by Fiona Archer
“True.” He slid back into the chair, again resting his elbows on his knees. “But I’m not dead now.”
“I don’t think it works like that.” She should be happy that Thomas was sitting in front of her, apparently healthy and breathing, but he’d been dead. That was the one thing she’d been certain of. “Slayer shot you. You bled out on the floor of the clubhouse.” Her head shook involuntarily, her mind unable to reconcile the living Thomas sitting in the chair. “Dead. Dead. Dead.”
His brow pinched together as his gaze dropped to his hands. “It’s…complicated.”
“Well.” Waving wildly in his direction, she grasped for understanding. “Uncomplicate it for me.”
His blue gaze lifted again, settling on her face with the same intensity he used to watch her with. He looked exactly the same as she remembered. Except for the being dead part. Same short clean-cut hairstyle that had made him stand out in the crowd of longhaired or bald Scavengers. He hadn’t fit in, and that’s why he’d been special. More than anything in her entire life, she regretted the day he’d been shot. The guilt had become unbearable. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was having a psychotic break. That’s the only thing that made sense.
His stare never wavered from her face, but his jaw flexed as if struggling for an explanation. Finally, he exhaled a heavy breath. “I did die but was brought back to life.”
“How? Who brought you back? Doctors?”
“That’s where it gets complicated.” He pushed to his feet and paced a few steps before turning back to her. “I need you to bear with me.”
She scowled, wondering where this was going. “Okay.”
“What is your last clear memory?”
“What do you mean?”
“Obviously, you remember me getting shot. After that.” He moved back to the chair and perched on the edge, his eyes locking on hers. “What’s your most recent memory?”
“Waking up here.”
“And before that?”
She opened her mouth to reply but stopped. Again, the murky recesses of her mind refused to cough up a clear memory. “I guess it was of Throttle coming to check on me in my room. I’d been really depressed, and he was oddly nice to me that day.”
“When was that?”
“I don’t know. What day is it?”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Thursday.”
“Then a couple of days ago.”
“It’s Thursday,” he repeated. “September third.”
“No, it’s not. It’s October.”
“No, August. It’s September third. Your memory is from a year ago.”
How would she have lost eleven months and not realized it? Drugs? Had Throttle kept her doped up so she couldn’t leave? Bile rose in her throat, her head shaking in denial. “That’s not possible.”
“It is.” Thomas stood and renewed his pacing. “This is where it gets complicated. Do you remember when I stabbed Throttle, and then Slayer plugged me with a dozen rounds?”
“All too well.” A thousand questions tumbled through her mind, but she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from asking. “You were dead, and Throttle was bleeding all over the club house.”
“Right. So when I killed Throttle, and his soul left his body, a demon named Ma’dik slipped in.”
Her brow arched. That wasn’t the explanation she’d expected “Ma’dik?”
“Yeah, he’s a nasty fucker. Real sadistic.”
“You’re telling me Throttle is possessed by a demon named Ma’dik?”
“Yeah.”
Defeat crashed through her. For a minute, she thought she’d actually get answers. Now it was clear that Thomas was mentally ill, having delusions of demons. Whatever he’d gone through had broken his mind. She nodded, unsure what to say. “Okay.”
“You don’t believe me.” It wasn’t a question. He sat again, leaning forward in his usual pose. “But here’s the kicker. So were you.”
“Me?” Shifting on the couch, she sat straighter. “Thomas, I’m not possessed.”
“Not now. I exorcised the demon from you.”
Yikes, he’d really gone around the bend. “Okaaaay. Thanks.”
His crooked smile pulled at his mouth again. “When I died, I was given a second chance to atone for my sin. I’d killed a man, but I did it to protect you. A bad deed done for a good reason. I’m a Dark Reaper now. We hunt Shadow Demons. That’s what’s possessing Throttle, and that’s what possessed you for eleven months. You don’t remember because the demon controlled your body and mind.” From behind his back, he withdrew two razor-sharp weapons. A jolt of panic hurtled through her, but she remained rooted on the couch. “These are my scythes.” Bringing the blades to his lips, he whispered something she couldn’t understand.
Blue flames shot along the edges, flaring to life before extinguishing. Her eyes rounded, her mouth dropping open. “How did you do that?”
“Each Dark Reaper chooses a Latin phrase that embodies his journey. It ignites the blades so that they exorcise the demon but leave the person alive.” He motioned to her chest. “You may still have the marks.”
With trembling fingers, she undid the buttons of her shirt. Red raw welts slashed across her chest, one of them running from her sternum to the base of her throat. A dull sting burned along the scar as she ran her finger up the raised ridge. “Impossible.”
“Improbable.” After setting his weapons on the table, he moved to the couch and sat beside her. “But not impossible.”
Like wiping away the steaming mist from a mirror, the magnitude of her situation gelled, understanding pushing its way to the front. “Then you’re really alive.”
His gaze locked with hers. “Yeah, I really am.”
With her heart racing, she edged toward him. At the clubhouse it had been impossible to be together. Early on, Throttle had claimed her, and there had been no way out, but her heart had always belonged to Thomas. She cupped his face. “I can’t believe this.”
The warm weight of his hand pressed against her waist, but he didn’t pull her to him. “You’re happy then?”
The darkness and desolation that had threatened to shatter her soul melted away. “So happy,” she whispered.
“Good.” He hauled her to him and slid his fingers into her hair. “Because it would really suck if the woman you died for didn’t give a shit.”
“You never have to worry about that.” Thomas had given his life for her, and she knew she’d do the same for him a thousand times over. Leaning closer, she rubbed her lips against his. “I’ve waited so long for this.” They’d escaped the Scavengers, and hopefully this would be a new beginning for them.
Chapter Three
Despite the need to crush her against him, he remained still, letting her take the lead. Clad in his oversized shirt and her panties, she lifted her leg and straddled him. When she settled, a moan of pleasure hummed from him, her heat penetrating his jeans.
Gripping her ass, he pushed his erection against her. “So sweet.” She smiled and ran her tongue along his bottom lip. Fuck waiting. He was ready to explode and needed to be inside her. His finger hooked the string of her panties. “Take these off.”
“You’re wearing too many clothes too,” she said, gliding off him to stand. “Condom?”
“Reapers don’t get sick or pregnant.”
Her hand stilled, taking in that information. Had she wanted kids? Would she regret her decision to be with him? Finally, she nodded. “Understood.”
As she skimmed the scrap of material down her legs, he kicked off his boots, his jeans and boxers quickly following suit. When her shirt and bra fell to the floor, he snaked his arm around her waist and dragged her into the straddle position again, her hot core pressing against him. With slow circles, she gyrated, whimpers of pleasure escaping her lips.
His cock tightened, needing to be inside her. Pulling her mouth to his, he positioned himself at her entrance. Slow progression had been his plan, but she gripped the back of the couch, ar
ched, and seated him deep inside. He groaned, the feel of her tight channel pure heaven. “August, shit.”
She took control, thrusting and circling, searching for what she needed. Her pink-tipped nipples stiffened, begging for attention. Cupping the mounds, he sucked, nibbled and tongued the tight buds, drawing a keening moan from August.
Her hips drove faster, her breath huffing from her with each thrust. Tingles of pleasure sparked at the base of his cock, building. He mentally cursed at his lack of restraint, but the way she moved drove him over the brink. “I’m gonna come.”
“Do it,” she panted.
He’d get there, but not without her. Reaching between them, he thumbed her clit and thrust. Her slick canal constricted around him, pushing him over the edge. Locking her body against his, he plunged into her one final time and shattered.
A cry ripped from August as her body stiffened. Her nails dug into his shoulders, adding pleasurable pain as he released inside her. His muscles seized, and all conscious thought bled from his head. Pure fucking magic.
Tremors rippled through both of them as they floated back from their climax. Taking her with him, he stretched out on the couch. Locked in each other’s arms, they lay staring at each other, breathing heavily, lost in euphoric happiness.
At some point, August’s stomach growled, breaking the mood. “Hungry?” he asked.
“A little.”
Though reluctant to move, they dressed and called for pizza. There was tons to do. Meet with the reapers. Get her sorted out. Plan a whole new life—together. After cleaning up, their discussion turned to the nuances of being a Dark Reaper. She appeared to take everything in stride, accepting her destiny. It almost felt too easy.
Lifting one of the scythes, she examined it. “This thing is pretty wicked.”
“Careful. Don’t reap yourself.”
Her eyes rounded. “Could that happen?” When he smirked, she rolled her eyes. “Jerk.” A loud knock sounded at the door. “Finally, food.” She held up the scythe as she made her way across the room. “Ya know, this thing would make a great pizza cutter.”
He scowled at her. “Don’t disrespect my weapon.”
Laughter tittered from her as she looked over her shoulder. “Never.”
Her eyes glinted with mischief as her hand came to rest on the door handle. Everything about her filled the emptiness he’d lived with his entire life. He loved her, and nothing would stop them from being together now that they’d been reunited.
As she pulled open the door, Thomas’s gaze cut to the man standing in the hall. Not the pizza guy. Throttle. “Hello, beautiful.”
Thomas’s breath slammed to a stop in his throat, and August’s head snapped toward the door. She gasped and stumbled backward. “No!”
The jagged scar on his lip curled upward. “Miss me?”
Thomas launched from the couch and dove for the second blade still on the table. He slid across the surface, shouting the chant. Fire not only raced along the blade he was holding, but August’s as well. As the demon produced his knife, Thomas’s brain raged against the inevitable. He was too far away to prevent the strike.
Instead of fleeing from Throttle, August drove into him, burying the blade deep in his chest. The shock of her attack took a couple of seconds to register—just enough time to drive his knife downward through her heart, and then jerk it free. Her body crumpled to the floor, tearing a cry from Thomas.
He hurled himself at Throttle and slammed the tip of the blade into the demon’s throat. The metal sunk deep, and with a downward pull, he tore open the massive chest, plunging his hand inside. The gnawing agony was no match for the fury pulsing through Thomas. For him, the man and the demon were one. Both sadistic and rotten. There was nowhere for the abomination to run, no punishment too great, no torture too painful.
Thomas yanked the rotten soul from Throttle and pulled his other blade free. The black vapor blasted from the gash, trying to merge with the soul. Before they could unite, he slammed the blade’s edge into the putrid lump. The scythe carved deep into his palm, burning his skin, but he held fast. Blue flames licked along the gash and surrounded the demon’s soul, engulfing the toxic clump. Thomas gritted his teeth against the pain until the soul finally crumbled to ash and the mist vaporized.
The surging adrenaline bled from him as he shook the ash from his hand and slammed the door. Somebody would have to deal with the body, but right now August was his only thought. He tossed his blades aside and dropped next to August. “No.” Brilliant red spread across the front of her shirt, a stark contrast to her white-tinged lips and ashen complexion. “Please.” Nestling her body against his, he began to rock. “Don’t take her from me.” Tears clogged his throat, his grip tightening. “I’ll serve a million lifetimes for one with her.”
How long he sat holding her, he didn’t know. It felt like a lifetime and yet, not long enough. Despair crashed through him, stealing all the joy the last couple of hours had brought. As the minutes ticked past, reality reared its ugly head. She wasn’t coming back. Fate was such a cruel bitch.
Tucking his mouth next to her ear, he whispered, “I love you, August. Please don’t leave me.”
She gasped and coughed, her body shaking. Inhaling deeply, she said, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Thomas reared back to see her bright brown eyes staring at him. “August. Oh God, August.” Struggling to his feet, he lifted her and strode to the couch. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“Me either.” She rubbed her chest, grimacing.
Cupping her face, he peered into her eyes. “How?”
“They heard you.” With a gentle brush of her fingertips, she caressed his cheek. “A million lifetimes for one.”
For the past two years, he’d reaped with no message or connection to the Divine, but this was proof that somebody up there was keeping score. “They granted it?”
“Oh yeah, they granted it.” Her eyebrows lifted. “On one condition.”
Unease snaked through him. “What condition?”
“That you take on a new partner.”
His brow pinched in confusion.
She stared pointedly.
His gaze narrowed on her.
Her smile stretched.
He blinked, understanding dawning. “You?”
“Meet the newest Dark Reaper.”
“You chose to be a Dark Reaper?” He shook his head. “But…why?”
“It was that or die. I thought this was the better choice.” Her smile faltered. “Also, as much as you wanted one lifetime with me, I wanted it too.” As she shifted to straddle him, she clutched the front of his shirt. “Is that okay?”
The sacrifice she’d just made rendered him speechless. She had no idea what this life entailed, but she hadn’t wavered in her decision to be with him. He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her mouth to his. Everything he had, everything he felt he poured into that kiss. They would be together forever.
When they finally broke the kiss, she exhaled an exaggerated breath. “I guess that means you’re okay with it.”
“More than okay. This life can be lonely, August, but I promise I’ll never stop trying to make you happy.”
“I like the sound of that.” She ran her hands over his shoulders and around his neck. “Can we get matching reaper outfits?”
“No.”
Her lips pursed into a pout. “I thought you said you’ll spend eternity trying to make me happy.”
“No matching outfits. The second we start to dress alike, then we start to look alike, then the other reapers will make fun of us.”
“Well, I’m incredibly disappointed, and I think you should find another way to make it up to me.”
“That’s one wish I can grant.” Flipping her onto her back, he covered her body with his. “I plan on spending the next millennia demonstrating how much I love you.”
“I love you, too, Thomas. I always have.”
August’s sm
ile shone like the brightest sun as he pressed into her. No doubt their future would hold many hot and scorching moments, and still a thousand lifetimes wouldn’t be enough with her.
Copyright 2020 Boone Brux
About Boone Brux
A three-time USA Today Bestselling Author, Boone Brux’s stories range from epic fantasy romance to humorous urban fantasy. Both traditionally and indie published, her gritty humor and flawed, relatable characters often straddle the line between good and evil, not always choosing wisely.
With a taste for adventure, Boone has traveled and lived all over the world, but it was her trek to the Arctic that imprinted on her heart. After spending eighteen years in bush Alaska, she now makes her home in Anchorage with her husband, twin daughters, two dogs, a black cat, and whatever wildlife wanders through her backyard. Boone believes real life makes for the best stories; thus, no person or escapade is off limits when it comes to weaving her stories and building her worlds—no matter how much they protest.
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Fall in love with the Dark Reaper Series…
Sometimes, when a person dies, they’re surrounded by a loving light and welcomed into the heavenly realm. These stories aren’t about those people.
Condemned to spend eternity tracking the Shadow Demons, the Dark Reapers live for the hunt. Dangerous men who sinned and died but were given a second chance to atone for their transgressions. As years turn into decades and centuries, hope for the redemption of their souls fades.
Will they spend eternity alone, forced to protect a world they’re forbidden to be a part of, or can love finally give them the redemption they need?
Find more Dark Reapers here: https://boonebrux.com/dark-reaper-series/