Page 1 of Reaper's Reward

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ADDIE

Hel plucked me out of my life and dragged me into her underworld domain, so she could trap me as a punishment for my disobedience—and I’d do it all over again.

The glass…crystal?

Shit, it didn’t matter. The clear lid of the magical coffin slid over my face and plunged me into a magically induced sleep. I expected darkness, but instead found myself falling through a technicolor dreamscape.

Dreams burst into life all around me. They were explosions of color and sound, but I didn’t reach for them—not even when I saw Maddox’s smiling face, which kind of gave away the fact that it was nothing more than a dream. Far below, I glimpsed a familiar darkness. The cool rush of death found me and wrapped me tight in its grasp. If only it could have softened the impact.

I hit the vast ocean of my arcana like it was an actual body of water. The impact jolted through me and shook every single bone in my body as I sank into the cold shadows of my power. Ice floated all around me. It should have chilled me, but a warmth found me and held me tight while I sank deeper into myself.

I smiled despite my situation. Though my arcana pressed all around me like water, I could still breathe Maddox’s scent. It was like he was with me wherever I went. I wrapped my arms around myself like I could hold him, too. No matter how far apart, we would find our way back to one another. I wasn’t worried right now.

The reassurance of Maddox’s memory put my mind at ease. I drifted further into my own arcana. It was seemingly endless. That didn’t seem right, at first. I thought, for a time, that this might be the pool of power that every Reaper pulled from…until I found bits of Jaden and Connor’s souls.

There were others here. People who gave their lives for me or people that I’d had to kill. They were all here. This was the well ofmypower, and it terrified me. No one person should have this kind of magic. In the hands of anyone else, this would be able to raise massive armies of undead all across the world. This kind of power could snuff all life for miles around.

I pulled in on myself and cupped my hands together. A small blue-fire light ignited in my palms. It reminded me of the twinkling light inside my family rosary. As if summoned by the thought of it alone, it appeared around my neck. The beads floated on the arcana-water and glimmered in the light of my blue-fire.

Somewhere in my family tree, someone fucked a god and started a long line of godkin that ended with me, a fool too afraid of her own power. I’d come a long way since the day Ness watched me succumb to a panic attack in the woods after accidentally raising a dead woman. I wasn’t that person anymore.

I was Addie, Hel’s descendant and the eternal thorn in her side. The thought brought a smile to my lips, especially when I thought about how Maddox was going to make Hel’s life miserable for stealing me away.

The blue-fire light in my hands illuminated more than just my rosary. I caught the flicker of light along a line that connected to my heart. It led up and up and up, far out of sight. At first, I thought of it like a fishing line, and I waited for someone to reel me up.

In truth, it was a kind of fishing line. I could feel Maddox on the other end, which explained his presence alongside me. The tether wasn’t a mate bond. At least, I didn’t think it was. This was something else. The way it shimmered with the light of my arcana told me that it had to do with my powers.

This thread must have snapped into place the day that Alvin turned Maddox into the shifter that he is now. The sexy, brooding, blond detective was bound to me for eternity. No matter where I went, he would be able to find me.

We would always find each other. No matter how we were separated. Nothing would stand in our way. I knew it as surely as I knew the sky was blue.

I smiled and drifted in the sea of my own power. I might as well get comfortable as I waited.

Maddox

Bent forward,elbows on my knees, I watched Addie sleep. The sun had come up once again, and there was still no sign of her waking. Her cheeks were still full and flushed like this was nothing more than a nap when she’d been unconscious for days now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted several figures standing in the doorway to Addie’s bedroom. I’d had half a mind to take her up to my place if only so I could escape the prying eyes of Ryder’s Pack and Addie’s goddamned friends.

I ran my hands over my face. I needed these assholes, though.

My beast stirred within me. At the first hint of movement, I grabbed it and shoved it back down. Addie’s condition had broken the creature. It was more monster than beast now, and I was afraid I would never be able to go back.

Shit, I didn’t care. I would gladly remain a broken man so long as Addie returned.

Someone touched my shoulder. I jerked and snarled. The sound was a feral growl that rumbled through the small room. Ryder put more pressure on my shoulder as a warning. It did nothing to stop the beast rushing to the surface.

I flung myself away from him and stalked out of the room. The beast tried to throw me back into Addie’s room. Its efforts made my steps shaky. I swayed from side to side but managed to stay upright long enough to reach the bathroom.

There, I gripped the sides of the sink and tried to contain myself. The beast thrashed. It’s growls and snarls slipped out of me. The sink cracked under my hands. Porcelain crumbled and clattered to the floor.

Everything in this house was ancient and probably a family heirloom. Addie was going to kill me when she woke.

“Give her back, Hel. Send Addie back so she can yell at me.”

The goddess didn’t answer. Without thinking, I pulled my fist back and punched through the mirror in front of me. The shards bit into my hand and sent rivulets of blood dripping down my pale hands. But it was then that I saw my reflection.

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