Page 129 of Reaper's Ruin
But I could see their scythes pulsing beneath their skin as well. My mind raced, calculating odds, planning moves. I could take several of them—maybe even most—but not all. Not without giving one of them the opening they needed to reap Soraya. It would only take a second... one second and she’d be gone for good.
“Release her!” I commanded, my voice carrying the weight of eight centuries of authority. “She ismyassignment.”
To my relief, they hesitated, uncertainty flickering across their faces. Even here, even now, they feared me. Death itself, the oldest Reaper in the Shadowveil, unmatched in power and skill.
Sevrin stepped forward, his silver eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Your assignment? Is that why you’ve been missing for over a week? Why this soul still exists, and you were...” His lip curled in disgust. “What were you doing with her by that waterfall?”
I kept my expression neutral, though inside I was seething. I needed to stay calm. Strategic. Any sign of the feelings churning within me would only confirm his suspicions and doom us both.
Desperate to come up with an explanation, I gave him a slight nod to move toward me. As I walked him a slight distance from Soraya, an idea formed in my mind.
“She’s an anomaly,” I said, my voice cool and indifferent, low enough Soraya couldn’t hear me. “A human-fae hybrid, a soul that can Realm Walk. The Veil Lords assigned her to me specifically because of her unique nature. Every time I tried to reap her, she disappeared. So, I’ve been using a different technique to accomplish my job. I’ve been studying her, trying to understand what makes her different. Winning her trust.”
“By crossing over to the living realm? By fucking her?” Sevrin sneered.
I met his gaze without flinching. “By using whatever means necessary to keep her compliant while I kept her close and determined the best approach to reaping her. She’s resistant to normal methods. Unconventional problems require unconventional solutions.”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I forced myself to maintain the façade. I couldn’t let him see—couldn’t let him know just how much she meant to me. He’d reap her just to spite me.
I caught Soraya’s worried stare over Sevrin’s shoulder, no doubt wondering what we were talking about. I tried to calm her with my eyes.
Trust me, Soraya. I won’t let them hurt you.
Somehow, I could see the recognition in her eyes, so I hardened my features, turning back to Sevrin and giving him my coldest stare. “What did you think it was? That Death itself could love a half-breed fae abomination?”
“You expect me to believe this?” Sevrin snorted, but I could also see the confusion waring in his eyes.
I leaned forward, whispering, “Do not try to reap her or her Realm Walking will kick in and she’ll disappear. It’s taken a lot to get her this close to me. And now you’re fucking it all up.”
He glanced at her, seeming to contemplate my words, then with suspicious eyes. “The Veil Lords commanded we reap her on sight.”
I noticed then my heart was no longer beating because had it been, those words would have caused it to clench so hard it would have shattered.
“Try it and she’s gone, and I’ll never get another chance at her again. Then you can answer to them about how you fucked it all up. I’d tell you to send me a postcard from Oblivion but...” I let the threat linger... “You’ll no longer exist.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossed his features. I held my breath, hoping, praying to the gods I hadn’t spoken to in centuries, the same fucking ones who hadn’t shown up when my entire species was being eradicated.
Please let him believe me.
“The Veil Lords gave me this assignment because I’m the best,” I said, injecting just enough arrogance into my tone to sound like my usual self. “If anyone can reap her, it’s me. But I need more time. Let me take her back to them myself. Explain my findings. And whatever you do, don’t make her feel threatened or she’ll be gone in an instant.”
As I said it again, I hoped it would be true. Hoped that somehow she could manifest herself right the fuck out of here. Realize how dangerous it was here. Find her door. Go. Leave me. Leave this place and grab onto the happiness she deserved with both hands.
My insides shredded at the thought, but I still ached for it.
But she didn’t move. Didn’t disappear. Instead, she remained staring at me, her face clouded with fear but those eyes, gods those eyes, they locked onto mine and flooded me with love so profound I nearly dropped to my knees.
Sevrin studied me for a long moment, his silver eyes unreadable. Finally, he exhaled through his nose. “Fine. You can present your case to them directly. But we escort you both back to the Umbral Keep. Now.”
Relief flooded through me, though I was careful not to show it. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Time. Space to think, to plan.
To find a way to save her.
I fought to keep my expression neutral, though inside, panic clawed at my chest. I couldn’t let them take her. Couldn’t let them destroy her.
“As you wish,” I said, inclining my head slightly. As I straightened, I caught Soraya’s eye, trying to convey reassurance without words.I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.
She gave me the smallest of nods, her eyes—those beautiful blue eyes I’d fallen into, drowned in, been reborn in—conveying a message of her own.
