by R. L. Perez
He was a creature of darkness.
“Vince.” I touched his cheek. “Talk to me.”
He blinked, and his eyes softened again. “Reapers are tethered to the Astral Realm. We can’t be away for very long.”
I stared at him, realizing what he wasn’t saying. He had to go back.
And I had to let him.
A hard lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed. “Right.”
Despair tugged at his expression. He took my waist again, and my heart beat an erratic rhythm against my ribcage. “I don’t want to leave,” he said, his voice low and agonizingly sexy.
“I don’t want you to leave, either.”
He kissed me, and I drew him against me again, savoring the warmth of his chest against mine, the hard planes of his muscles, the width of his shoulders.
He flinched away from me, his eyes scrunched up in pain. He cried out through clenched teeth, releasing my waist to clutch his forehead again.
“Vince,” I said, touching his cheeks.
Just as I was ready to cast another spell, he took a deep breath, his face clearing again. He released a half-groan, half-sigh and met my gaze with weary eyes. “It’s all right,” he croaked. “I’m all right.”
“You need to go back,” I whispered.
His eyes were tormented again. He shook his head. “I can’t. I tried so hard to get back here. If I go back, I might not be able to return.”
Grief and regret knotted in my throat. Lilith, I can’t do this. I can’t send him away, knowing I might never see him again.
But Future Vince’s warning rang in my ears. Something big is coming. Something bigger than even the mortal realm. Without him, the Reapers will be trapped. It wasn’t just him and me at stake here. There were so many others counting on him.
How could I be selfish enough to keep him here just because I wanted him?
“You—you cast a spell,” Vince said quickly. “Can you use your magic to heal me? To keep me here? Maybe make a potion?” His eyes were alight with hope, and it tore at me, clawing at my insides.
“No, Vince.”
He blinked at me, stunned. “Why not?”
“Because—” I thought about lying to him. Forcing him back by pretending I didn’t care. That I didn’t want him here.
But what good would that do except hurt us both? If Vince were like me, if he only looked out for himself, then maybe we would both agree to remain here together.
But Vince wasn’t like me. He put other people first. He saw the big picture and always found a role to play. It was why I loved him.
He was a protector. Even when he didn’t want to be.
I took a breath. “Your Mimic came to see me. From the future.”
Vince’s face drained of color. “What? What did he say?”
“He told me I had to send you back. That if I didn’t, the Reapers would suffer. That you’re the only one who can help them keep the dark forces at bay.”
His mouth opened and closed. He licked his lips. “I—what dark forces?”
“He said something about . . . souls being lost. Magic being stolen. The gate between realms tearing apart.”
Vince’s face turned bone white. He took a shuddering breath. “Mother of Lilith.” He ran a hand through his hair again.
The horror on his face made my chest tighten. “What is it?”
He pressed his lips together, his eyes wide. “Some of that stuff is already happening.”
My blood ran cold. No, no, no. Again, I thought of Vince screaming and covered in blood while the shadow suffocated him.
I can’t lose him.
“But—but you can stop it,” I said, trying to convince myself more than him. “Your Mimic said your Teleportation powers can save the Reapers.”
He grimaced. “How? I have no control.”
“Maybe you’ll get control. Just like you did before.”
He remained silent. I balled my hands into fists, hating this feeling of utter helplessness.
I asked, “What—what about Luke? Can he help?”
Vince’s gaze snapped to me. “No. Well . . .” He sighed. “I don’t know. He doesn’t know very much about Reapers. But . . . he did help me get here.” His eyes grew distant and full of sorrow.
“I haven’t seen him,” I said quietly, answering his unspoken question. “Not since the fight with Hector.”
Vince nodded but said nothing. Another flash of pain tore at his expression, and he stiffened. He grunted and pressed a hand against the wall for support.
“Go back, Vince,” I said, pressing both my hands against his face. “I trust you. I know you’ll come back to me. But they need you more than I do.”
Vince exhaled in a groan and looked at me with tortured eyes. “Cora,” he whispered.
I pressed a firm kiss against his lips. His hands trembled as he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me closer. I rested my forehead against his, closing my eyes as we shared breath.
“I love you,” he murmured.
I smiled in spite of the crushing agony in my chest. “You too.”
Vince’s eyes gleamed with that familiar spark, the same heat I felt coursing through me. His face was strained again as he turned away from me. With a small pop, he was gone.
15
Vince
Shapes and sounds surrounded me, vague and distorted. I was falling and flying all at once, my stomach dropping and rising. It felt like a roller coaster, but more frightening.
Then, I slammed back into the ground. I inhaled a sharp breath, and for the first time in what felt like hours, a rush of cold clarity burst in my mind. It was like a layer of plastic had surrounded me when I’d traveled, and now it was gone.
I breathed in again and again, relishing the fresh gulps of air. My lungs expanded, and all the tension in my body released.
“You okay?” asked a voice.
Warmth spread through me, but when my vision cleared, I realized the person in front of me wasn’t who I wanted it to be.
Disappointment dropped like a rock in my stomach. I sighed, my body sagging.
Jocelyn sat in front of me, cross-legged in the middle of the room, just like I’d left her. She didn’t seem panicked or afraid, so I must’ve only been gone a second or two.
“What—what happened?” I asked.
“You vanished for a second. I thought I imagined it, but . . .” She trailed off, her brow furrowing with concern as she looked me over. I had no doubt I looked like a disheveled mess.
My throat felt dry. “Joss, I . . . I traveled.”
Her face drained of color. “What? Where? When?”
I quickly filled her in, leaving out a few details of what happened between me and Cora. My face felt hot just thinking about it.
Jocelyn raised a shaking hand to her forehead. “I don’t understand. You were only gone for a second! I blinked, and you were back.”
“Time passes differently here, remember?” I recalled what Cora had said—that it had been six months since I became a Reaper. It certainly hadn’t felt that long.
Jocelyn opened her mouth to respond when a scream pierced the air, echoing through the tunnels. We both shot to our feet. A chill swept over me.
Another soul has lost their magic, I thought.
“What is that?” Jocelyn asked in a hushed whisper.
The scream rang out again, shrill and haunting. The hairs on my arms stood on end.
I looked at Jocelyn, remembering Mom’s request to keep quiet about the magic thief. But Jocelyn was still herself. She wasn’t closed off like Ellis.
At least, not yet.
“Come on.” I grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.
The screams grew louder. Another voice joined in. Then a third. A cacophony of anguished cries and moans filled the air as if nothing but ghosts surrounded us.
I froze, and Jocelyn went rigid next to me. For a moment, we just stood there, numb with terror as the echoing howls floated around us like spiri
ts.
This was nothing like the last time a soul’s magic was stolen. This sounded like dozens of souls were being tortured.
Hurried footsteps shuffled behind us. Jocelyn and I darted out of the way as several Reapers in black robes rushed past us, their hushed murmurs echoing.
Their urgency snapped me into action. I guided Jocelyn down the tunnel, following the other Reapers.
If more than one soul needed saving right now, then we had to help. We had to try. Even if we didn’t know how to reap yet.
“You know what’s going on,” Jocelyn panted next to me. “Don’t you?” Her words sounded like more of an accusation than a question. Her gaze was full of suspicion.
I didn’t answer.
At long last, we reached the room with the concrete altar. Several Reapers already surrounded it, their hands clasped.
But the mass of floating white souls flitting about the room like hummingbirds could not be contained.
The wisps hovered in the air, some remaining still and others zipping back and forth faster than I could keep track. Shrieks and moans echoed, making my ears throb. I resisted the urge to cover them and flinch away from the horrifying scene before me.
Red magic glowed from the circle of Reapers, but it flickered and vanished like a candle being blown out.
Their magic wasn’t enough.
“Vince!” cried a voice.
I turned and found Mom, followed by Gwen. Their faces were pale, but Gwen’s face went rigid with determination.
“What’s going on?” I shouted over the noise.
Dark wings sprang out behind Gwen. Her fierce gaze was fixed on the ceiling, and her voice was cold as she said, “Our thief has finally emerged.”
Emerged. He was here? In this realm? My heart lurched at the thought, and I glanced around as if expecting to find a shadowed figure with a dagger, poised to kill us all.
“Vince, get out of here,” Mom said, her eyes wide with urgency. Fear struck her face, and she looked whiter than paper.
“No,” Gwen snapped, her icy gaze pinning Mom in place. “Both of them must stay. We’ll need all the help we can get. Cecile, you need to grab the other Reapers. Ellis, Gray, Joey—anyone else who’s missing. It’s all hands on deck.”
Mom’s mouth tightened, and I saw the brief conflict in her eyes at the thought of exposing this secret operation to stop the magic thief. But whatever her concerns were about discontent among Reapers, this was an emergency. She nodded before darting away. Her footsteps were drowned out by the spirits around us.
“What can we do?” Jocelyn asked Gwen.
“Come with me.” Gwen swept past us toward the circle of Reapers, who were chanting in low voices. Red magic flickered again, but it wasn’t strong enough. The anguished spirits were overpowering the Reapers.
“Has this ever happened before?” I asked.
“No.” Gwen’s voice was clipped. Her gaze moved from me to Jocelyn. “Your wings need to be out. Do whatever you can to make that happen.” She inserted herself into the circle of Reapers, joined hands, and chanted with the others.
I met Jocelyn’s terrified gaze and swallowed. “We can do this.”
She nodded, her eyes uncertain.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the soul of the girl I’d seen last time. My wings had just popped out on their own that time. Something must have triggered it.
But as I struggled to remember, I randomly found myself on the lacrosse field again.
Not now, I thought in frustration.
I envisioned the girl’s soul writhing on the slab of concrete. The pull of my Reaper magic when I pledged my vow.
Luke stood before me, his face pale. “Vince,” he said.
“No,” I shot back. “I can’t—I have to—”
“Your Reaper magic is here, Vince. Don’t push it away.”
I stared at him. Slowly, my eyes shifted to look behind him at the empty goal. A faceless opponent stood there, waiting for me.
My heart rate accelerated. My vision narrowed. I focused only on the goal. All other sounds and distractions melted away from me.
Inhale. Exhale.
In a flash, the field disappeared from view. An explosion of sounds and smells slammed into me so forcefully my head throbbed.
The air reeked of ash and a sharp, earthy smell that was vaguely familiar. More souls had appeared. Bursts of wind and magic whipped against my face.
Feathers rippled behind me. My wings were out.
“How—how did you do that?” Jocelyn asked.
I stared at her in bewilderment. “I have no idea.”
“Vince!” Gwen screeched, her eyes blazing. She jerked her head to the left, indicating I join the circle.
I glanced quickly at Jocelyn. “You can do this, Joss. Remember how you felt when you pledged.”
Then, I rushed forward to join the circle, wedging myself between Gwen and Joey, who had just arrived. As soon as I clasped their hands, a jolt of electricity surged within me, stinging my skin and rattling my bones. My body lurched forward in response like I was on a roller coaster. My teeth chattered against each other.
Darkness clouded my vision, and for a chilling moment, all the sounds around me died.
A voice breathed in my ear, You are mine. All of you.
A violent shudder quivered through my body. The voice vanished, and the sounds returned, but my insides felt ice cold.
What the hell are you? I thought, glancing around the room again.
“Get back!” screamed a voice.
A burst of red light appeared above the concrete altar so intensely it burned against my eyes. The glow expanded, rippling like it was alive. Within the redness, a dark and shadowy figure emerged, stepping onto the ground.
My blood turned to ice in my veins. Black shadows swirled around the figure, reaching for us. For one wild minute, I was reminded of Cora and her shadow elixir, how she’d seemed to be made of the shadows themselves.
The shadow man grabbed hold of Ellis, who was closest to the red glow. Ellis suddenly went stiff, his eyes bulging. The shadows coiled around him like a snake, and Ellis exploded in a mass of blood and organs. Flecks of blood spattered my face, and my mouth fell open in utter shock and horror.
Bile climbed up my throat, but all I could do was stare, wide-eyed, as an eerie red mist swirled in the space where Ellis had been moments ago. The mist funneled toward the shadowy figure until he absorbed it completely.
The shadow man had just taken Ellis’s magic.
Horror filled my chest until I couldn’t breathe. My head spun, and I thought I might faint.
This can’t be happening.
The Reapers around me went still, their eyes pinned on the shadow figure. It was painfully clear no one had seen anything like this before.
The magic thief wasn’t just stealing from souls—he was now stealing from Reapers.
And we were all in grave danger.
My pulse skittered, and my breathing turned sharp. Each inhale was like knives in my throat, and my head pounded with a sickening rhythm. Panic clouded my thoughts.
I can’t do this. We’re all going to die. I can’t do this.
The shadowy figure drifted toward another Reaper, and something sparked in my memory.
What was it Cora had said? You’re the only one who can help them keep the dark forces at bay.
A foreign determination coursed through me, melting away my fear. An eerie calmness settled over me, and my magic twitched in response.
I knew what I had to do.
“Everyone, grab on!” I roared.
Several Reapers jumped from my outburst. I squeezed the hands of those closest to me and shouted, “Now!”
Everyone joined hands. The shadow figure grabbed another Reaper, crushing him into oblivion. The screams and moans pounded against my ear drums.
When the remaining Reapers had all joined hands, I focused on the energy churning within me and spun in place.
We all vanished
with a pop.
16
Cora
The one good thing about Vince leaving again was it forced me to get work done. Desperate for distractions, I barely allowed myself a minute of rest as I eagerly dived into my responsibilities. Meetings, paperwork, inspections, interviews . . . My calendar was so jam-packed it was about to explode.
A week after Vince left, Benny strode into my office, his face pale and his eyes wide. I’d never seen him look like that before. He was always either smarmy or brooding.
Never afraid.
He shut the door behind him and slapped a stack of bills on my desk. I stared at it, then raised my eyebrows at him. “Um, thanks?”
“We—we have a problem.” Benny’s voice shook.
I was instantly on my feet. “What kind of problem?”
“Look closely at those.”
I sighed and bent over the bills, flipping through them with my fingers. A small tendril of magic puffed in the air from the motion, and I staggered back a step.
The magic lingered in the air, warm and familiar. The smell alone brought back a rush of childhood memories.
My throat felt tight. Even without the smell, I recognized the purple magic.
Bloodcaster magic.
My gaze snapped to Benny, my jaw rigid. “What is this?” I demanded.
“You tell me.”
My nostrils flared, and I shook my head. “No, we aren’t playing this game, Benny. Where did you get these?”
“I put a tracker on some bills and followed them, hoping to find our money launderer. All I found was an empty apartment. Looks like the guy left in a hurry. But these bills were left behind.”
My mouth felt dry. “Are you saying this money—this magic—came from . . .”
“The money launderer, yes.”
I stilled. Alarm bells pealed in my mind. Wrong, wrong, wrong. My instincts screamed at me to get out, to flee. It was ridiculous, but I trusted my instincts for a reason.
This was bad.
“I—” I stopped, at a loss for words.
“Cora.” Benny stepped toward me. “Did you do this?”
I glared at him. “No.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry. I had to ask.”
