Authors: Lisa Gail Green
Soul Conquered (20 page)
Josh
“You two ready?”
I reach out for Grace’s hand, and she grasps it tight. Noah
hesitates another minute, watching his mother pack up his room. She and their
father finally finished Grace’s yesterday. After hearing of their son’s heroic
act at the parade and being told by the police (who I may have glamoured) that
he died trying to save people from a terrorist attack, they finally gave Noah
the attention he wanted with a hero’s funeral, during which they wept and prayed
that his spirit would forgive them for shutting down after Grace’s death.
“I’m so glad they finally got help from that therapist,”
Grace whispers. “And that they decided to move somewhere without so many
painful memories.”
“I am, too,” Noah says, joining us. “It would really mess
them up if we revealed ourselves, wouldn’t it?”
Grace nods. “It’s hard to let go on both sides. Shona’s
training all the greeters upstairs in grief counseling now. The dead need time
to grieve for the living, too.”
Things have really changed for the afterlife since we lost
both Michael and Lucifer. At first it was chaotic in Heaven, with Angels
running around trying to contact The Man Upstairs, who never did respond.
Rumors ran rampant, but everything was quickly reined in once we all started
working together. Shona is managing the gates and day-to-day running of Heaven.
Grace and I have become liaisons to Hell, since we have the unique ability to
travel back and forth unharmed.
And most importantly, we’ve changed the ridiculous rules.
Everything’s worked out perfectly since Noah and Keira took
over running the underworld. They set up a new program where souls can work
their way out of Hell and up to Heaven. It isn’t easy, and the souls stay on
probation for a century or so, but so far it’s been wildly popular. Grace and I
escort the graduates upstairs, and Grace gets to visit her brother in the
process. It’s a win/win.
Noah watches his parents leave the room and then clears his
throat.
“We’ll come back and check on them tomorrow. Now it’s time
to go to Hell!” Noah rubs his hands together as Grace tightens her grip on my
hand and rolls her eyes.
It’s always a bit jarring when we enter Hell because of our
memories of the place during Lucifer’s reign, but it’s worth it because I know
Grace is happy to be around Noah, and we’re doing something that truly helps
souls who weren’t completely evil to begin with. There are so many shades of gray
when it comes to right and wrong, and humans were made to be fallible on
purpose. So now there’s always a chance to make things better, and no judgment
is final—even after death.
We appear in the throne room of Hell. Noah takes his seat in
the new throne—a big, padded recliner covered in purple microfiber à la
Keira’s decorating sense. He conjures a soda, and Keira, who’s just led in the
latest group of graduates while wearing the same crystal crown Noah gave her on
Earth and a skintight red dress, spots Noah and crawls into her favorite spot—his
lap.
She smiles when she sees us, which still unnerves me a little,
but I nod in response while Grace greets the group of four who are graduating
today from what we’ve decided to call “Rehab.” There’s an old man, two guys in
their midtwenties, and a girl of about twelve who reminds me a little of Lucy,
only with two good eyes.
“Remember,” Grace says, “You’ve all done well to get to this
point, and you owe yourselves a pat on the back, but you will have a
probationary period in Heaven during which your performance will be evaluated
by an Angel mentor. Though, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”
Every one of them smiles nervously in response. Grace
glances up at Noah, and they exchange a smile as well. He’s wearing a crown of
his own creation. It’s a large golden thing crusted in jewels that probably
weighs at least twenty pounds. Personally I think it’s overkill and super vain,
but then again, he’s King of Hell. Grace likes it because in place of a big
jewel at the focal point, he’s put the seashell that kept his love for his
sister alive.
I guess I can overlook the crown thing.
Grace slips her hand in mine, and we transport ourselves and
the four newcomers up to Heaven. Before the light engulfs me, I see Keira grab
Noah’s face and start slurping.
Some things never change.
When we arrive at the gates, Grace waits while the group
oohs
and
ahhs
before motioning to Shona, who steps up to take over. Tommy Two
leaps into the arms of the twelve-year-old.
Once Shona has everything under control, I pull Grace away
from the crowd and transport us straight to our room.
“We have a break before we go down for the next group,” I
say.
“What’d you have in mind?” she asks playfully. Her blushing
cheeks bring warmth to my insides and fuel the fire inside of me. The one that
burns forever for Grace.
In answer, I pull her into my arms and part her lips with
mine.
It finally feels like Heaven.
Wrapping up a trilogy is a very
rewarding and emotional experience. It takes a village as they say, and it
wouldn’t be right not to thank all the people who’ve helped me along the way. I
could have never done it without my amazing editor, Samantha Streger, who
actually understood my twisted brain. Thanks also to Kayla Overbey for all her
guidance and help with marketing and copy edits, and to everyone at FFF for
taking a chance on me.
Thank you to my agent, Melissa Nasson, and the ever-awesome
Rubin Pfeffer for being both my cheerleaders and my Guardian Angels.
Thank you to all of my friends who have encouraged me
throughout the process: Shona, Leslie, Julie, Sarah, Katharyn, Miya, and Myer.
To my family for supporting me as well: Mom, Dad, Joe, Harrison, Allie, and
Annabel.
I’d also like to thank my characters, who have lived with me
for all of these years so that they could see the “end” come to fruition. I’d
say I’m sorry I put you through so much—well, Hell—but I’d be lying,
because that’s what makes a good book.
And most importantly I want to thank my readers. You make my
day bright and my dreams worthwhile.
Lisa Gail
Green lives with her husband the rocket scientist and their three junior mad
scientists in Southern California. She writes books so she can have an excuse
to live in the fantasy world in her head.
Enter Lisa’s
fantasy here:
Facebook:
/Author-Lisa-Gail-Green
Twitter:
@lisagailgreen
This
is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to
persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
F
ull Fathom Five Digital is
an imprint of Full Fathom Five
Soul
Conquered
Copyright ©
2016 by Lisa Gail Green
All rights
reserved.
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this text may be used or reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of
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Cover design
by Fiona Jayde Media
ISBN
978-1-63370-076-5
First Edition