Page 9 of A Shadow in the Reaping
"Well judging by your incantation, there is definitelysomething. Is he hot? I bet he's really hot."
"He's a demon, so yeah, he runs a little on the warm side."
Ediye rolls her eyes and gives me a knowing smile. "That's not what I meant." When I let out a low hiss she puts her hands up in surrender. "All right, scary vampire. Well, the good news is that you've bound him to you, and you have apparently cast to overcome his heart."
I groan, resting my forehead in my hands. "What in the hell. Is that a love spell I cast?"
Ediye laughs and pats my hand. "No, that cannot be done, Lu. Not for real. He might have a bit of a crush perhaps, for a day or two at most. This is more about breaking barriers, not about winning affections. So, it's probably a good thing. Unfortunately, however, there is a complexity inSuna liiktisuma. You have not just bound him to you, but you to him. Whatever the reason he's here, you have obligated yourself to help him fulfil his mission."
I take a heavy breath and look away to the window, thinking about the crime he is here to collect for and the Alpha he has not yet reaped. If I need to help him kill more werewolves, that might not be the worst thing, I guess.
But there's just one little flaw in that plan...
"So, herein lies the problem," I start as I fidget with my fingers. The ones on my right hand are still a little numb, and I take a sip from both mugs and then the bottle of tequila as Ebiye makes a face at me that deftly combines disgust with fear. "When I cast the spell, Ashen seemed to be unconscious. I thought he wasn't going to make it. And then he opened his eyes... And then he... said my name. Myrealname."
Ediye pushes herself back from the counter as though it's burst into flame. "What the fuck, Lu. What in the actualfuck."
"But that's when I saidAmah haas muhhaki usaanna teenkiand hit him super hard in the head with his sword. Like, so hard I might have re-killed him."
"You totally didn't re-kill him, did you."
"No, but I did hit him. Really super hard."
A long, silent moment passes. We just look at one another, barely even blinking. Despite all my arrogant quips and my stupid jokes, the truth is, I'm scared. For the first time in a long time, I'm really fucking scared. And Ediye knows it. It's in her eyes too.
Ediye reaches for my hand and I give it. There is not just fear there, but sadness.
"You saidI strike your skull, I confuse your mind," she whispers, and I nod. "There's too much room for error in your words, Lu. You’ve left the future unfinished, unprotected. The next time he sees you, he might remember exactly who you are. And it will be a reaping worse than death."
There's only the sound of flickering candle flame and shallow breath and beating hearts between us. Ediye squeezes my hand.
"There is only one thing I can say to help you, Lu."
I think it before she even says it out loud.
I need to run.
Chapter 6
Yeah, I'll totally run. After I finish my shift. I'm not one to leave Bian hanging.
Working in housekeeping at the Swan Inn is really the perfect job for a vampire. I get access to literally everywhere in the hotel. I can even get into the surprisingly well-equipped security room, a relic from the days of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance. You might remember it from the news? The whole Village of the Year Award fiasco? Anyway, aside from granting me the ability to tamper with security footage, cleaning rooms also gives me access to guests' personal details, which is super handy when I want to hunt down douchebags like Jessie in their hometowns.
...Shit.
Shit fucking shit.
Jessie.
I totally forgot him in the alley.
On the plus side, I also left the Reaper in the alley. I kind of wish I'd stayed on the roof to watch that meet-and-greet play out instead of running to Birdlip to see Ediye.
So yeah, anyway, working at the Swan is kind of the perfect job for me right now. It doesn't pay much but I don't need much. I've got little caches of cash (get it?) all over the place, and if I need more, I can steal more. Bian lets me stay in the ironically named, closet-sized Castle Room, so for the past fifteen years this is what I've been up to. Hanging out in Sanford, cleaning rooms, not talking.
I know what you're thinking:Lu, that sounds fucking depressing. But really, it's not. I might be on the periphery of the goings-on in Sanford, but the village accepts me as the mute that works at the Swan. Some people probably still think of me as an oddball, but I'm not the only unusual character in Sanford. If you think that, you clearly haven't met Lurch. All he says is 'Yarp' for yes and 'Narp' for no.
Last night did make me realize, however, that I've been stuck in a bit of a self-imposed rut. Fighting those werewolves wasexciting. Smashing the Reaper in the side of the head wasfun. Deciphering my half-assed spells with Ediye was...refreshing. And I've been in Sanford for a while. Everyone around me is aging, but I'm not. I never do. I can change my hair or my makeup or my clothing style, but I'm still twenty-five on the outside. I'll always be twenty-five.I think.
