Alone and on the run, Emma finds herself entangled in a dangerous new world. What was supposed to be a simple theft ends up with her in the path of an obsessive demon from the underworld.
Once a leader of the soul keepers, Zion has awakened from dec...
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Prologue
EMMA POV
There has to an easier way to do this. I look down the stone wall regretting every decision that led to this climb. My boss would say I'm unmotivated but it's nothing other than misfortune that has me perched outside a desolate castle. Situated in the middle of nowhere, on a mountain that's on no maps, breaking in is the last thing I want to be doing.
I push aside thoughts of falling to my death and carefully continue the harrowing climb. Slipping in through an opened balcony window, I land silently on soft carpeted floors. I'm surprised to find the room softly lit, decorated with hues of warm dark wood. Endless rows of books line the walls with soft cushions stewed around the room. Despite the locals warning to stay away, the inside is unexpectedly inviting.
"Emma, report. Did you make it in?" The communication piece rings in my ear ending in a high pitch whine. My bosses voice, Zen, is no less annoying.
"Since when did you care how I do on a mission," I whisper back. Usually he waits to see what I steal to know if I survived. His minimal interactions is one of the reasons I keep this job. Me being around people often leads to nothing but problems.
"What do you see," he asks ignoring my sarcasm.
"Not much yet. Looks like I'm in a library. I'll let you know if something interesting comes up."
"Not something, I need that amulet. I pulled a lot of strings to get you in there, try not to fuck it up." With that the line goes dead and I know he's moved on to harass another grifter on the team. Better to do this mission without his coddling anyways. I don't need another reminder how often missions go south because of me.
I first met Zen after I'd woken up in the hospital. No memories, money or connections, I followed the first person out who claimed to know me. I didn't realize I was being kidnapped until I was face down in a basement I didn't need memories to know wasn't mine. Thankfully, Zen had tracked me down and even offered me my old job memory or not. He claimed I'd lost it during a job gone wrong, a far stretched notion considering neither him or anyone else on the team seems to know anything about me.
Our relationship involved him giving orders and me barely managing to follow them. I generally worked on my own, collecting whatever trinkets or information bribery wouldn't afford him. None of my assignments made any sense but he paid well that I could concentrate on investigating my past. I fancied myself one of his spy's and was willing to overlook his shadier dealings as long I wasn't personally involved.
Creeping around the room, I flip past organized envelopes for a hint of what brought me here. Only two weeks ago I had been in Zen's office when I first saw the picture. The man in it was caught shaded from the side, but even with the blur I could make out a sharp jaw and face covered with locks of midnight black hair. The one eye that peeked through was a piercing blue I swear can't be humanly possible.
