Reaper Academy: A Dark Forbidden Romance
Page 26
"How did you get so many dark angels to fight against the rebels?" Ophelia asked.
"When Juliana discovered that you were going to die and the only choice I had was to change you into one of us, she agreed to help. The invaders destroyed our home and endangered our lives. Juliana doesn't take lightly to threats. Her fear is that the attackers won't stop at one refuge but will seek them all out. We had to put an end to their tyranny."
"Did we?" Ophelia asked. "Mara is dead. The kingdom of Casmerelda is in the hands of Clove. How are we any safer?"
Wynter didn't answer her.
Several minutes passed as many of the dark angels cleaned up what mess they could and headed home. "Where do we go from here?" Ophelia asked. The refuge had been destroyed. The home she'd lived in with Jasper and Violetta belonged to the reapers. It wasn't her place, not anymore.
Juliana walked over and waited for Ophelia to stand. "You'll come back with us to the refuge in Riley. A few dark angels live together and have offered us space until we can find a better location, out of sight. If you can control your emotions and, more importantly, your wings, then you can visit your sister."
"My sister is dead. I don't understand." Leila felt the air leave her lungs.
"She's taken your place. One day, she shall be the next Royal Reaper."
Epilogue
Wynter imagined it was hard for Leila to fathom how Mara had gone from queen to grim reaper in such a short time. Everything she had done to protect her sister, and in the end, her fate had been sealed.
The land of Casmerelda was a mess, a turbulent nation on the brink of war with neighboring countries, overthrown by a vicious leader hell-bent on gaining the crown and furthering his reach for land. The reapers and dark angels fled Casmerelda. There was nothing they could do. With no blood lineage or claim to the throne, it was a war they wanted no further involvement with.
Aurora had been nothing more than a pawn, and Leila would never know whether the girl had truly loved her sister or had only used her. He had assured Leila that it did not matter, as she was gone and Mara had found her own peace with her new life, having friends she could trust and her sister back in her life.
Sitting outside on the grass outside the refuge, Leila and Wynter stared at the new brick building that had been constructed over the past three months with the help of their reaper friends Jasper, Violetta, Mara, and the dark angels. It was nearly done.
It afforded Leila the time to catch up with her sister, even though they couldn't be around one another every day, their responsibilities often keeping them apart, traveling for their reaps and soul saves. His hand gently coaxed over Leila's lower back, careful of her wings. She had taken time to adjust, but unlike Wynter, who had been kept in the asylum during his transition, he had fought to keep Leila with him. They stayed with the reapers during the day, and at night when they couldn't be spotted, they worked together to build a new refuge in Vera, so that the reapers and dark angels could visit more often.
She leaned further into Wynter's embrace, her breath tickling his neck as she turned to whisper into his ear, "If we are immortal, do dark angels change as reapers do?"
"Change?" Wynter did not quite understand her question. "Do you mean change bodies?"
Leila nodded slowly.
Wynter smiled and shook his head. "No. You will forever look like Ophelia Dacre as a dark angel, and I shall forever look like Wynter Gael. The last body you are in when you become a dark angel is what you experience for eternity. Consider it a curse."
She scrunched her nose, smiling brightly. "That doesn't sound like much of a curse. I prefer it this way, even if everyone knows who I am." They'd kept far from Casmerelda but it did not mean they would be safe. Wynter would have to keep Leila away from watchful eyes for at least the next thirty or forty years; perhaps then, politics and fears would blow over.
The new refuge was nearly finished, and Wynter looked forward to moving in as it wasn't far from Jasper. Seeing as how the reapers and dark angels had joined forces, whatever bad blood had once been between the undead entities had ceased.
"I'm proud of you," Wynter whispered, pulling Leila into his lap. He would never get used to calling her Ophelia, even though she looked like the princess he had once harbored a crush on.
"For?" she smiled, staring up at him curiously.
"Not breaking the rules yet," Wynter said, laughing softly. His arms encircled her waist, keeping her close, his breath mingling with hers as he leaned in, brushing his lips against her mouth. His eyes closed, reveling in the feeling of Leila in his arms. She was his dark angel. No longer did he have to worry about each death bringing her closer toward tearing them apart. He'd found a way to save her, thanks to the Oracle.
"There's been no reason to break the rules, not anymore."
He knew there was much truth to that. Grim reapers had their place in their world, but Wynter and Leila were happier as dark angels.
The End
Allison West
Allison West is a #1 International Best-Selling Author in Erotica, BDSM, Romantic Erotica, Sci-Fi, Victorian, and Historical Erotica. She also writes young adult novels under the name Ruth Silver.
Allison West has been inventing worlds and writing stories for years. Her favorite novels are those that leave a lasting impression, long after the final page is read. You can find more about Allison on Facebook and Twitter.
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