Page 55 of Guarded By the Reaper

That was my cue. I turned away, feeling out of place in this warm, loving scene. My job here was done. Hell, I hadn’t evenbeen the one to save Millie in the end. A cat had done that. A cat with a broken leg and impeccable timing.

As I moved towards the door, my thoughts were a jumble. Millie still hadn’t told Elysia the whole truth – that she wasn’t just her sister, but her mother. That was a bomb waiting to go off, and I was glad I wouldn’t be around to see the fallout. They were a family now, truly and completely. There was no place for me here. I was a walking skeleton, a reminder of death in a house that had just escaped its clutches. What could I offer them?

I reached for the doorknob, ready to slip out unnoticed. But as my fingers touched the cool metal, I hesitated. I glanced back at Millie and Elysia, still wrapped around each other. Lady Mews had curled up at their feet, purring contentedly. It was a perfect picture of family and safety. I stood there, frozen in indecision. Part of me wanted to walk out the door and never look back. To leave this warmth and love behind and return to the cold, familiar embrace of my solitary existence.

But another part of me, a part I thought had died along with my human body, wanted to stay. To protect. To... belong.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Millie

I held Elysia close, feeling her small body shake with sobs. My heart ached, but I also felt a sense of relief. The truth was out. Well, most of it anyway. I’d finally told her about Ma-Vasha, the deal, and everything that had happened. It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest. As I stroked her hair, I couldn’t help but think about the other truth I was still keeping. That I wasn’t just her sister, but her mother. The words were right there, on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back. Not now, I thought. She’s been through enough today. I glanced out the window, surprised to see how dark it had gotten. Time felt weird lately, like it was stretching and shrinking in ways I couldn’t understand. Elysia’s breathing was starting to even out, her tears slowing down. I felt a surge of love for her, so strong it hurt. Everything I’d done, all the risks I’d taken, they were all for her. And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

“You okay?” I asked, pulling back a little to look at her face.

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yeah, I think so.”

I smiled, trying to look more confident than I felt. “It’s over.”

As I said the words, I realized I actually believed them. We’d made it through something impossible, something I never could have imagined. And we were okay. We were alive. I looked around the room, taking in the familiar sights of our home. The soft glow of the lamps, the ticking of the grandfather clock, even the purring of Lady Mews at our feet. It all felt so normal, so safe. But at the same time, everything had changed.

My gaze landed on Grim, standing awkwardly by the door. He looked like he was about to leave. He’d been here through all of this, protecting us and risking everything. The thought of himwalking out the door made my chest tight. I couldn’t let him. I let go of Elysia and ran to him.

“Grim, wait!” I called out, my voice sounding more desperate than I’d intended.

He turned, his skeletal face unreadable as always, but something in the way he held himself made me think he was surprised. I paused, suddenly aware of how close we were standing. The air between us felt charged.

“I wanted to thank you,” I said. “For everything.”

Grim’s dark eye sockets seemed to bore into me. “I would do anything for you, Millie,” he replied.

My heart skipped a beat. I knew he meant it, and that knowledge filled me with a warmth I couldn’t explain. But then I noticed he was still facing the door, one hand on the knob.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Grim shifted, looking almost uncomfortable. “My job is done,” he said. “I was going to head back to Monster Security Agency, ask them to refund you for the remaining days.”

“That’s out of the question,” I said.

Grim tilted his head, confused. “But–”

“I don’t care about the money. I don’t want you to go.” I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. “It all ended well because of you, Grim. You took me to the Halls of Death, you protected me from the Poppets. You saved us.” I could feel my cheeks heating up, but I pressed on. “I still need you. I think... I think I’ll always need you.”

Grim stood there, motionless, and for a moment I was terrified I’d said too much. But then he took a step towards me, closing the distance between us.

“Millie, what are you saying?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. “I’m saying we were meant to be, Grim. Everything that’s happened, all the crazy, impossible things we’ve been through... it all led us here.To this moment.” As I spoke, I realized how true the words were. All my life, I’d felt like I was waiting for something, even if I didn’t know what. And now, standing here with Grim, I felt like I’d finally found it. “I don’t know what happens next,” I admitted. “But I know I want you to be part of it.”

Grim was silent for a long moment, and I held my breath, waiting. Then slowly, he reached out and took my hand in his. The touch of his bony fingers should have been strange, but instead it felt right.

“Millie, I... I love you.”

I smiled, feeling my whole being fill up with joy. “I love you, too.”

We’d said it before, when we stood before Ma-Vasha, thinking one of us would surely die, and it had had a powerful impact then, but now... Saying it when the storm had passed and everything was calm and right, it had a deeper meaning. We loved each other. I was human, he was a Grim Reaper, and we were in love.

As Grim and I stood there, lost in our moment, Elysia interrupted us.

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