Page 75 of My Karmic Destiny

Then the cloaked reaper appears in the cavern. Death has at least a foot on Hypnos and makes him seem small and less intimidating.

Death turns to me, and then his attention burrows into Hypnos. The dream god holds up his hands in surrender and speaks quickly. “I’m going to help you and Tessa.”

It’s clear Hypnos fears Death. It makes sense that even though they are similar and possibly matched in power, that Death will be what ends Hypnos’s epically long reign.

“How did you know she was here?” Hypnos asks.

“She’s one of mine,” Death explains. “After her mates came to me with concern about her behavior, it didn’t take much to search for her soul and find it hidden from me. It was only a small leap to assume it was in the one place I couldn’t locate her.”

My guys hunted down Death to rescue me?

I’m surprised they would do that. Should I be surprised? I suppose growing up in a home that treated garbage better, I’ve never really expected that people might go out of their way to help me.

Life on the streets only reinforced that belief. I was a target for most. Sure, I met a few decent people along the way, but never for long. Even Carmen, aka Karma, didn’t stick around.

“Tessa?” Death calls to me, and I snap out of my thoughts. When he sees I’m alert again, he says, “If you want to live, you’ll have to fight her. Hypnos will wake you, essentially moving your soul back into your body. Instant will try to shove you back out. If she accomplishes that and permanently claims your body, then you’re dead. I can’t forcibly remove a goddess from a human vessel without destroying it. Even if I tried and succeeded, she’d likely destroy your body out of spite when she left.”

“That only gets her out of my body, which I want, don’t get me wrong, but we need a better plan or else she will just come back again and hurt others.”

“What do you have in mind, little reaper?” Hypnos tilts his head as if he knows where I’m going with this.

“We need to trap her essence… like how Hypnos has me here.”

“She would find a way to break out,” Death states, as if it’s no use.

Then an idea comes to me. “Not if she didn’t realize she was trapped.”

After we work out the broad strokes of a plan, Hypnos saunters up to me. His fingers brush aside a lock of my hair and he tucks it behind my ear. “You sure you don’t want to stay with me here? I wouldn’t force you to be my mate.”

I roll my eyes. It seems the dream god is a compulsive flirt. “Only because you know you already have one out there.”

“Maybe. But why couldn’t you be my mate as well? It appears you have three.”

“Exactly. I have three. I’m not yours.” I frown for a moment, and then another thought comes to me. “I’m a descendant of the first karmic death god, and I sense you’re facing retribution if you don’t fix this mess with Instant.”

“Hmm. Good point, little reaper.” He smirks, as if this is all a game. And to him, it probably is. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I answer, squaring my shoulders and looking at Death, who is standing to the side.

“I won’t be able to help much. Forgive me,” Death says with so much sadness, it makes me want to weep.

“Nothing to forgive.” I give him a nod of appreciation. “Thank you for everything. Will you tell them I love them?”

“That’s your duty,” he refuses. I understand the positive sentiment, but damn, I hope I get to see my guys again.

Hypnos places his large palm on my forehead, and I’m shoved backward.

I’m falling, spinning through the darkness. Then I land with a jarring sensation.

Still in the darkness, I grope around for something, but it’s like I’m stuck in a cloud.

Beginning to panic, I remind myself that isn’t an option.

With my senses, I probe outward into the dark. I’m in my body, that much I can tell. But I’m not in control. I’m a stowaway with no access to my sight or hearing.

The consuming darkness would be more terrifying if I hadn’t been working as a reaper. I know this isn’t death. I have to trust that where my thoughts go, my consciousness follows. Focusing on my mind, my eyes, my ears, my skin, I feel a pull. I allow my spirit to drift with that tide.

Slowly, I can see light hitting my retinas and hear someone speaking. Good. This is good. My spirit unfurls in my brain and down through my limbs. As if I’ve been asleep and my whole body is waking.

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