Reaper's Fire

by Katherine Bogle

  “Yeah. He’s one too, isn’t he?” Ky asked, shifting closer to me. I’m not sure if he was conscious of the movement, as his gaze never left Zane.

  “Yes,” Ryker said. “They’re Reapers.”

  “As in, stealers of souls?” Ky asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. My heart pounded unsteadily. For some reason, I didn’t like the thought that this might bother Ky. Even if I barely knew him, I didn’t want him disliking this part of me. Maybe it was because in a way his outgoing personality reminded me of my best friend Gloria. If he reacted badly, maybe she would too. I’m not sure I could take that right now.

  After a long moment, Ky nodded. He didn’t move any closer to me, but he didn’t back away either. “So you’re like her teacher?” Ky asked, tilting his head.

  Zane shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “Good,” Ky said. “Because the role of servant is already filled.”

  My eyes widened as his devious grin returned. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

  Zane crossed his arms over his well-built chest, jostling the sheathed knives strapped to his left peck. “I spend enough time being controlled by a woman.” His gaze slid to me. “I don’t plan on serving a useless little demon with a moral complex.”

  I wanted to scream. So having morals was a bad thing when it came to being a Reaper? Well, I suppose it might since that meant less killing. But that’s not what really stung.

  “Useless?” I ground out.

  “Yes. A Reaper who can’t reap is useless,” he mocked.

  My fists clenched. I’d show him fucking useless. Let’s see how he felt when Demon Bitch came out to play.

  I had barely taken a step when a buzzing filled the silence. I froze, my racing heart pounding in my ears with such force that I was surprised I heard someone’s phone ringing at all.

  Ryker cleared his throat as he stepped into the kitchen. “Hello?”

  Again, silence resumed. I glanced between Zane and Ky, my chest heaving from the rage that had threatened to consume me.

  “It can’t wait?” Ryker growled into his phone. He sighed loudly and shook his head. “Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Ryker lowered his phone from his ear and slipped it back into his pocket. “I’m sorry, Clara, but I have to go.”

  My eyes widened. He was going to leave me with these psychos?

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Ryker hurried to add.

  “Don’t worry, vampire.” Ky grinned as he closed the space between us and slung an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll protect her.”

  I glared at the cat shifter. Even with Zane in my apartment, I wasn’t worried about protection. If Zane tried to hurt me, my demoness would most likely intervene. “I don’t need protecting,” I grumbled. It was Ky who might need protecting from me.

  Ryker looked between the three of us, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. He met Ky’s gaze, and they stared each other down, a silent conversation going on between them. When at last, Ryker seemed satisfied; he nodded and took a step towards the door.

  “Watch her,” Ryker demanded, his gaze not leaving Ky’s.

  Ky grinned, apparently happy to be accepted into this strange, exclusive club of ours. “You got it, vampy.”

  Ryker sighed, giving me a forlorn look. “Call me if you need anything.”

  I shifted from foot to foot. Even with Ky holding me tight against his side, I wanted to disappear. I may have only known Ryker for a little over two weeks, but he was my rock. I didn’t know anything about Ky other than some bad guys were after him. And Zane? I shivered. I’m not sure I wanted to know anything about him.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “We’ll be fine, Master,” Ky said, sounding far too chipper for my dark mood. “I’ll take care of you. We’ll have tons of fun until your vamp bodyguard gets back.”

  “Be safe,” Ryker said, ignoring Ky. He fixed me with his intense red eyes. There was guilt and worry there, though I’m not sure I understood why.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, putting on the best fake smile I could. The least I could do was reassure him. “We’ll be fine… but come back soon.”

  “As soon as I can,” Ryker promised. And then he was gone, the door closing softly behind him.

  “You have quite the interesting group of friends,” Zane said, shaking his head.

  I’m pretty sure he was making fun of me, but I was way too tired to deal with him. “I’m going to bed,” I announced, slipping out from under Ky’s warm arm. “Linens are in the closet. Make yourself at home.” I barely got the words out before I turned on my heel and slipped into my room. I closed and locked the door, the click of the lock sounding far louder than usual.

  Good. Let them know I was serious when I said no one was allowed in my room. It was my space, and I needed it now more than ever.

  Chapter 7

  “What do you remember?” Zane asked me the next morning.

  I blinked at him, dumbfounded. What the hell did that mean? “Uhh…”

  Zane narrowed his eyes in irritation. He’d been doing that a lot this morning. Especially when I refused to start training at eight in the goddamn morning before coffee. Psycho.

  “Withdraw your scythe,” Zane demanded.

  Again, I blinked. “How? I’ve only ever done that in Demon Bitch Mode.”

  “Hah!” Ky burst into laughter, holding his gut and rocking from side to side as he tried to contain himself.

  As his laughter petered off, Zane’s annoyed gaze returned to me. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I pursed my lips. “I’ve only ever pulled out my scythe when in Demon Mode,” I tried to explain. This was all still new to me.

  “Demon Mode?” Zane cocked an eyebrow. “You have no demonic other half. You are the demon.”

  My eyebrows furrowed. That didn’t seem right. “Are you sure?”

  Zane’s glare hardened. “Yes.”

  “Fine. Then how do I withdraw my scythe without first tasting blood and turning into a demon?” I shrugged. I didn’t care what he said. My demon half wasn’t me. She was something else entirely.

  Zane crossed his arms over his chest. We stood across from one another in the middle of the living room with the coffee table pushed aside. Ky sat cross-legged on the sofa, his eyes darting between us like he was watching a tennis match. His smirk didn’t leave his face, much like Zane’s scowl seemed glued to his.

  “You’ve had to taste blood to withdraw your scythe?” Zane clarified.

  “I guess so. Look, I really have no idea how this works. I’ve only… changed—” Honestly, what the hell else was I supposed to call it? “—twice.” Well, twice by accident. A few more times than that on purpose using Ryker’s blood bags.

  If it was possible, Zane’s scowl deepened even further. I didn’t understand how he spent so much time with that look on his face, yet he didn’t have any wrinkles. Come to think of it… did demons age? Was he born at this age, or did he somehow get to choose what age he appeared as?

  “You’re not making any sense,” Zane said. “I understand that you’ve lost your memories of being a Reaper, but there is no change.”

  “I lost what?”

  “You lost your memories?” Ky asked. He tilted his head in that cute way cats do when they’re confused or curious about something.

  “No, I didn’t,” I said. “What are you talking about?”

  It was Zane’s turn to blink and stare at me in confusion. There was a lot of that going around lately. “The princess said you needed training as a Reaper… I assumed that meant something happened to your memories.”

  I shook my head. Now this was all starting to make sense. Elizabeth hadn’t told Zane anything. She just straight up assumed I would. I scoffed. What a bitch.

  “I didn’t lose any memories. Elizabeth poisoned me with blood while I was at a party to see if that would activate my demon side.” I shivered at the memories of a blood soaked dance floor and shredded bodies tossed like ragdolls
over the furniture. “Spoiler alert: it worked.”

  “That’s impossible. That’s not how being a Reaper works.” Zane fidgeted with one of the daggers strapped to his hip. I took a careful step back, hoping he didn’t mean to use that.

  “I’m not just a Reaper, though. I’m half-human. Maybe that’s why I change.”

  Zane sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”

  Is this seriously that shocking? “Is that weird?” I looked at Ky to gauge his reaction, but he only shrugged. Like Ryker, Ky only seemed to know so much about demons. Maybe we were a more rare species than I thought.

  “That isn’t possible,” Zane said. His jaw hardened as he started pacing. “Reapers and humans can’t mix.”

  I watched him pace back and forth between my small TV set and the armchair in the corner. “Pretty sure I’m living proof that they can.”

  Zane stopped and fixed me with a look I couldn’t decipher. “You don’t understand, Clara. Reapers can’t reproduce. It’s impossible for us to have our own children, let alone mix with another species.”

  My eyes widened. “That can’t be true.”

  “It is,” Zane grumbled. “Or at least it was.” Again, he started pacing.

  “I knew my Master was special.” Ky winked at me.

  “Now isn’t the time, Ky.” I glared at the cat shifter, who chuckled and flashed a mischievous grin.

  “This changes everything,” Zane continued like he was the only one in the room. “If one of us has gained the ability to procreate than there might be hope for the rest of us. A new generation of Reapers. Ones who aren’t automatically bound to the princess.”

  Automatically bound? Did that mean Reapers had no free will?

  “I’m guessing this alters your plans for my training?” I asked sheepishly. I could guess that this meant something monumental for Zane and the rest of his people, but I still had no part in their world. I wouldn’t know what any of this meant until he explained it to me. Plus, I still had to be trained at some point, or else I wouldn’t be able to deliver souls to Elizabeth and she’d kill everyone I’d ever loved. The very thought sent my heart racing and nervous sweat trickling down my back.

  Zane stopped and faced me. His gaze slowly trailed up and down my body, not in a perverted way, but like he was assessing my potential. “Yes, it does.”

  I’m not sure I liked the look on his face—somewhere between crazy and determined as hell. “Okaaay. What do we do then?”

  Zane stared at a spot on the wall just passed my shoulder, lost in thought. “I need to see your demon side.” He focused back on me. “Assuming you do have two separate halves.”

  I froze. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Cold dread sat like a rock in the bottom of my stomach, chilling me from the inside out.

  I looked between Zane and Ky, desperate for one of them to agree. With all of the weapons attached to Zane’s body, he might be able to handle demon me. But Ky? It’s not like he could turn into a bear or a wolf. He shifted into a damn house cat. He’d be defenseless against my demon.

  Zane followed my gaze. “I won’t let you hurt him, if that’s your concern.”

  Ky sat up straighter, the smile falling from his face. “Wait, what?”

  “I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I said, chewing on my lower lip. “You’re sure you can keep her contained?”

  Zane’s lips twitched and his gaze flickered down to my lips and back up so quickly I might have imagined it. “I’m sure I can handle you.”

  He was making fun of me again, that bastard. My fists clenched. I knew this wasn’t a good idea, but if he wanted to meet my demon so badly, I’d let him. “Okay, but I can’t just activate it with the snap of my fingers.”

  Zane nodded. “You mentioned blood activated the change.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Every time I’ve changed was because of blood.”

  “Interesting.” His eyes turned calculating as he once again assessed me from head to toe. My body heated under his intense gaze, and I held as still as possible. He had the look of a predator and I definitely didn’t want to be his prey. “I doubt mine will work, but we’ll try it first.”

  I blanched. “Excuse me? Your blood?” I took a step back. Gross. Gross. Gross! There was no way I was tasting Zane’s blood.

  “Yes.” Zane had a blade in his hand before I could get out another word. With a flick of his wrist, scarlet drops misted the air and a red line swelled on his palm. “Here.” He held out his hand.

  My nose twitched. Usually just the scent of blood made me want to bury my face in it. But this didn’t smell like life my demon wanted to devour. This just smelled like… well, blood.

  “Well?” He took a step closer.

  “It doesn’t smell like most blood,” I said.

  Zane’s eyebrows furrowed. “Interesting.”

  Was he going to say that every time he learned something weird about me?

  “Try it anyway,” Zane urged.

  I scrunched up my nose in disgust before I could help it. “Do I have to?”

  Zane narrowed his eyes. “Yes.”

  I groaned. Why was this happening to me? Of all the people Elizabeth could have stuck me with, she gave me the worlds most inconsiderate, demanding Reaper.

  “Come on.” Zane took another step closer and I stiffened.

  “You can try my blood, Master. Maybe it’ll be more to your liking,” Ky said. His grin was back.

  Zane and I both shot the cat shifter a quick glance before meeting each other’s eyes. “If this doesn’t work, you’ll try the cat’s blood,” Zane said.

  I bit my tongue on another groan. This was too weird. “Whatever.” With only a few inches of space between us, I finally conceded. Gently, I cupped Zane’s hand in mine. His skin was surprisingly cold given the warm temperature in my apartment. Focus, Clara. I took a deep breath.

  How was I supposed to go about this? Lick his hand? Ugh, so weird, and so not happening. I scrunched my lips to one side as I thought. Maybe I could just dip a finger in it.

  “Hurry up,” Zane snapped.

  A hot lick of irritation flashed through me. Why did he have to be so pushy? I’d always hated alpha-types. As quickly as I could, I swiped a finger through Zane’s injury before shoving my blood-covered finger into my mouth. I winced on instinct, waiting for the urge to feed to consume me. After a second, my eyes widened in surprise and I stared up at Zane. His blood tasted like copper and warmth and sunshine. Not exactly like my own blood tasted on the rare occasion I got a scratch on my finger as a kid. But it definitely didn’t taste like the blood I’d had recently.

  Zane hummed, a deep rumble in his chest. “It didn’t work.”

  I let my hands fall back to my sides and quickly put some space between us. “Nope.”

  “My turn!” Ky leapt to his feet.

  “Can you not be so cheery about this?” I growled. My whole body heated with embarrassment. It was strange enough drinking from blood bags, but this? “This is weird enough as is.”

  Ky chuckled and dipped into an exaggerated bow. “But I live to serve, and finally there’s something I can do for my master.”

  “I told you to stop calling me that!”

  Ky’s grin broadened. “Would you prefer ‘Demon Mistress’? It does have a nice ring to it.”

  My cheeks flamed. “That’s even worse.”

  “Demon Mistress it is!”

  I huffed and looked at the ceiling, praying for some kind of divine intervention.

  “Enough,” Zane said. He pulled out another dagger, this one from those strapped to his peck, and handed it hilt first to Ky.

  Ky took it carefully before his gaze fell back on me. Despite the tension in my entire body, Ky continued to look as if the entire world was his playground. He held up his forearm, his gaze not leaving mine as he pressed the tip of the blade to his pale, freckled skin.

  “Are you ready, Mistress?” Ky asked.

  I bristled, despite the intense pounding of m
y heart. “Just do it already.”

  With his signature smirk plastered to his handsome face, Ky struck, slicing a long clean line from his wrist to his forearm.

  As the scent of blood hit the air, my entire body tensed with sudden need. Shit.

  Before I could voice my concerns, my hands had moved on their own. My breathing hastened as I gripped Ky’s elbow in one hand and wrist in the other. His blood smelled like wild berries, wind and freedom. I wanted to drown in it.

  A strong hand gripped my shoulder as I pulled Ky’s arm to me. Using the breadth of my tongue, I licked up the first trickle with one long swipe of my tongue. Ky shivered beneath my touch, awakening something in my lower belly. I gripped his wrist harder and the slight trickle of blood increased. My insides tightened and I wanted to purr in bliss as I dove to taste it again.

  “That’s enough,” Zane said.

  The strong hand on my shoulder yanked me back, but a growl rose in my throat. Someone was trying to keep me from my prey. Angry heat tore through me, and I dropped my hold on Ky’s elbow. With a flick of my wrist, my nails tore through the fabric of reality and I grabbed my scythe from the cold confines of the void.

  Zane didn’t even flinch as I ripped away from his hold and tore my scythe free. I pulled Ky towards me covetously as I sliced my blade at Zane’s head.

  Metal clanged in the sudden quiet of my apartment. He blocked with a dagger, sending a vibration through my hand and up my arm. I narrowed my eyes at the one trying to keep me from my meal.

  “So this is what you call ‘Demon Bitch Mode’,” Zane said, not sounding impressed. “It is a sort of change, isn’t it?”

  I snarled, my lips pulling back from my teeth. Every part of me felt feral, wild and alive. I wanted—no, needed—more blood. And I needed it now.

  Ky didn’t move as I pulled his wrist up to my mouth. My tongue rasped across his quickly closing injury. I frowned. He healed far too quickly, but that was nothing I couldn’t fix with my scythe.

  “Easily distracted too, I see,” Zane said, continuing with his assessment.

  “I’m not sure I like the look in your eye, Mistress,” Ky said, sounding nervous for the first time since we’d met.