Page 27 of A Shadow in the Reaping
I give him a look that sayswhat the fuck do you mean, 'strange'?
"...Strange-er."
What the-
"Stranger than usual."
My look intensifies into a glare and I sheath my dagger as I turn to the bed. I sweep the pen and journal from the slick sheets.
I'll tell you what's strange, Reaper. The Shadow Realm. I've barely seen any of it and I can already tell this place is weird AF, I write, showing him the note.
His lips purse in the most adorably fucking annoying way as he looks to the ceiling to consider my words and then nods. "Yes, I can't really disagree there," he says, meeting my eyes before his narrow in mild suspicion. "It doesn't explain why you are acting strange, however."
The whole fire corridor of terror isn't enough of an explanation?
"No, I don't think so," Ashen says, and I throw up my hands in irritation.
Maybe it's your weird echoey building. Maybe it's your ridiculously perfect-yet-deadly Reaper sister. Maybe it's your freaky mazey hedge thing out there that's got me feeling a little on-edge,Reaper, I write, pointing out the window as he looks up from my note. I snatch my journal from his fingers.Maybe it's your fucking sheets. Have you not heard of a weighted blanket? How is this supposed to be comfortable?
Ashen fights a smile as he reads my note. "What's wrong with my sheets?"
They're slippery. And thin.
"Slippery?"
I turn to the bed and slide my hands across the surface in dramatic fashion. I pick up the edge of the thin fabric and flap it in the air to demonstrate my point.SLIPPERY. See also, THIN, I write, staring him down as he battles his grin. He's losing.
He smiles. I frown. We stare.
And then, a realization. An epiphany.
Oh my fucking GOD. These are your sex sheets aren't they.
I pass him the note and Ashen laughs. Properlylaughs. It's maybe the greatest sound I've ever heard. It's so warm. It's so rare. I would steer my ship onto the rocks just to hear it again, to see his face vibrant with its afterglow. But I know that game. I'm a siren, for fucksakes. So when his laugh tapers off and he repeats "sex sheets" in an incredulous voice, I do my best to nurture a fierce glare.
Yeah, Reaper. That's all these are good for. They certainly aren't good for sleeping.
Ashen laughs again. He looks to the bed like he's never seen it before. When he looks back at me there's a fire in his eyes. "I'll have you know they are quite luxurious."
My eyebrows raise in a challenge but he says nothing. For a long moment, neither of us moves. The glare dims in my eyes. The flame brightens in his. He takes a step closer. I stand my ground.
"What's the matter, vampire? Afraid you won't be able to keep your promise?"
What promise?
Ashen takes another step closer. A wicked gleam ignites in his eyes. "To control yourself."
This game is getting very dangerous. My desire is feeling very real. A coil of heat turns in my belly. My heart feels too hot beneath my bones.
I didn't promise anything. I said, 'I think I can control myself'. Does that sound like a promise to you?I pass him my note and watch as he reads. He meets my eyes as he hands the journal back. My fingertips graze his and the coil of warmth strokes my ribs.
"No," he says, his voice low, the timbre as thick and rich as honey. "In fact, it sounds like you expect you will fail."
I pull my notebook from his grasp. I write a message. I turn it to him.
It sounds like you WANT me to fail.
Ashen's gaze meets mine and then descends to my lips. The flame brightens just enough that my vampire eyes can see it. I feel the steady cadence of his breath. I hear the rush of blood through his heart.
