Page 32 of Reaper
“Sounds yummy,” Heidi says as she hops off her chair and vanishes to their room.
“And you?” I ask Hunter.
He nods and follows after his sister. An image of Paul pops into my head. He was such a great kid, a happy kid. And then hismom and I divorced. Paul became a little boy with a chip on his shoulder. I see that in Hunter. Not quite as much, but it’s there, nonetheless.
I carry their backpacks into the living room and set them near the front door so they’re ready when it’s time to go to school in the morning, and then I head into the kitchen to make dinner.
“You okay?”
Whirling around, I arch a brow when I see Skuld standing near the end of the counter.
“Dammit, don’t do that,” I snap.
“Do what?” she asks sweetly.
“Sneak up on me like that. What if I’d pulled my gun on you?”
“I’m dead, Reaper,” she reminds me unnecessarily. “And please tell me you don’t have your gun on you while you’re watching Kyra’s children.”
I narrow my eyes. “No, I don’t have it on me. It’s locked in my saddlebags out front. But I could’ve had it.”
“Again, I’m dead.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you. The last time we spoke, you were, shall we say,less than thrilledabout this assignment. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“Liar.”
Heaving a sigh, I fill a pot with water to get the macaroni started. “If you know that then why are you asking?”
“Because it’s my job.” Skuld pauses for a moment before continuing. “And because I care.”
That’s all it takes to let the floodgates open.
“Why would Odin send me here only to end up craving what I can’t have? It’s cruel.”
“Viking and Inferno thought the same thing.”
“This is different.”
“How so?”
“There weren’t kids involved!” I whisper shout. The last thing I need is for Heidi or Hunter to walk in here and see Skuld. “When all is said and done, it’s those two who are going to be hurt.”
“I showed you what you can have, Reaper,” she says, reminding me of my dream. “You’re the only one standing in your own way of that.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m not the only one. Pretty sure Kyra has a say in this.”
“Ah, yes, Kyra.” Skuld smiles, and there’s an ethereal glow surrounding her. “You’re right, she has a say. I think I made it clear that she’d say yes.”
“Yes to what?” I snap. “In order for anything to come of this, she’d have to die. And what about Heidi and Hunter? I can’t ask her to leave them behind or to agree totheirdeath.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Does it matter?”
