Page 54 of Guarded By the Reaper

As we gathered close to Grim, ready for him to teleport us back, I couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly everything had changed. Just moments ago, I’d been facing an impossible choice, my heart torn between the two people I loved most. Now, we were all safe, thanks to our cat’s unfortunate effect on Ma-Vasha. The weight of fear and desperation that had been crushing me began to lift, replaced by cautious hope.

I wrapped one arm around Elysia and Lady Mews, feeling the warmth of their bodies against mine. My other arm found its way around Grim. As I felt the now familiar tingle of teleportation starting – a sensation like static electricity dancing across my skin – I closed my eyes. The last thing I saw before the world dissolved around us was Ma-Vasha’s lifeless form slumped over the table. As we began to fade from the gloomy hall, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whatever forces had brought Lady Mews to us at just the right moment. In the span of a heartbeat, the cold stone beneath my feet gave way to nothingness. The musty, damp air of Ma-Vasha’s lair was replaced by a swirling void. For a moment, we existed in a placebetween places, neither here nor there. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the sensation faded.

When I opened my eyes again, we were home. And somehow, against all odds, we were all still together.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Grim

Elysia crumpled to the floor, clutching Lady Mews to her chest. Her small body shook with sobs, the sound echoing through the grand living room of Asterhaven. The plush carpet muffled her fall. Lady Mews meowed softly, nuzzling against Elysia’s cheek. Millie knelt beside her. She reached out, her hand hovering uncertainly before gently stroking Elysia’s hair.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re home now. We’re safe.”

I stood there, feeling as out of place as ever. A cat allergy. A soul-eating monster brought down by a cat allergy. It was so absurd that I almost wanted to laugh.

“The day you were going to drink the poison,” I said to Millie, “your cat walked in with a broken leg, and that stopped you. Lady Mews was the solution all along.”

Millie looked up at me, her blue eyes wide. The soft glow from the nearby lamp highlighted the tear tracks on her cheeks.

“That’s just unbelievable,” she whispered. Her hand stilled on Elysia’s head. “And yet it happened. I guess now it’s just a matter of wrapping my head around it.”

I nodded. The ornate grandfather clock in the hall ticked steadily, marking each second of this surreal moment. I’d been around for over a century, and I still found myself surprised by the twists and turns of fate. Or in this case, the Fates. The First Sister, to be exact. I couldn’t help but wonder what Ma-Vasha had done to piss her off so badly that she’d write such a ridiculous prophecy.

Elysia’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharp with frustration. She pushed herself up, dislodging Lady Mews, who let out an indignant meow.

“I don’t understand anything!” she shouted. Her small fists clenched at her sides as she stood up. “Who is – or was – Ma-Vasha? What do you mean by… soul-eating creature? What were those straw monsters? And what does Grim mean when he says you were about to drink... poison?”

I winced at the questions, feeling a phantom pain in my non-existent gut. The kid had a right to know, but how do you explain something like this? I’d seen some messed up stuff in my time, both as a soldier and as a Grim Reaper, but this situation took the cake.

Millie tried to calm her down, rising to her feet and reaching out to her.

“All is well now, sweetie. You have nothing to worry about.”

But Elysia wasn’t having it. She pulled away from Millie, backing up until she bumped into the plush armchair behind her. Her face was set in determination, her eyes darting between Millie and me.

“No! I want to know the truth. Tell me what’s going on!”

Then she turned to me, her eyes narrowing. The intensity of her gaze made me want to take a step back, but I held my ground.

“And why did you kiss her? Are you her bodyguard or her lover?”

I froze, caught off guard by the directness of her question. If I had blood, it would have run cold. How do you explain to an eight-year-old that you’re both? That you started as one and became the other? That sometimes life, or in my case, un-life, throws you curveballs you never see coming? My jaw worked silently, struggling to form words. The room suddenly felt too warm. The ticking of the grandfather clock seemed to grow louder, each second stretching into an eternity.

I looked at Millie, hoping she’d have some idea how to handle this. But she seemed just as lost as I felt, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in shock. She glanced at me, then back at Elysia, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. The silencestretched between us. Lady Mews, seeming to sense the tension, padded over to Elysia and rubbed against her legs, purring softly.

Elysia stood there, not backing down. This time, she wasn’t going to run to her room and shut us out. Her eyes, so much like Millie’s, demanded answers. I felt like even more of an intruder when Millie began to tell her everything.

She started with Dr. Wallace, and I felt a surge of anger. That snake in a white coat, using a child’s illness to manipulate Millie! I’d seen a lot of awful things in my time, but preying on a desperate family? That was low. As Millie explained about Ma-Vasha, I watched Elysia’s face. Her eyes grew wide, filled with a mix of horror and disbelief. I’d seen that look before on the faces of soldiers realizing the true cost of war. It was a look that didn’t belong on a child’s face. When Millie got to the part about the poison, her voice cracked. I wanted to reach out, to offer her some comfort, but I held back. This wasn’t my moment. This was between them. Elysia’s face crumpled when Millie explained about Lady Mews and hiring me. I remembered how lost and scared Millie had looked that day at Monster Security Agency. She’d been willing to do anything to protect her sister, even face down a soul-eating monster.

The girls were crying now, holding each other tight. Elysia’s voice was muffled against Millie’s shoulder, but I could still make out her words.

“I love you so much. I can’t believe you would do that for me.”

“There was never even a question,” Millie said.

Elysia pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Can you sleep in my room tonight? With Lady Mews? I... I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course, sweetie,” Millie said, smoothing Elysia’s hair.

---