They were curled up on Mabel's couch later that night when Aleron broke his silence about the events of the day. "Nephele is one of my most trusted advisors in Hell. She and her sisters act as observers and ensure that all is running smoothly when I am away."

Mabel eyed him through her lashes, too lazy to shift her head from where it was perched on his shoulder. "And they're all half-serpent, right?"

Aleron's chest shook lightly with his chuckle. "Yes, Little One, though the correct name for their kind is ala."

"Hmmm," she considered the word, mulling it over in her mind. "Ala. Nice. Do they all bring storms?"

"No. They all have different abilities, though they are all capable of affecting the weather."

Mabel tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know what I'm really looking forward to?"

Aleron tilted his head slightly, brows furrowed with confusion. "What?"

Grinning wickedly, Mabel replied, "Getting Nephele to give me all the dirty details that you won't tell me about Hell and any of your embarrassing moments."

"I have no such things," Aleron retorted nonchalantly, though Mabel didn't miss the gleam of nervousness in his eyes. She opened her mouth to taunt him further, but he silenced her with a kiss.

***

"You will always stay with Nephele or one of her sisters." Aleron reiterated for the fifth time, eyes boring into Mabel as though he could force her to listen by his stern gaze alone.

It probably would have worked, too, if not for the fact that Mabel knew Aleron would never actually follow up on any threats he made (at least, not with her). "Yes, yes, yes." She said, eyeing him with a sort of fond annoyance. She hadn't been surprised by his insistence, but that didn't mean it wasn't tiring to hear the same speech multiple times in a single hour.

His gaze remained steady, his shoulders tight and his jaw clenched. "Mabel . . ." he began, only to stop when she stepped forward, pulling him down for a sweet kiss.

"Al," she implored with a gentle smile when she pulled away, "I know I've said this before, and I know it hasn't gone well, but I will be okay this time. Really. If Nephele and her sisters are here, I have no doubt that I'll be well-protected. I mean, would you mess with them?"

His stare turned blank. "Of course. I would defeat them all easily."

Mabel couldn't help a laugh. She'd forgotten about his never-ending confidence in his own abilities (so far, he had a right to be confident, though). "Right. But, others? I don't think so. Now, shoo! You need to go save Hell, or whatever it is you're doing."

"That is more or less correct," he conceded, reaching up a hand to tangle his fingers in her hair. "Mabel, I . . ." he cleared his throat, dropping his eyes to the ground. "I care greatly for you, and I will miss you."

"Aleron," Mabel grasped his chin in her own fingers, pulling it toward her until their foreheads were touching, lips only inches apart. "I know; I'll miss you, too. I realize this whole mess might take a while to solve, but everything will be okay, alright? It'll all be okay."

He bent forward further, until his nose was nuzzled in her hair, his shoulders moving with his deep breaths as he inhaled her scent one last time.

"I must leave," he admitted reluctantly after several peaceful minutes, stepping back until they were separated by almost her entire couch. Mabel was glad at the distance; if they'd been any closer, she would have tried to reach out and hold him down.

"Goodbye, Al," she said, a weak smile plastered on her lips as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "I'll see you soon, alright?"

He nodded once, his Adam's apple bobbing with his deep swallow. "Yes, Little One. Soon."

In a flash of shadows, he was gone.

And Mabel had never felt so alone.

***

Nephele, Mabel discovered, actually provided great company. The serpent-woman had shown up mere minutes after Aleron had left, a tub of ice cream in one hand and a stack of movies in the other. "If there is one human custom I appreciate, it is that of burying emotions in lackluster films and terribly unhealthy food." She had said succinctly, moving around Mabel and into the living room.

They'd spent the whole day together, and Mabel had uncovered quite a few things: Nephele confirmed that she was an ala, a being that could manipulate the weather—a creature marked in history for bringing bad weather to farms and destroying all the crops ("Only to those who deserve it, of course," Nephele had offered as consolation).

Among other information, Mabel found that Nephele did indeed offer a lot of insight into the many topics Aleron refused to speak about. Because Nephele, it would seem, enjoyed hearing herself talk.

"He did what?" Mabel asked, licking a drop of chocolate ice cream off her finger.

Nephele nodded eagerly. "Tore the man's heart out," she mimed the motion herself, though it didn't look intimidating, considering she had a spoon full of mint chocolate chip in the other hand.

"Dang," Mabel surmised, shaking her head with disbelief. "So the whole you-look-at-me-or-someone-I-care-about-and-I'll-kill-you thing is just a normal occurrence in Hell?"

Nephele grinned brightly, licking some of the sticky sweetness off her upper lip. "Oh, yes. It's quite fascinating, really; the battles that take place in Hell are never disappointing."

Mabel hummed thoughtfully. "And Death—the guy in charge, I mean—doesn't mind all that?"

"Well," Nephele pursed her lips, letting Mabel know that this subject was surrounded by choppy waters. "This is where things become . . . complicated."

Mabel set her ice cream down on the coffee table, shifting to give Nephele her attention. "Complicated how?"

At this, Nephele sat back, watching Mabel with guarded eyes. "Aleron did not want me to discuss this with you."

"Nephele, please," Mabel didn't care she was begging; her curiosity couldn't be quelled any longer. "No one will tell me anything, and if you don't tell me, I'll just find another way." That last part wasn't necessarily true, but Mabel was desperate.

Nephele seemed to weigh the consequences in her mind. "Fine," she said eventually, "But I will only tell you the bare minimum, and, in exchange, I expect you to show me what a 'pedicure' is."

"Deal," Mabel agreed excitedly, before another thought slammed into her, and she looked reluctantly at Nephele's lower half. "How about a manicure, instead?"

Nephele laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Nonsense, Mabel Dear." She winked, and Mabel watched with amazement as her serpent tail shifted before her eyes, morphing into a pair of shapely tan legs covered in a pair of jeans and sandals. "Ta-da! I don't do it often, but it would be odder if I allowed too many other humans to see me in my normal form."

Mabel agreed, before moving her attention back to her question. "Nephele, what's going on in Hell? Why does Aleron need to be there?"

Placing her ice cream down next to Mabel's, Nephele heaved a slow sigh. "Hell has been a chaotic place since its beginning, but it has only gotten worse. You see, 'Death' is a mantle taken on by a specific being, but there are requirements. The true Death must be an heir to the original, else he who takes the throne will not last long. The power that comes with being in charge is too great, and will slowly take the life of anyone who is not the true heir.

"Aleron is a demonic guardian, however, he is also what you would refer to as 'second-in-command'. He is in charge of Death's army, among other things; he's been in such a position since the second Death took over. That particular Death promoted Aleron into the position after seeing his military capabilities, and thus Aleron became the first—and so far only—Guardian of Death. Not only does he collect wicked souls and lead the army—he is responsible for protecting the heirs of the true Death and ensuring they take the throne."

Nephele paused, giving Mabel time to swallow her surprise and ask, "But he couldn't find the true heir this time, right? That's why he went back?"

Nephele nodded sadly. "Yes, Mabel. The fourth Death was not responsible; he mated with many beings, and there is no telling how many heirs he created. The problem, then, is that Aleron must look throughout all of both Earth and Hell, in the hopes of finding an heir powerful enough to take over. The current Death will not live for much longer, and the truly wicked creatures trapped in Hell realize this. They are trying and succeeding in escaping due to Death, who grows weaker every day and can no longer keep them at bay. If Aleron does not find an heir soon, I fear there will be no hope for either of our worlds."

They sat in silence after that, both lost in thought.