Page 3 of Stolen By the Reaper

The blade plummeted toward my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut?—

Thunder cracked. Wind howled. My eyes flew open as screams erupted around me.

Shadows writhed at the feet of Alain and his alleged family, coiling around ankles like snakes. Men—monsters—stumbled back, shouting incantations that did nothing.

Not that I cared. It was a relief to see my would-be groom lose his shit.

The shadows slithered up his body, caressing him intimately. His grip on the knife faltered.

“Now, now.” A voice like crushed velvet cut through the chaos. “Is that any way to treat a lady?”

The new arrival stepped from a swirling vortex of darkness. He wore a perfectly tailored suit. Hair as black as midnight emphasized the sharpness of his jaw. A devious smirk curled the corners of his mouth as he swept a look over the panicked assembly. But those eyes...

Green flames roared in place of his eyes.

“Quite the little shindig you’ve got going.” He flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his lapel. “I’m hurt I wasn’t invited.”

Alain’s face had gone ashen. “You’re not—this isn’t?—”

“The demon you were expecting?” The stranger’s laugh was equal parts amused and dangerous. “No. I’m afraid Clauneck couldn’t make it. Consider me his... proxy.”

With a flick of his wrist, the hands holding me down wrenched back in a cacophony of snaps. I scrambled to sit up, heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

Those hellfire eyes flitted to me and something in my gut tugged tight.

He was beside me in an instant, faster than should be possible. Up close, I could see glowing symbols etched into his skin, the same bright shade of green as his eyes. My breathcaught as one muscular arm slid beneath my knees, the other supporting my back.

Alain lunged forward. “No! She’s ours?—”

The flames in my rescuer’s eyes flared large, and Alain went flying backward.

“Close your eyes, little dove,” he murmured.

I obeyed without thinking. His lips crashed against mine, hungry and demanding.

Then we were falling. Flying. Tumbling through an abyss.

And there was nothing but darkness.

CHAPTER TWO

AZRAEL

Reality parted around us, and I stepped into my chambers. The ever-present chill of the underworld barely touched me through the heat of soft curves pressed against me. The unfortunate bride shoved at my chest, little noises of protest muffled against my lips.

She tasted of fear and desperation. I savored it, drinking in her terror like a fine wine.

I let her go after another shove at my chest. She stumbled as soon as her feet hit the ground, doe eyes widening with her backward scramble.

“What the hell?” She gasped, chest heaving. “Where am I? Who are you?”

I ignored her questions, inhaling deeply. A scent hung in the air. Tempting. Utterly intoxicating. It wasn’t the usual stench of brimstone and decay that permeated the underworld. This was different. Vibrant.

Alive.

“Whatisthat?” I stalked toward her, nostrils flaring.

She backed away, eyes wide. “Stay away from me!”

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