Chapter 3 - Thrain

Under the hot Brazilian sun, I crouched down to the ground and touched the cracking earth, which wasn't so different from the one in Hell. Lucifer's instructions had been clear enough: find the girl, get her to obey Cassandra's command and save Dallas from sure death, and then get the hell out of there without getting involved in the events that were about to unfold. And that's exactly what I planned to do because I had a career to think of. Any sort of distraction wasn't an option.

Only a few days ago, Lucifer's daughter, Cassandra, had been the usual fallen angel: immortal and carefree, though she had yet to turn eighteen and receive her full powers. After sneaking her mortal boyfriend, Dallas, into Hell and trying to trick him into marrying her to escape her curse, he was killed by a vampire. Dallas's death sealed Cassandra's fate. Having changed into a creature of the night now, half fallen angel half reaper, she sought pain and death to escape her own suffering.

With Dallas's physical death, she had changed. She had become more focused, more determined to reunite her lover's body with his wandering, lost soul, more demanding that I do as she said. Her wish was my command. As a demon of the highest order, I kept my promise to serve the dark princess. But I had to hurry. She lived and breathed danger since she was only a few weeks away from turning into a full blooded reaper, a being that could rip one's throat to shreds with a flick of her claws. Obviously, I was more than eager to suck up to the future boss and not risk Lucifer's wrath by failing my mission and letting his only daughter turn into a creature roaming the threshold between life and death forever. So this mission might just seal my own fate.

On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, I picked up Sofia's scent fairly quickly. It was the kind no tracker would miss, and certainly not someone like me. Cassandra stood a few steps away with her back leaned against the dirty wall of a newspaper kiosk, giving me space but still close enough to make the odd remark. I nodded to signal we were ready to leave. She inched closer but remained silent. The pain was written in the deep frown lines across her usually smooth forehead. Dark strands colored her otherwise red hair. I moistened my lips and looked away, feeling sorry for the agony she must be going through, for the emptiness she must feel at being separated from the man she loved.

"You don't need to do this," I whispered even though she could read my mind. "I'll find her and bring her to you."

She shook her head. "No, mate. This is my mission. I don't want you to do it for me."

"As you say, boss." I shrugged and turned away, squinting against the glaring sun as I focused on the multifaceted residues from Sofia's aura. She had been here not long ago. The trail stopped abruptly so she must've left in a car, but that didn't faze me. Now that I had caught her scent, I would walk up and down this street until I found the next clue.

Half an hour later, I was drenched in sweat and we were still searching.

"Do you have a cold?" Cass asked, smirking.

I shook my head. "That's not it. Something's wrong. I should've picked up her whereabouts by now."

"Are you sure it's not just—" she waved her hand in the air. Her long, black nails that could morph into claws any second caught my attention "—that you're losing your touch?"

The softest hint of her earthy smell wafted past. Cass opened her mouth to speak again when I held up a finger to stop her, then pointed to our right. "This way."

"Looking to live forever? Because that is how long it's taking," she mumbled. I smiled and grabbed her hand, barely touching her ice-cold skin. It felt smooth like marble and thick as ice. She would turn soon—a fate I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy, but at least I would get to be alone for a few hours without Lucifer's daughter watching over my shoulder. I couldn't quite focus with her around because her pain affected me. I didn't like my friends to suffer.

Maybe the solitude would help me do my job, because right now I was at my wit's end as to why I hadn't yet found Sofia.