Page 67 of Destined to the Reaper

Although still a little tense, Paul remained still. Through Pharos’s eyes, I could see the glowing outline of his soul trapped inside his dying body, and a slim silver thread binding it to his spine. With surgical precision, my mate severed the thread with a careful flick of his blade.

The effect was immediate. The man’s jaw dropped, his eyes flicking from side to side as if in search of something…

His pain.

“It’s gone! It’s all gone!” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “Thank you! By the Gods, thank you!”

A knock on the door startled me.

“Mr. Lane?” the female nurse called out before entering. “Would you like another dose of painkiller?”

She held a syringe in one hand and a small flask in the other. She showed him the latter with an air of deep sympathy and commiseration. I instantly liked her.

“No, my dear. That won’t be necessary,” Paul said with a surprisingly steady voice. “I have guests coming. Would you help me make myself a bit more presentable?”

The nurse gaped at him in complete shock. Then a sliver of pity quickly hidden crossed her clear brown eyes. She likely assumed him to be once more delirious or delusional. To my relief, she smiled and nodded. My heart further warmed for the young woman. So many would have dismissed him and walked away. But she was a true nurturer. She went to fetch a washcloth to freshen his face and brushed the sparse strands of hair still clinging to his mostly bald head. She even helped him put on a nice robe.

Just as she was settling him back in his bed, another knock on the door startled her. She stared in shock as a young lady, barely a few years older than she was, walked inside the room with a young boy, maybe six years of age.

“Dad,” the young woman said, her eyes misting.

“My baby,” Paul said, his lips quivering.

The room faded around us. A falling sensation swept through me. I blinked and found myself back inside my body, sitting on the couch on the patio door. Pharos was crouching in front of me, his dark wings folded behind him like a long cape.

I cupped his beautiful face with both hands, my heart filling with love for him. I finally fully understood why Cornelius had targeted him, an Angel of Death. He used and abused his natural compassion and empathy to achieve his nefarious plans.

“Thank you for giving them this final peace. Thank you for not allowing that wretched Cornelius to dim your light and the kindness of your heart. I love you.”

“You, my Kali, are the light of my heart. Thank you for freeing me, for bringing back joy and purpose to my life. I love you, my bride.”

THE END.

---