Page 31 of Saved By Her Guardian
He was truly the best male on the planet.
The familiar sensation of an alert pinging in her chest happened and she smiled at her reflection.The call to duty, silent yet unmistakable, was followed by the whisper in her mind of the name of the soul she was to ferry.
Michael Callon.
She never got details in the whisper and didn’t know what she would be walking into, but it didn’t matter.This young person needed to be ferried, and she was the reaper for the job.And though it hadn’t necessarily gotten easier stepping into someone’s final moments, she wasn’t afraid of it anymore.
She buttoned up her coat and headed to the front door as a soft knock sounded.
Winterlyn, a non-shifting arctic fox, stood on the other side.
“Oh, are you heading out to work?”
“Yeah, I just got the call.”
Winterlyn let out a hum and gave Aralyn a small smile.“I imagine your job isn’t easy.”
“No, but I know I’m meant to do it.”
The female’s expression softened.“I’d imagine that for someone passing over to the afterlife, young or old, having a reaper who’s kind and compassionate would make all the difference.”
The kind words settled in Aralyn’s chest and she thought back to her conversation with Grim, when he’d told her he’d chosen her especially for this assignment, and how Maverick had believed she could handle it even when they’d just met.
She exhaled and smiled.“Thanks for saying that.”
“Of course.I know I can’t really understand what you do, but if you ever need a listening ear, I have two of them.”
She gave her a hug.Winterlyn was mated to Declan, one of the Guardians and a friend of Maverick’s.
“I came by to invite you and Maverick to a shift and run.The Guardians are going to shift tonight and run around like idiots outside, and I wanted to see if you would like to hang out.When is your shift over?”
Aralyn glanced at her watch.“I usually work in four-hour shifts, so after dinner.”
“That will be perfect.They said six-thirty, but I wanted to check with you.”
“I’m looking forward to it.I haven’t seen Maverick shift yet.”
“It’s awesome.Makes me jealous but I love seeing Declan in his wolf form.Have a good shift, honey.See you later.”
“Thanks, Winterlyn.”
Aralyn closed her apartment door and headed toward the surface.When she stepped out into the cold, she opened a portal with her reaper power, which took her right to the soul she was going to ferry, and then she stepped into Michael Callon’s final moments.
* * *
On her way back to Northernmost several hours later, Aralyn stopped at the ancient church in Eldermoor to see Church.Although she’d only spent a little while with him, she missed him.
He couldn’t leave the Church, a forever guardian of the grounds.
When she walked through the gate, he was sitting on the cobblestones, his eyes glowing faintly.
“Hey, big guy,” she said, dropping to her knees in front of him and giving him a hug.His fur was soft and warm, and he smelled faintly of sulfur and earth.
“I missed you.It’s been a little crazy, but I wanted to stop in and say hi after my shift tonight.”
She leaned back and he let out a contented rumble.She told him about her assignment, falling in love with Maverick and how different life was up in Northernmost.
Rising to her feet, she scratched behind his ears and leaned over to press a kiss to the top of his head.“I’ll stop by when I can.Take care of yourself.”
