toward her apartment, muttering under her breath. "What am I thinking. I need a shower."
Inside, steam quickly filled the bathroom. Jade stepped under the water and, as always, her thoughts came out aloud.
"We're just friends," she told the tiles, scrubbing at her hair. "So of course they don't care what I look like. And they're demons. Even if…"
Her voice trailed off as the hot water washed over her face, rinsing away everything she didn't want to think about.
Aamon's smile drifted into her mind uninvited, and a dull ache bloomed in her chest.
If he were human, she knew exactly what would have happened. It frightened her how easily that truth slid into place. How natural it felt.
She shut the thought down fast.
It wasn't forever. It was temporary. A strange detour. A vacation, maybe. Nothing more.
When she turned the water off, she stared at the fogged mirror and spoke to her reflection like it was an enemy she had to keep contained.
"Keep your heart in check, Jade. It's never going to happen."
She dried her hair roughly, still talking, still trying to hammer logic into something messy inside her. "Be grateful for his friendship. Stop trying to make it more."
She looked at her own eyes in the mirror, then said the thing she hated most.
"It will never happen. Not even a demon could love you."
The words left her mouth like a confession and hit her harder than she expected. She swallowed, jaw tight, and tried to finish the thought before it turned into weakness.
"It's just a sleepover. Eventually they'll leave… and you'll be alone again."
Outside the bathroom window, shadows clung to the wall. Aamon merged with them, listening. The moment Jade said no one could love her, the strange tightness in his chest sharpened into something uncomfortable.
He understood the word love. He had made thousands of contracts over it.
He had simply never imagined hearing it spoken like that. Like a verdict.
Aamon slid down the wall, returning fully to his human form with a quiet exhale. His hand drifted to his chest as if he could press the sensation away.
He didn't know what he was feeling. He only knew he hated that she felt it.
And he hated that he might be part of the reason.
"Idiot," he muttered under his breath, unsure whether the word was for her or for himself.
A moment later, Jade finished dressing. When the knock came, she perked up instantly, hope rising before she could stop it.
She moved quickly to the door and yanked it open.
A small cloaked figure stood in the doorway. The cloak was too big, swallowing the person beneath it. Jade blinked, confused.
"Oh… hi. Can I help you?"
Silence responded, setting her nerves on edge as a pale face slowly tilted upward and fixed Jade with a cold stare. Jade's shoulders relaxed slightly when she realized it was just a child. A young boy, hardly past 10.
"Are you lost?" Jade asked, lowering herself so they were closer to eye level.
The boy smiled sweetly. "No. I know where I am."
His smile widened a fraction further. " But. I don't think you do."
Jade frowned. "What do you mean?"
The boy's eyes flicked over his shoulder, toward the corner where shadows deepened unnaturally.
"Can I come in?" he asked politely. "It's dark out here. I don't like the shadows."
Jade followed his gaze. She saw only dim corners and the early-morning gloom. Still, something in her gut tightened.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Jade said gently, glancing around. "Your parents probably wouldn't like you going into a stranger's apartment."
The boy's smile faded. His expression hardened into something too old for his face.
"Who are you?" Jade asked, voice cautious now.
The boy's mouth curved again, but there was no warmth in it. "I'm a Reaper."
Jade's laughed suddenly then, thinking it was cute. A simple child who was excited to wear his Halloween costume early. "Oh, I see. And are you here for my soul?" Jade made light of the situation however, the boy remained serious.
"The Sovereign didn't tell you about Reapers," he said flatly when Jade had fallen into an uneasy silence again.
"The Sovereign…?" Jade thought for a moment. Zoe had said that word too. Still, no one had explained it. "Who would that be?"
Confusion flickered across the boy's face. His eyes slid sideways again, toward the shadows. When he looked back at Jade, the anger in him had shifted into something else. Something almost pitying.
"If you're playing stupid," he said softly, "it's a bad idea. Some things aren't meant to be toyed with."
"I'm not playing," Jade answered, genuinely lost now. "I don't know what you mean."
The boy studied her, then sighed. "You really don't know who you're dealing with."
Jade swallowed. "Do you know who my… friends are?"
The boy scoffed. "Clueless mortal."
Then he tilted his head, as if testing an idea. "But I may be wrong." He stared at her carefully. "I think the Sovereign has taken an interest in you."
Jade's eyes widened. Something in her mind clicked, ugly and obvious. The way people obeyed Aamon. The way Zoe deferred. The certainty in his voice when he promised protection.
"You're a real Reaper," Jade whispered.
"That is what I said."
"But why are you here?" Jade asked quickly, panic rising. "Am I dead?" Jade's hands flew to her body, as if she needed to test if she was indeed still solid. The boy laughed, sharp and humorless.
"Not yet. But hang around the Sovereign long enough and you're sure to get burned."
The sentence hit like a blade. Jade's breath caught.
"Aamon," she whispered.
The boy nodded, satisfied. "Now you're getting it."
Jade's heart pounded. So Aamon wasn't just a demon. He was something higher. Something worse.
The boy's gaze flicked to the brightening horizon. "Let me give you advice," he said, voice turning quiet. "Don't do anyone favors."
Before Jade could ask what that meant, a voice cut in from the stairwell.
"Reaper." Aamon spoke as he stepped into view, expression hard and controlled. His presence made the air feel heavier, warmer, tighter. The boy straightened like he'd been challenged.
"Aamon," the boy greeted, cold. "Nice to see you again."
Aamon's gaze flicked once to Jade. "It's unwise to threaten my friend."
The Reaper's eyes widened. He looked to Jade, then back to Aamon.
"Friend?" His tone sharpened. "Is that all this is?"
Aamon leaned into the moment like he wanted to pry something open. "Is that against the rules?" Aamon's voice was lazy. Dangerous.
The boy's smile returned, thin and cold. "No. But we'll see how she fares now that she knows what you are."
Aamon turned to Jade, meeting her gaze. She sat frozen in the doorway, half kneeling, half collapsed, mind scrambling to keep up. Aamon's expression softened just slightly, then he faced the Reaper again.
"You mean that I am a demon," Aamon said, "or that I am the Sovereign?"
The boy smiled. Not kindly. Not warmly. Like a blade catching light.
"What are you playing at?" the boy asked, a sneer curling his lip. "Sovereign."
Aamon's eyes didn't leave him. "Hate to disappoint you, but she already knew."
Jade's eyes flicked to him, startled. She understood instantly: he was giving her an escape route. A story. Something that kept her alive.
Aamon continued evenly. "Our friendship stands regardless. Contract-free." His tone sharpened. "Now if there is nothing else reaper, we have matters to attend to."
The Reaper studied him, frustrated. The advantage had slipped away.
"I see," he said calmly.
Then he looked at Jade again, and for a moment his expression held something like certainty.
"I'll be seeing you again," he said. "I'm sure of it."
He turned, and in the next blink he dissolved into thin air.
Only then did Jade stand, trembling with leftover adrenaline. She stared at Aamon, eyes wide with questions she didn't know how to ask.
Aamon stepped past her into the apartment like he owned the place, then exhaled and dropped into a chair with a heavy sigh.
"I suppose," he said, voice lower now, "it's time I keep my promise."
His eyes lifted to her.
"And you," he added, a faint edge of dry amusement cutting through the tension, "need to stop collecting catastrophes, Magpie."
Jade froze at the nickname, the word landing oddly in her chest.
Then her mouth opened.