Reaper Academy: A Dark Forbidden Romance

by Allison West

  Two days passed, and Leila still hadn't been given another assignment. She contemplated leaving the scroll behind, but she felt naked without it against her skin. Midnight came and Leila climbed aboard the carriage traveling to the royal council. It hadn't been the first place she wanted to visit after returning home. This time, she was prepared when the carriage drove through the closed metal gates and solid stone wall.

  Leila chewed her bottom lip raw. The last time she'd visited the royal council, she'd spoken her mind. It seemed today, they might not be quite in the mood for her honesty. Leila stepped inside the council room, greeting them with the utmost respect. She curtseyed before them and bowed her head. The last thing she wanted to do was piss them off.

  "May I ask why you've requested to see me?" Leila suspected it had to do with the trucidator and her abduction. She hadn't wanted to talk about it and refused to say a word to Violetta about the situation or about Luna. Violetta had no idea a child dark angel existed and that Wynter had taken her home to her parents. What good would it have done to tell Violetta? Some secrets were better left buried in another realm. It would probably be safer for everyone involved.

  Smierc's smile faded and her brow furrowed. She was dressed in the same white robe as before. Did she wear any other clothes ever? "You've disrupted the balance of the undead, broke more rules than I'd like to count, and frankly, you've seen more than any reaper should."

  Drake sneered. "You know too much, Leila. It shifts the balance of power. No undead should have more knowledge than they require."

  Leila scoffed at Drake's words. "I wouldn't have had any idea the Underworld existed if I hadn't been dragged down there by a trucidator! Punish him for his crimes. Why are you harassing me?" Leila didn't understand why she was being picked on. This wasn't her fault. No part of it had been her doing, and yet she would be the one punished for the information she knew. It hardly seemed fair.

  A rake had been situated beside Pesta. Leila turned her attention toward her as the old woman spoke. "It's not solely the knowledge you employ. You were to be a Royal Reaper, Leila. That can never come to pass with what you've done."

  "A what?" she asked confused. "What's that?"

  Pesta glanced at Keres before continuing. "A Royal Reaper is one who has been chosen to serve on the royal council. It's a position only through bloodlines. Didn't you wonder why you had been chosen to be a grim reaper?"

  "Of course!" Leila had never fully understood what made her different from the souls she released.

  "The last Royal Reaper had been your grandmother from seven generations prior. She sat on the council with us until her last breath."

  Of course, she'd died. It had been why Leila had been chosen as a grim reaper. They weren't immortal. There would be a time when Leila would cease to exist in this realm. The thought frightened her. More so, because she'd promised her soul to a demon for passage home. It had been a mistake. "Why are you telling me this?" Leila asked.

  Laima spoke softly. "We need you to understand our position. You were to be on the council once you'd gained enough experience through reaping and had lived through several generations. A gift of greater life. Your knowledge of the Underworld as a young reaper is a problem, but the bigger issue we have is that your soul upon your death is not your own. It defies every law we stand for and believe in. It breaks our covenants and our beliefs. We have no choice, with the knowledge you've been given and the situation that has presented itself, but to dismiss you from our world of undead entities."

  "I don't understand," Leila said. "Are you killing me?" Ophelia had been murdered. She no longer existed. If they were intending to strip her of being a grim reaper, then she'd certainly die, wouldn't she? Her soul would be claimed, and everything would end in an instant. She didn't like the sound of it. "Wait!" She held up a hand. "I saved a young dark angel's life, Luna. Does that not mean anything? I've tried to do good. I know I've made a few mistakes, but I'm not ready to die and face the darkest corners of the Underworld."

  Drake laughed. "Dear child, you're not going to die. At least not until you've lived out the rest of your life first. We're not murderers." Drake glanced at Laima. "Do you wish to tell her of Luna, or should I?"

  Laima nodded. "Luna is fine. I've received word that she has been reunited with her family at the refuge. Rest assured, the child will be protected until her thirteenth birthday when she will become a full-fledged dark angel. At that point, her fate falls in her own hands."

  "Why did she have white wings if she's a dark angel?" Leila asked. She doubted they'd give her an honest answer, but what harm would asking do?

  "All dark angel children born of two dark angel parents will have white wings and go to their own academy from ten to thirteen. Her life, though important, had not warranted an intervention into the Underworld by our kind," Drake said. He sat atop his throne, staring down at Leila. "Any other questions?"

  "I'll no longer be a grim reaper?"

  Drake glanced at Keres before speaking. "That is correct. You will be mortal and human, with only one life. The memories are yours, we cannot remove them even if we desired. Please understand that the council does not all agree with the decision of banishment as a human, but we have agreed you're no longer fit to be a grim reaper. Who would believe you if you spoke of our kind? They'd lock you up in an asylum. We trust you'll keep such stories to yourself. Besides, returning to your previous life will prove challenging enough, we trust you'll live wisely."

  Leila didn't dare ask what that meant. She didn't care. If they were letting her go without killing her or sending her off as a slave, she'd keep herself out of trouble.

  "I promise not to speak of it to anyone." Leila could handle keeping a few secrets. Like they said, who would believe her? "So, I flunked out of the academy?" Leila tried not to laugh. This had been a job she could get fired from, seriously? If it hadn't been the bit about her being a Royal Reaper, which seemed pretty cool, she'd have been grateful. No more releasing souls in the middle of the night or taking orders from a piece of parchment.

  "More or less, yes," Drake said. "We've considered your service to us, your personal losses, and that you returned Luna to her family. Those factors swayed us in deciding to return you to a mortal human existence."

  "Great," Leila said, trying to sound thrilled. She would be human again. How had it been possible to be undead and then alive again? Although she'd never quite died, her heart still felt as though it beat wildly in her chest. "How does this work?"

  "When you pass through the metal gates, you will change."

  "Change?" Leila repeated. Wynter wouldn't recognize her, and she'd be human. Great! Could things become any more difficult?

  "We suggest you avoid Casmerelda, but your life is your own. You may choose to do with it as you wish," Keres said.

  Leila hadn't been sure if she intended to be snide or sincere. Either way, her response had been the same. "Thank you." They'd given Leila her freedom, wasn't that enough?

  Leila walked out of the council room toward the black carriage with four horses.

  "You're home!" Violetta's voice stirred Leila awake.

  Leila's eyes shot open, and she stared up at the raven-haired reaper looking down at her. She'd fallen asleep on the couch after the long ride back home to Vi.

  "Jasper insisted he heard you come in last night, but I must have slept through it." Violetta reached down and touched a strand of Leila's hair. "I bet you have an interesting story to tell."

  "What do you mean?" Leila yawned, still trying to wake up. She'd gotten only a few hours of sleep, not nearly enough for what her day would bring.

  "I'd ask how it went with the royal council—Violetta mentioned you were summoned—but the answer is staring back at me," Jasper said, standing in the doorjamb. "It looks bad."

  Leila reached out, touching her jaw and then her cheekbones. She couldn't tell one face from the next by feel, but a mirror would show her what she looked like. Leila pushed herself off the ma
ttress, glancing down at her body. She had definitely lost the additional height and plump breasts to go with it. If only she'd saved those gowns from when she'd first became a reaper.

  "What exactly happened last night?" Violetta asked, chasing after Leila.

  Jasper stood in the hallway, watching as Leila rushed to the mirror and stared back at her reflection.

  Her heart skipped a beat. "How can it be?" she asked, touching her cheek as the reflection in the mirror shadowed her every move. "I'm me, Ophelia Dacre."

  Jasper and Violetta exchanged glances, neither saying anything, but there seemed to be a lot on their minds.

  Violetta sauntered over to Leila and threw an arm over her shoulder. "What's the final verdict of the royal council?"

  "I'm no longer a reaper. I lost my powers and place in the undead world." She still felt conflicted on the news. It would be a loss, but after visiting the Underworld, coming face-to-face with a trucidator, and now seeing her own reflection staring back at her, it seemed like a happy ending to go back to her previous life. Could she go back? Would her sister and Casmerelda accept her?

  Jasper stepped closer. "Why did they feel it necessary to punish you? Getting taken by a trucidator wasn't your fault!"

  Leila wouldn't dwell on what had been. She looked at Jasper for a fraction of a second before staring back at her mirror image. She'd never thought she'd see her own face staring back at her. Relief flooded her chest and tears welled in her eyes.

  Violetta pulled Leila in for a hug. "No more scroll?"

  Leila pulled back from the embrace and glanced at her thigh. Her fingers slipped the strap down that usually held the parchment, but it was empty. She'd forgotten about the scroll, like a distant memory fading from a lifetime ago. "It's gone. I don't remember taking it off, so it must have vanished." Leila didn't argue with how the scroll worked. There were powers involved that she didn't need or want to know about.

  Glancing down at the loose dress, she ran a hand through her unkempt hair. "I'll be back." She needed to change, perhaps one of her other gowns would fit better, or she could pin the bodice if necessary.

  The quiet of the bedroom allowed her to quietly think of what would come next. As a child, she knew one day she'd be queen. There had been no reason to think about what she might like to do. It had all been assigned for her, along with her destiny. Now, curiosity tugged at her insides. Where did she fit in this world?

  "Leila!" Violetta called from the living room.

  "Don't come in. I'm getting dressed!" Leila pulled the outfit she'd worn to the royal council off and slipped into the only one with a decently adjustable bodice. The edging clung to the floor and would need to be hemmed. Leila slipped into shoes and rushed down the hall to the front door.

  "Where are you off to?" Jasper asked.

  "I have to see my sister," Leila said. She knew it had been a bad idea when she was a grim reaper. Being banished from the undead world didn't seem so bad, especially since she'd gotten her life back. It wasn't what she expected. Though knowing the fate of her soul was in jeopardy, she wasted no time in making her decision. "I'll be back."

  She hadn't heard Jasper or Violetta's response. She didn't bother taking more clothing or anything else, other than her warm cloak. Her mind had been made up the moment Ophelia Dacre's reflection stared back at her. She'd make her sister believe the truth. What reason would there be not to? Leila rode her horse toward the kingdom of Casmerelda. She followed the string of memories tugging her home. Some knots could never be undone.

  Chapter 51

  Leila rode toward Casmerelda, ignoring the weather or the obvious fact that she had no plan in mind, whatsoever. She couldn't just show up and expect a warm welcome. Yet, it was exactly what she hoped for.

  Most of the journey had been dry. She could see the weather churning up a storm and it would hit. It was just a matter of when. Leila rode hard through the forest, around the village, and toward the palace.

  That had been when the first few drops of rain had fallen. The path became slick and Leila eyed the nearest shelter, the mausoleum, a building constructed for the royal family's deceased. As a kid, the place had creeped her out. She had avoided it, even when her father had insisted they lay flowers on her mother's tomb. As a child, she fully believed that her mother was gone and though there were memories that stayed with Leila and made her remember her mother's warm hugs, none were inside the mausoleum.

  Closing in on the mausoleum's entrance, she caught sight of her sister carrying a handful of flowers inside. Rain fell faster and Leila pulled the cloak tighter to keep dry and warm. She climbed off the horse and tied the reins to a nearby post. The horse didn't seem overly happy about being outside in the storm; neither was Leila.

  Walking toward the building, she caught sight of a dark-haired girl standing in the doorway, Aurora. Leila cautiously approached, listening as best she could from the side of the building and then beside the door, as the girl entered the dry space with her sister.

  If only Leila could figure out a way inside unseen. Eventually, she'd face her sister, Mara, but she hadn't wanted to be soaking wet and caught out in the rain. Plus, there was the matter of Aurora accompanying Mara. She shoved her ear as close to the building as possible, trying to listen in. Where were Mara's guards? Leila backed away from the door, approaching the side of the building again to be certain she was alone. A small lip overhung the side, keeping her almost out of the rain. She pressed her back against the cold stone and shut her eyes.

  "Is anyone out there?" Mara asked, her voice a sweet symphony in the rain to Leila's ears. Had she been spotted?

  It was now or never. "Just me," Leila said and stepped from around the side of the building wearing a dark purple cloak. She skirted the building, trying her best to stay dry, an impossible task. Leila entered the mausoleum, out of the rain, and heaved a sigh. A puddle formed around her clothes. Anxiously, she removed her hood to reveal bright red locks of hair. Leila wasn't ready to meet her sister's stare. She kept her head down a moment longer than necessary. What if Mara grew angry with her or resented her for returning? Fear gripped Leila.

  Mara gasped. Leila knew she'd recognize the hair, but would she think it a trick or an imposter? The bright red, long locks were her signature look.

  "What were you doing outside in the storm?" Mara asked. Leila had to find the courage, and she mustered up all the strength she had within her. It was why she'd come home.

  Leila lifted her gaze, locking eyes on her sister.

  "Ophelia?" Mara rested a hand against her chest, breathless. Her skin paled and knees buckled as her eyes rolled back in her head.

  Leila rushed to her side, not caring that she drenched her sister when she caught Mara before she fell onto the cold concrete. "I'm home," Leila whispered as Mara passed out. "Great," Leila said under her breath. "Not exactly the homecoming I had been hoping for."

  Mara blinked, staring up at Ophelia as she slowly began to pull back.

  Was she afraid of her? It would be no wonder, considering she'd been dead for months.

  "Who are you?" Mara rubbed at her eyes and pushed the imposter away.

  "It's me, your sister," Ophelia said. Certainly, there'd been a body when she'd been murdered, but perhaps she could find another way to explain away what happened, that it had been a trick and she had been detained, unable to return home. Lying seemed like a bad idea but telling the truth could get her killed. Who would believe her?

  Aurora bent down, pushing the redhead aside. "We should get you back to the castle at once, my queen!" The dark-haired girl removed her own damp cape, slipping it over the queen's shoulders and head. The rain had refused to let up.

  "Aurora?" Mara said, sounding slightly confused as she took the girl's hand and slowly stood on her feet.

  "Mara." Persistent, Ophelia reached her hand out toward Mara. If anyone should be helping her sister, it should be her.

  "Don't!" Aurora's eyes narrowed and her hand shot out, warning Ophelia
to stay back. "She is your queen. Bow before royalty!"

  Ophelia's eyes widened. "Mara, it's me, your sister." Did she not see what was right in front of her?

  Mara lifted her chin and shook her head, evidently in denial. "My sister is dead. What you're doing is despicable!" Mara said between clenched teeth. "Get out of my sight. Now!"

  "Please, Mara. I'm sorry. I can explain where I've been."

  "Where you've been?" Mara repeated. "Warner de Clare killed my sister. I saw her body before it was laid to rest. You are not her. I don't care where you have been."

  Ophelia was running out of time. Soon, her sister would call in guards, have her detained, and probably never speak with her again. She had but one chance left to convince Mara that she was her sister. "I used to sing you a lullaby before bed, up until you turned ten. I remember how you used to sneak into my room late at night and steal my stuffed monkey that Mom gave me. In the morning, you'd put him back on my bed, hoping I hadn't noticed."

  Mara stared at Ophelia, her expression never wavering.

  Did she believe her? "You used to bring Aurora into your bedroom late at night. I walked in on the two of you when I came to tell you dinner would be ready soon. Father never knew of your love for Aurora; he would have had a fit and sent you to a convent."

  Mara reached for Leila's arm, grabbing it and thoroughly examining her right arm, finding a heart-shaped birthmark.