Page 91 of The Reluctant Reaper
“That’s a whole different conversation, Amara. So a tiny chunk of my brain was going to blow like a cheap bike tire, but not anymore. Because it’s like your dad said: a trade. Your dad’s dead because I’m going to live.”
“Yes.”
“But isn’t that impossible?”
“I always thought so. Apparently when Death is dying and a new avatar is on deck, they receive a ‘get out of death free’ card.” She held up her hands. “I know. It’s an absurd deus ex machina.”
Worse: She was pretty sure her father could have survived Skye’s sinister machinations. But he chose to die. And not just because he was tired.
“And your dad told you this when he woke up... when?”
“This morning. I was doing what I did all the time as a kid—whining about my problems for twenty minutes. Startled the hell out of me when he talked back. I told him my suspicions, he wouldn’t let me tell anyone he was awake, and you know the rest.”
Gray’s eyes filled, and he looked away as the tears spilled. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”
“Yes, well.” She reached out, turned his head until he was facing her again. “Sometimes you’re an idiot.”
“And that your dad did that for you.”
“He was an idiot, too. In all the best ways.”
“And you thought I’d... what? Scuttle back to Minneapolis and live an Amara-less life?”
“You didn’t choose this.” Her gesture encompassed the room, the tower, the compound, the state of North Dakota. “Any of it. I shouldn’t have let you come in the first place, never mind sucking you into Reaps and all that that entailed. But that doesn’t matter, because it’s like I said. You’re free now.”
“I think you forgot something.”
Hope not.“Doubtful.”
“The people being Reaped could see me. Remember? It freaked you out a little. I talked to your mom about it. I think the reason they treated me like Death was because I wassupposedto be there. With you. Death’s consort or whatever.”
“That’s one explanation.” One she hadn’t dared contemplate.
“Bullshit. It’s the only explanation. Otherwise you would have mentioned the other possibilities ad nauseum. Amara. I love you and I’minlove with you. Sending me away? That’s just another death sentence. Don’t roll your eyes. Something can be hokeyandtrue.”
She squashed the wild joy that bloomed in her chest and was spreading to her extremities. Like a shot of the best rum in the world, times a thousand. “I can’t expect you to stay with me.”
“I know. ButIcan expect me to stay. Jesus, Amara, after everything I’ve seen? You really think I could just shrug and say ‘smell you later’ and hop on your dad’s private train—well, your private train now?—”
“One car. It’s just the one car.”
“—and get out of town? Even if I didn’t want to be Death’s consort, this—all this—the tower, the cave, the people—it’s incredible! And fascinating! And there’s so much more to know.”
“And terrible. And depressing. And shocking. And so much more to know.”
“And that’slife, Amara.” He took her by the shoulders and shook her a little even as he smiled. “You’re talking to someone who never went out for sports because I was almost always in a cast. And someone who got to eat unlimited smoked turkey and take a bridge to your gorgeous library. No one’s guaranteed a good time all the time.”
She stared at him. “You really want to stay? With me?”
“Forever,” he promised. “Or as good as.”
“You’re crazy,” she marveled.
“I’m gonna avoid the obvious ‘crazy foryou, baby!’ and just agree.”
She threw her arms around him so suddenly, they both nearly toppled to the floor. “Crazy-crazy-crazy. My God. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
“Everything you just said? Same.”
