Kisses From Death | Book 1

BONUS | FINAL HURDLE

OCCURS IN-BETWEEN CHAPTER 27 AND CHAPTER 28 OF [KISSES FROM DEATH]. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO FINISH ALL 3 BOOKS IN THE MAIN SERIES; BEST CASE SCENARIO: ALL 4 BOOKS INCLUDING [HEAVEN AND HELL].

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ADDISON CLOSED THE door with a resounding thud, her footsteps echoing down the hallway until it was no longer loud enough to hear. When her presence finally disappeared, Cassiel, no, Death finally allowed himself to frown. He cursed once, running his long fingers through a head of dirt brown hair, murmuring under his breath about how everything had gone horribly wrong.

She was down to the last few riddles, the exit and finishing line clear in her view. However, the closer she got to that line, the further he grew from his. In short, his time was running out. He needed to find a way to acquire Addison Pilediah's soul and quick.

Death turned back, squinting his eyes at the two figures that remained silent on the beds. His line of sight first landed on Gabriel's body, who lied still on the bed. Then, it darted over to Minnie's figure which only made Death scoff in disbelief. In the end, he blew at a tuff of his hair in annoyance, hands poised on his hips with a roll of his eyes.

"Stop messing around. I can sense your powers even from miles away, Wilhelm." Death scowled.

Immediately, a pair of eyes fluttered open before Minnie Hoover's body sat up stiffly. She yawned, raising her hands over her head before popping the joints in her fingers. With her eyelashes daintily fluttering under the flickering golden light, Minnie smiled brightly.

"You're no fun, Dimitri," she chirped. "And I wasn't messing around this time, not really."

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, allowing her feet to hit the floor before her skin started to morph. Slowly, feminine features melted away to give way to more masculine ones. The person's irises darkened steadily into a brilliant, vivid red that resembled freshly-spilled blood. Long hair shortened to a mess of curls that barely grazed the neck, a shade darker than the sunset color of before. In hindsight, perhaps she was really actually a he.

"In fact, I was saving her," Wilhelm, now in his real form, declared proudly. He puffed out his chest, a cocky smile curving his lips as he grinned evenly at his brother.

"The spirit of war decides to save someone." Death quirked a brow, folding his arms across his chest. "How ironic."

Unhurriedly, Wilhelm got off the bed. He crossed the room to where Dimitri stood in a few strides, his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants while he smiled lazily at his brother. Even in the darkness, surrounded by an aura of death and deception, Wilhelm smiled like the first sunshine of a new year. No one would've believed him to be the spirit of war unless they knew what transpired in his past. In Wilhelm, it wasn't difficult to see sunshine and daisies. He was a walking pile of jovialty.

"If I didn't, you would be going back on your promise from the carnival. Didn't you promise Addison not to cause harm to Minnie Hoover?" Wilhelm pointed out. His words only made Death frown even more. Catching sight of that, Wilhelm stifled a hearty laugh. "Don't make that expression with Cassiel's face, Dimitri. It doesn't suit him, we all agreed on that."

"Yes," Dimitri sighed, "I guess he certainly was much brighter last we saw him. Lucifer's fall and the Battle of Heaven did not do him much good."

"Is that why you act so out of character?" Now it was Wilhelm's turn to ask. "Even though you knew for a fact that Cassiel was cold to Addison since their first meeting, you still acted all flirty towards her. Is that why?"