Page 70 of Hateful Prince

“You’ve got, at best, a couple minutes with her before she deteriorates beyond saving. The soul cannot withstand being trapped in a dead vessel. She will wither and become something vile.”

“Because she’s not already?”

“Focus, Dahlia. You can do this.”

“Who killed you, Nautica?”

Her head tilted back, and she let out an agonized wail. “He did.”

“He who? What did he look like? What was his name?”

Cain gripped my arm hard. “Too many questions at once. She needs one at a time, or you’ll lose her.”

“He who, Nautica?”

“Don’t know. Don’t know. Don’t know,” she wailed, each refrain more unhinged than the last.

“What color was his hair?”

“Blond.”

“Did he speak to you?”

“Yessss.”

This was going much better. Short and sweet it was.

“Did he have an accent?”

“American.”

“Her description matches the man I fought in the forest,” Cas whispered at my right.

Which meant I hadn’t really uncovered anything new. We already knew it had been the Ripper. Fuck. I was messing this all up.

“Hurry, baby doll. You don’t have much longer.”

“Do you remember what he said to you?”

A full-body shudder tore through the dead girl’s body, water gurgling down her chin. Another pulse of Hades’s power rippled through me, and I knew Nautica felt it too, because her milky eyes turned the exact shade of blue as his flame.

“I am death's most humble and loyal servant. Your sacrifice is a great honor.”

Before I could continue this line of questioning, she gasped and fell forward, her body seizing and a terrible gurgle coming from her. Then she went completely still. I couldn’t feel her any longer. Her soul was gone.

“Crap, we lost her,” I said.

“Well, that was... exciting,” Cas offered after a beat.

“Is it over? She’s gone?” Tor took my hand and squeezed.

But it wasn’t. Nautica’s rotting body twitched, and a screech of rage escaped her as she lurched toward us. Cain pulled me back as quickly as possible to keep me from her reach.

“The soul we knew as Nautica is gone, but her body is still animated.”

“Like the zombie from the other day?” Kai asked.

“No. That was out-and-out possession.”