Reaper

by Laura Greenwood

  “Nim?” He groaned, his eyes flickering slightly. That, and the way my name sounded like a plea from his lips, sent my heart into overdrive, soaring through the air. Okay, I was definitely in deep with this man, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. So long as he felt the same I guessed? Though what if he only stayed with me because I saved him? Oh, that would suck. Was this how all the fairy tale Princes ended up feeling? Like the Princesses only wanted them because of the gratitude? Damn, I hoped not. I was finally on track to have an actual healthy relationship, I didn’t want that ruined before it’d properly begun.

  “I’m here, I was so worried.” My voice cracked, and I was sure he could hear my tears. Way to go, Nim. Way to make yourself seem attractive to this guy. He was never going to want you now.

  He lifted a hand, very slowly, as if every movement pained him. Anger welled up within me again, and I had to tamp it down the best I could. Especially as my arms began to glow. It seemed that heightened emotions brought that out of me. That was good to know, though it did raise the question of what’d changed since before. I’d never glowed with anger before.

  Gently, Than touched my cheek, wiping away a tear. “Please don’t cry, Nim. There’s nothing to cry about.”

  I rested my hand over his, pressing his hand firmer into my cheek. “I thought I’d lost you,” I said with a sniffle.

  “Not if I can help it,” he said softly, and I leaned down, gently pressing my lips against his. To my surprise, he grasped the back of my neck, and tugged me towards him, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue past my lips. Maybe here wasn’t the place, but damn the kiss was good.

  I moaned into his mouth, unable to stop myself. If this were a better time and place, and he wasn’t so hurt, I’d be tempted to straddle him and do far worse than just kiss. As it was, that probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

  Reluctantly I pulled back.

  “Oh good, you’ve finally decided to be sensible then?”

  Twenty

  “Lindsay?” Wow, I sounded ridiculously surprised. I stepped between her and Than, attempting to shield his body with mine. No way was I going to let any Demon near him again, even if it was one that I knew. To her credit, Lindsay just shook her head in bemusement. Hmm. She seemed like her normal self, but what did that mean in Hell?

  Wow, I’d become seriously jaded in my time here, Wasn’t that just peachy.

  “No, I’m the Queen of Sheba.” She folded her arms, pushing her chest up so it looked mighty impressive. Damn, I hoped Than wasn’t looking. And if he was, I hoped that he didn’t particularly rate them. But it still reared up the little green monster within me. “Actually, I was the Queen of Sheba for a bit,” she mused.

  Great, just what I wanted to hear. Why couldn’t we be stuck with just a normal Demon who wasn’t a Queen of anything. From what I’d seen, royalty were the worst.

  “What are you doing here?” I snarled, the anger overcoming me. I hated my distrust. Lindsay had never done anything to actually earn it. And it wasn’t really her fault that I’d had a bad experience with one of the Fallen here.

  “You ended Chesca, right?” She studied her nails. Because that wasn’t a move that the classic bad guys always did. It was one of their classic tells, normally before they started kicking ass.

  Just thinking about the potential fight to come, my tattoos began to glow. Yep. Totally wasn’t used to them yet. After we got out of here, there was still going to be so much more to learn about them. Did it work the same as with normal reaping tattoos? I guessed I’d find out eventually.

  “Yes,” I said, realising I hadn’t actually answered her question. Oops, no need to be overly rude really, was there Nim?

  “Good. Want a hand getting out of here?” she asked nonchalantly. It was so odd to be chit chatting with a Demon after all that’d happened.

  “Can I trust you?” My stance let up slightly, as I relaxed. Apparently, my feelings for the Demon hadn’t changed that much.

  “I guess you can’t.” She shrugged, her wings moving up and down naturally with the movement. “But do you have any other ideas?”

  Well, she had me there. I had nothing. Nada. Not even the slightest hint of a clue. I’d gotten here by piggybacking on an evil soul after all, it wasn’t like I could do that on my way out too. Unless evil souls returning to Earth was a common occurrence. I sure hoped not, that was the kind of thing that never ended well.

  “No, we don’t,” Than replied for me, placing a firm hand on my arm. Oh. I liked that. It was reassuring. Not in a “I need Than to protect me” way, but more of a “we’re in this together” way.

  “Then it looks like I’m your only option,” she said smugly. Okay, even if she was going to help us, a large part of me just wanted to wipe the smile from her face. She shouldn’t underestimate me. That was how people ended up in bad situations. Or just obliterated.

  “Fine, what do we need to do?” I asked with a sigh. A big part of me just wanted to throw a tantrum and refuse to play her game. Thankfully, it was over ruled by sensible Nim.

  “Just grab hold of me, and I’ll do the rest.”

  Right, okay, seemed like a really sensible thing to do. Did she think I was a complete idiot? Grabbing hold of a Demon would end badly, I was sure of it.

  No, Nim. You need to stop.

  Lindsay was my friend, she had been for ages, I shouldn’t let something as little as almost dying at the hands of a Demon queen colour that.

  “Hurry up,” Lindsay said impatiently, though there was something in her voice that made it seem like she was kind of nervous about the situation too. Then again, I would be too if I was a Demon about to touch someone who could topple a queen.

  Wow. I was that person. It was going to take a bit of time for that one to sink in. It wasn’t every day that I became someone actually pretty cool.

  “Sorry, just need to...” I trailed off as I grabbed one of my dagger from its holster and slowly sawed through the straps around Than’s legs and torso. I hated what they’d done to him. That he was hurting. That this was all because of me. But I needed to stay focused. I was no good to any of us if I let this get the better of me.

  Than sat up, rubbing one of the indents in his chest where the strap had been that little bit too tight. Anger welled up inside me. If Chesca wasn’t already well gone, she’d be heading that way now.

  “You okay?” I whispered, not wanting Lindsay to have an idea of just how hurt he was. Never show any weakness. It didn’t end well. I sheathed my knife again, being careful not to slice my skin open. That’d be a very Nim thing to do, and really, we didn’t have time for accidental blood loss. It was messy. Not to mention completely inconvenient and would draw Demons to us like betters to a horse race.

  “I will be, but let’s get out of here, I’m sure there’s some mopping up to do over this,” he said, leaning over to kiss me quickly before swinging his legs around and rising from the hospital bed. He wavered slightly, and I slipped my arm around his waist, trying to lend him support without making him feel like I was undermining his masculinity. His arm curled around my shoulders and he pulled me to him in a quick squeeze. Okay, good, he appreciated it then. Carry on.

  “Are you ready?” Lindsay was tapping her foot impatiently against the floor. Oops. Someone wasn’t happy. Not that I blamed her. All Hell was about to break loose, though thankfully, it’d be confined to just Hell and not Earth. That was me, always looking for the bright side.

  I let go of Than, only for him to grasp my hand in his, and we made our way over to Lindsay, each grabbing hold of one of her arms. The Demon nodded, and a look of rapt concentration crossed her face. I had no idea what was going to happen now, but I knew I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  As the wind began to whoosh past my ears, I squeezed my eyes shut and held onto Than’s hand as tightly as I could. I didn’t want to lose him again. I couldn’t face losing him again. He was mine now, I had to stop anything else from separating us.

  Twe
nty-One

  I fell to the floor with a thump, another soft one coming from the side. That was Than then. Or at least, I hoped it was. I would destroy Lindsay and anyone else that got in my path if it wasn’t.

  I opened my eyes, groaning. I could feel aches throughout my entire body, and had to wonder if it was something to do with all my injuries and pains from Hell all manifesting at once. That’d be just my luck. But then, why pain wouldn’t manifest in Hell. If it was there to torture people, then I’d have thought that pain was a prerequisite. Maybe that was just me.

  “Nim?” Than groaned. My eyes flickered open and I looked in his direction, relieved to see that he appeared okay. Check one. Now I just needed to find Lindsay.

  I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, looking around. I was surprised to see Lindsay hunched over talking to Elijah. Odd. I still wasn’t sure if they hated each other or not. Looking at them now, I thought not.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, my words slurring slightly. Hmm. Maybe Hell had taken more of a toll on me than I’d expected. Or maybe it was the reaping that had taken its toll on me. I’d need to talk to Than properly to sort some of that out I think.

  “There’s a problem in Heaven. I need to go.” Lindsay looked really nervous. Like really, really, nervous. That had me worried.

  “Is there...”

  “No, it’s an Angel and Fallen thing. You already helped by dealing with Chesca,” Elijah answered for her.

  “Great. Right. So, what exactly are we supposed to do?” Wow, good going Nim, let them know how pissed off you are by being so sarcastic. Perfect.

  “Go home?” Lindsay shrugged. Eurgh that was beyond infuriating. Why she thought that was an appropriate response was beyond me.

  “So, we just ignore the fact that I killed someone important?” My voice squeaked at the end. That was annoying, why couldn’t I just be normal. Yes, yes, exhaustion, adrenaline, the whole rest of it. There was a very good reason for it. Didn’t make it any less frustrating.

  “Chesca really wasn’t that important,” Lindsay said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The upper Demons won’t even notice that she’s gone.”

  My mouth fell open. Then what the fuck had I spent all that time doing? I’d travelled to Hell and risked my life for no fucking reason? Seriously?

  A soft yellow glow interrupted my thoughts. Oh crap, now was not the time.

  “Nim, you’re glowing,” Than said, awe filling his voice. This wasn’t how I intended him to find out about my new powers. I’d imagined a nice, calm, rational conversation. Though how on earth I thought I’d actually get one of those was a little beyond me. Nothing in the past few days had gone the way I’d intended it to. Should have realised that the moment I woke up to find Than had been kidnapped from my bed. Somehow, I was imagining thick bars and huge padlocks on the windows of wherever I lived next. And just about every Demon repellent the humans had ever thought up. I was sure most of them were complete and utter bullshit, but maybe some of them would work. I certainly hoped so.

  “Yes, that happens now,” I muttered, throwing evils in Lindsay and Elijah’s direction. “Do you have an explanation for this?” I asked them.

  “It’s what happens when a Reaper’s powers are stripped,” Elijah responded as if it was a normal thing to drop on someone. I scowled. He was seriously asking for a trip to Oblivion. I rose to my feet, dusting off my hands on my disgustingly grimy jeans. Yep. They were definitely being burned.

  “It’s happened before?” Hope filled me. If someone else had been through this, then there might be some actual answers for me somewhere.

  “Not successfully.”

  Wow. That was reassuring. The perfect thing for me to hear. The bastard.

  “So how do you know?” I prompted.

  “Hearsay, rumours, the odd piece of Reaper lore.” He ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke, his white wings flapping ever so slightly in the breeze. I glanced back and Lindsay, but hers had disappeared now she was back on Earth. Interesting. I wondered how that worked. Oh well, not really the time to be thinking about that, I had far more important things to think about.

  “Great. So, I should be dead?” I threw my hands up dramatically. Hmm. Maybe shouldn’t have done that, but it accurately depicted how I was feeling.

  “Pretty much, yes.”

  “Reaper’s can’t die,” Than interrupted.

  “Technically true,” Lindsay replied. “But they can be sent places. Like Oblivion.”

  “You know about that?” I was more than a little surprised.

  “I’m a Fallen, I’ve been alive longer than your grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents. And then some. How would I not know.”

  Okay, she had a point, didn’t mean she had to be as sarcastic as I was.

  “Right, okay, I can send Reapers to Oblivion then.”

  “I’d say so, yes.”

  “That still doesn’t tell me what I need to be doing now,” I muttered.

  “You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you can work it out,” Elijah said, sounding a little bored. Always a good sign.

  “Fuck’s sake,” I muttered. They really weren’t doing much for my anger issues.

  “Go see your parents,” Lindsay said, placing a hand on Elijah’s arm in a gesture that I’m sure was meant to be soothing. It seemed to work on him then. Hmm. I was more convinced than ever that there was something going on between the two of them. There had to be.

  “That’s your advice?” I squeaked.

  “They know more than you think, Anima,” she said softly. Well, when she put it like that, what other choice did I have? Though it’d certainly be interesting seeing my Mother after what I’d learned about her. And by interesting, I meant terrifying. A large part of me wasn’t even sure I could act normal around her. Though at least I’d have Than.

  “Alright then.”

  “We need to go.” Well, at least she sounded a little sympathetic. That was something at least.

  “Fine. Guess I’m going home anyway.” I sighed, feeling dejected, only to be reassured moments later when Than’s arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me back to him. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head.

  At least I wasn’t going home alone.

  Twenty-Two

  I hadn’t even gotten to enjoy my shower. The shower I’d had to have alone, I might add. All because of the worry of having to return home and actually see my parents. I wasn’t sure why I was so worried. Other than my Mother having made the ultimate betrayal. There was a chance she’d had the wool pulled over her eyes too though, which would make it a little bit more acceptable...maybe? I wasn’t quite so sure. She had to have noticed that something weird was going on? I’d been a child. Her child.

  Okay, actually I completely understood why I was nervous about this. It could go spectacularly badly. Especially if I lost my cool. Which was likely.

  Slowly, and very reluctantly, I knocked on the front door. It only took a few moments, but my Mother opened it, a neutral expression on her face. At least it wasn’t an evil sneer. I’d had enough of those.

  “Anima,” she acknowledged coldly. Great, yep, to be expected. “And Thanatos, good to see you again.” Her face brightened as she said his name, and I felt a scowl cross my face. I wasn’t sure whether it was jealousy over her liking him over me, or something a little more relationshippy. I didn’t want to explore those feelings any more than I had to, it was bound to lead to some uncomfortable realisations.

  “Mum,” I replied, trying to sound a little bit warmer than she did. I had to at least try if I wanted to get some answers.

  “Did you want to come in?”

  Why was she always so formal? Of course, I fucking wanted to come in, otherwise why would I have been here? It’d always been odd how my parents acted.

  “Please.” I smiled tightly, the skin across my face stretching almost painfully. Yep. I really didn’t want to smile at her. There was a lot of hurt over the vision I’d had in Hell
. Maybe there was no coming back from that. I kind of hoped not. I didn’t want to be at odds with my parents for the rest of my life.

  “Come on then. I guess Thanatos is coming with you?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t say anymore. I couldn’t. Instead, I followed my Mother down the dimly lit hall, with its completely out of date wallpaper and the musty smell that seemed to follow me every time I left again. I didn’t even know why it was so out of date in their home. There was no real reason for that. They were as capable as the other Reapers for keeping things up to date. But no, apparently their home in Reaper Town was a throwback to the seventies. It wasn’t actually called Reaper Town mind, that was just my name for it. There was no name for it because there didn’t need to be. All of the Reapers lived here. And I did mean all of them. Except for me.

  “Your Father is just in the living room, go take a seat and I’ll make some tea.”

  “Thank you,” I replied just as stiffly as she had. This was why I didn’t come home much. It always ended up with me feeling super disappointed.

  I made my way into the living room, which was just as terribly decorated as the hall. the whole house was really. My Father would likely be lounging on one of the sofas, it was where he normally spent his evening anyway.

  “What the actual fuck?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, which was unusual. Normally I never swore in front of my parents. I still considered that to be rude. I knew it was weird. I was a grown woman, apparently with powers above and beyond those that Reapers normally had, and yet I was worried to mutter some bad words.

  I was so normal.

  “Hello, Anima.” The voice was so familiar. And not just because it was one that haunted my nightmares, though I hadn’t realised that until this specific moment. No. This voice was familiar because it was the same one that’d been so prominent in the vision I’d had earlier. And that was a problem. A big problem.