The Balance

by C. L. Nelson

  He stood up and held his hand out to me. I don’t know what to do. I can’t go with him. What if everything he told me is a lie? What if he isn’t a reaper? What if he is a vampire and is just going to drink all my blood after he astral-whatevers me somewhere? Yep, that’s it. I am not going. I stand suddenly and make a dash toward the exit of my apartment.

  Chapter 4

  KIAN

  I take a large inhale through my nose and let it out of my mouth. This woman is going to be the death of me, and reapers are next to impossible to kill. I could tell she was about to bolt right before she decided it. I astralocate right into her path to the door. I easily scoop her up and toss her five-and-a-half-foot tall body over my shoulder.

  “I guess we are doing this the hard way then. I tried to be reasonable, but you are too damn stubborn. We don’t have a choice here. I have to follow procedure which means I’m taking you to the Waiting,” I tell her.

  She is thrashing around trying to get loose from my grip, while also trying to call for help from her neighbors.

  “Charlie, you can save your breath. When you are in close proximity to me, the veil I cast around myself to prevent others from seeing or hearing me extends to you. And you might want to save your energy for when it will be more useful.”

  She stopped yelling, and soon after, the thrashing also stopped.

  Stubborn, but not stupid, I think to myself. Good to know.

  “I hate you, just so you know. Now get your hand off my ass and put. me. down!” she demanded.

  I move my hand off her backside to a more appropriate spot. I didn’t even know it was there until she said something. Great, now I am thinking about her butt. I feel my face heat up.

  “I apologize. I didn’t mean to be inappropriate. I’ll put you down when we reach our location,” I said as I refocus on business.

  “Ugh, fine, but hurry up. This is not the most comfortable arrangement,” she said as she wiggled to try to find a more comfortable position. The movement stopped with a hard elbow to my back.

  I ignore her and concentrate. I don’t even know if I am going to be able to astralocate with both my corporeal body and her corporeal body. Most reapers can’t astralocate their bodies and usually can only travel non-corporeally, just sending their souls to each location. The soul isn’t bound by the same rules as a physical body and is able to travel in the blink of an eye to any location. It takes a mere thought to be at your destination.

  Reapers can possess a body for a short time when they arrive at their destination, which usually helps keep the pickup calm. Mortals usually freak out when our soul is, for the lack of a better term, naked. After the soul is collected, both the reaper and collected soul travel non-corporeally to the Waiting. It is easier and takes far less energy to travel without a corporeal body.

  Only the strongest reapers can travel with their bodies. Stronger reapers possess a more powerful soul that can absorb our physical body making us non-corporeal, almost like you would think a ghost would look like. We retain our appearance, but we are no longer solid, and thus, we are able to travel by astralocation. I have never heard of anyone trying to astralocate with another corporeal body with them.

  Well, here goes nothing. I close my eyes to focus. I start by trying to extend my soul out to touch Charlie’s soul. She isn’t a reaper which would make her unable to travel by astralocation unless her soul was removed from her body. Since I am trying to avoid killing her, I am hoping that extending my soul to touch hers will allow me to share my ability to travel with my corporeal form.

  I feel my soul extend out past my physical body and brush against her body. Her body stiffens as if she felt my soul touch her. I feel my soul enter her body as if I was going to take possession of her. Just as I feel my soul brush against her soul, I am thrown out. The force of my soul rebounding hits me hard and I drop Charlie and myself to the floor.

  “Ow, asshole. That hurt!” she said while rubbing a sore spot.

  I don’t know if she meant the pain from my soul being kicked out of her body or from hitting the floor.

  I start to apologize, but that’s not what comes out of my mouth. “What are you?” I asked.

  She looked at me and gave me a hard look. “I am the freakin’ human that you continue to harass. What the hell was that all about?”

  “I don’t think you are human. A human soul doesn’t have the ability to kick me out of their body. Even hybrids that I have possessed don’t have the ability to boot me out. Though, I haven’t tried to possess the really powerful ones,” I explained as I shake my head in disbelief.

  “Is that what I felt? Gross. You could have at least bought me dinner before trying to penetrate me, you pig,” she said with not even a hint of humor on her face.

  I looked at her, blinked a couple of times, and burst into laughter. I am laughing so hard that I have tears running down my cheek. I haven’t laughed this hard in a very long time.

  After calming down a little, and wiping tears from my eyes, I look at Charlie. She looks shocked, but she is smiling like my delight was contagious.

  My laughter is gone in that instant, and I feel like I forgot how to breathe. She has the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. She looks like she is glowing as if her smile brightens up her whole body from the inside.

  She stops smiling and scowls at me again as if she just remembered our situation. “Seriously, what were you trying to do before you so gracefully dropped my big ass to the floor? Are we astral-whatevering somewhere or not?” she asked.

  I did notice her butt is quite shapely. I shake my head. Why am I so distracted? I cannot be attracted to a pickup. It’s not professional and definitely against the rules.

  “I was trying to astralocate us to the Waiting, but it appears we are unable to travel like that,” I explained.

  “So now what are we going to do? We could give up and you can just leave me alone, so I can go on with my life,” she suggested as she got to her feet and held out a hand to me.

  I ignore her waiting hand and stand up on my own.

  She rolled her eyes as she stepped back.

  “Unfortunately, giving up and leaving you alone is not an option. I am going to have to visit the Ladies of the Waiting without you. I will consult with them and come back.”

  “Great! You get going and I will definitely be here when you get back,” she said as she tried to usher me out of her apartment.

  “Charlie, don’t forget that I can find you anywhere. Don’t bother leaving and trying to hide from me.”

  “Damn it! I forgot that part. Fine. What am I supposed to do until you get back?” she said, crossing her arms.

  I observe her for a minute. Her tousled hair is hanging down past her shoulders, near where her arms are crossed under her breasts. Her startling ice-blue eyes stand out in contrast with her thick dark eyelashes. Those stunning eyes are giving me a look that clearly says she is less than impressed with this situation. She is wearing shorts and a tank top that show more of her body than I should be seeing if I want to be able to concentrate.

  She was wearing even less yesterday evening when I came to talk to her. When I arrived, she was asleep on her bed. She must have fallen asleep as soon as she hit the bed because she was still in a towel, lying on top of the blanket. The room smelled good from whatever body wash and shampoo she used during her shower, like a mix of coconut and other tropical fruit. She smelled like summertime.

  She didn’t look like she was resting peacefully, more like she was having bad dreams. Her movements had already inched the towel up her thighs and was covering precious little. For propriety and my own sanity, I grabbed a blanket that I found in her living room and covered her. She settled down after that, like the warmth of the blanket eased her mind.

  I checked on her every two hours after that, so I could talk to her when she woke up. The last time I checked she wasn’t in her room, but I had heard her in the kitchen, so I astralocated in there to talk to her. I was distracted
the entire time with my eyes and mind wandering to places they shouldn’t.

  Creators help me! She shouldn’t have this effect on me. Reapers only consort with their own kind. I have not taken a lover in quite some time. Maybe that’s the problem.

  I shake my head. “Just stay here and don’t interact with anyone. It could throw off the Balance if you are not supposed to be here anymore.”

  “Also, you might want to put on different clothing, unless that is how you dress when you are in the company of others,” I added.

  Her mouth dropped open and she looked outraged. “Excuse me, but I wasn’t expecting company. You just teleported yourself in here without an invitation. I had just woken up and hadn’t had a chance to get dressed yet, you douche!”

  I casually step back, putting the armchair between us just in case she decided to take another swing at me. I’m not scared of her, I swear.

  “Furthermore, you have no right to tell me how to dress or shame me for what I am wearing. Get the fuck out of my apartment!” she fumed.

  I open my mouth to try to explain myself, but the dark look she gave me changed my mind. I looked at the floor to escape that look.

  “And don’t worry, I will be more properly dressed when you get back, so I don’t offend your delicate sensibilities,” she added facetiously before stomping off into her bedroom and slamming the door.

  “I don’t teleport,” I called out as a weak response.

  This female has quite a temper. At least she didn’t break my nose again. I shouldn’t be turned on right now, I thought as I rearranged myself, so my pants fit more comfortably. Thank goodness the back of the armchair was tall enough to cover me. I take a deep breath and will my body to calm down. After a few minutes, I was ready to go. I took one last look toward her bedroom door, and in the next second, I was in the Waiting.

  Chapter 5

  ALARIC

  My good-for-nothing son still isn’t back yet. It has been nearly twenty-four hours since he was supposed to bring the woman back to me. This has never happened before. All the other times have gone smoothly. Of course, I was always there to pick her up myself.

  I can’t let anyone figure out what is going on. I have to fix this. I would do it myself if I wasn’t weakened by this suspicious illness. I can slowly feel my strength returning to me as I recover from this mysterious illness, and I should be at full strength in a few days, but I don’t have that kind of time. This problem needs to go away before then.

  I have asked my most trusted guard to summon Cecilia. Cecilia, who is also known as Fate, is my occasional lover and technically my superior. She is one of the three Ladies of the Waiting. As Fate, she is basically the record keeper for souls. She is the sole (no pun intended) person knowledgeable about each soul’s outcome. She knows every possible outcome for every incarnation for every soul.

  How a soul’s incarnation actually ends is based on their choices. The Creators are big fans of free will, but when a person doesn’t actively participate in their life, Fate takes over and the end is usually unpleasant. Fate is neutral, but you can’t expect to be rewarded when you don’t put in the work.

  Cecilia walked into my bedroom likes she owns the place. Her walk is full of confidence and sexual promise as she sways her voluptuous hips. Her hourglass figure is completed with a small waist and large magically enhanced breasts that are definitely on display in her skintight designer outfit. Her strawberry blonde hair is up in an elaborate hairstyle that looks like it belongs in one of those medieval fantasy shows on human television.

  Cecilia was a priestess in an ancient Roman temple for the Goddess Vesta before she became Fate. The priestesses were known as the Vestal Virgins as they took a thirty-year vow of celibacy while they served the goddess. She spent her whole life serving a false goddess and died before her thirty-year service was up. She is still a little miffed about wasting her life, but she is making up for lost time in her new life as Fate, if you know what I mean.

  She took in my appearance with her glowing green eyes and pouted her bee-stung lips before saying, “Alaric, darling, you don’t appear to be able to play with me today,” she said with a posh British accent that she adopted sometime after her ascension.

  “We need to talk about business, Cecilia,” I tell her as I dismiss everyone else from the room.

  I am very much aware that Cecilia is in love with me, and I often use that to my advantage. Females were created to please males, and do as they are told, not to be equals. I have only ever met one female that I would consider good enough to be my equal, and it isn’t any of the Ladies. It angers me greatly to know the Ladies of the Waiting have more authority than I do as King of the Reapers.

  “We have a mutual problem that needs solving,” I cut to the chase. “It concerns the female who is called Charlene James in this incarnation.”

  I see her eyes go blank as she accesses the correct file.

  “Ah, yes. That whore was scheduled to die yesterday. As you did not bring her to me and I do not see her here, I assume something went wrong,” she said as she checked her fingernails like she isn’t grasping the severity of our problem.

  “She didn’t die as she was supposed to and now my idiot son is out somewhere trying to figure out what happened. If anyone finds out what you and I have done, we will be thrown in the Pit. You are just as guilty as I am.”

  Her artificially tan skin paled as she finally understood the problem.

  “How could this have happened?” She began pacing the room.

  “Cecilia, it’s not like I was able to go get her myself. I told my son to kill the female and bring her soul to me, but he is too much of a rule follower to obey. Either we need to send someone else to clean up our mess or you can get your perfectly manicured nails dirty and do it yourself,” I said as I take a deep breath and count to ten.

  She looked unsure of what to do, so I switch tactics.

  “Baby, come lay with me for a minute.” I requested as I pat the bed next to me.

  She obeys, saunters over to the bed, and climbs in next to me.

  I put my arm around her. “You remember this female came on to me and when I rejected her advances, she burned me,” I said, gesturing to the large scar on the left side of my face. “She tried to steal me from you and then disfigured me.” I reminded her as I run my hand up and down her arm. “She needed to be punished. We just need to fix this problem and then we can go back to our lives.” I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

  She looked convinced. Females are so easy to manipulate.

  “You are right, darling. That slut tried to ruin our relationship and then she had the audacity to rob me of your beauty. I will send someone to kill her and collect her. Then we can permanently get rid of her, so we don’t have to deal with her anymore,” she said as she climbed out of bed to leave.

  She blew me a kiss. “Get some rest, darling, so we can celebrate when this is all over.” She winked at me and then left.

  Stupid female. I don’t have any intention of letting go of my future queen. When I get her back, I will finally convince her to be mine. I will get some magical assistance if I need to. I have waited too long to have her to just throw her in the Pit.

  Chapter 6

  KIAN

  The Waiting is a realm that exists parallel to the Provisional or mortal realm and it is where I and the rest of the reapers live. This realm is not nearly as large as the Provisional, but it is sufficiently large enough to house my species with plenty of room to spare.

  It is a beautiful realm, much more attractive than most of the Provisional, in my opinion, which has been ruined by humans and their technological advances. You would think they would understand that they are ruining their planet with oil and plastic. The Waiting doesn’t have that problem and the environment is thriving. The vegetation is more luxuriant and more vibrant than anything you could find in the Provisional. The climate is temperate and always stays the same. That might sound boring, but the Waiting is desi
gned to be low maintenance, so the reapers can focus on their duties.

  The Waiting runs on magical energy that is powered by the souls that enter and leave this plane. You see, each soul contains a minuscule amount of the essence of the Creators and that essence holds a lot of energy. Each time a soul enters or leaves the Waiting, it refuels the magic of this realm, almost like a battery. The energy is used to maintain the Waiting and provides stuff like electricity, energy for our transportation, food, and other various things to those that live in the Waiting, and it also can be converted into currency for the Provisional.

  Reapers earn their fair share of the energy as compensation for their work, or at least they are supposed to. My father has been taking the majority of the energy to finance his lifestyle, both in the Waiting and in the Provisional. The reapers have been barely managing to provide a life for themselves while their king lives large in his mansion.

  There isn’t a whole lot to do in the Waiting, so reapers often go off realm to the Provisional for recreational activities. There is a transport service between the two realms for reapers not strong enough to astralocate with their corporeal body. Only reapers are allowed to use this transport. Some reapers have learned this the hard way when they tried to sneak back a human or hybrid date, and their dates were vaporized in transit. The mortal body just cannot handle the realm change. That’s why I didn’t even think to bring Charlie to the Waiting that way.

  The only other beings that live here are the Ladies of the Waiting which refers to the three neutral entities that govern the Waiting. By being neutral, Fate, Destiny, and Karma maintain the Balance. The trio is also jointly responsible for determining where each soul goes in their next incarnation. These ladies (and yes, they are always female) are chosen by the Creators to ascend to these revered positions. It is an honor bestowed upon those who are deemed worthy based on the quality of their soul and their actions in their incarnations. And I tell you all of this because that is who I am going to see. If anyone knows what to do about Charlie, it will be these three.