“Why would you do that for me?” I anxiously ask her, wanting to believe her, but it seems too good to be true. She cautiously steps in front of me. Her hand curls around mine on the dagger.
“Because I know desperation when I see it. I know worthlessness. I know because I’ve been there and I’ve got the T-shirt.” She lowers her voice so only I can hear as I keep my eyes on hers. “Don’t let your inner demons win. They will only drag you to Hell, and I promise I will raise you up. Let me help.”
I let go of the dagger, and so quickly I hardly see the movement, she takes it and slams the hilt into the side of my head. I barely get a chance to scream before I pass out.
Chapter 2
“Wakey, wakey,” Evelina’s voice comes to me, and I blink my eyes open on the chair I’m sat on, and I quickly realise my hands are tied to the chair arms with thick rope that feels like magic. Not a problem, I can escape anything like this easily. I learnt that shit before I was even a teenager. The crunching sound of someone eating makes me sharply turn to the left, my wavy black hair falling around my face from where it escaped the hair grips. The queen has ditched her dress, now in leather pants and a grey T-shirt. She sits on a glass table, eating a bowl of…bacon.
“Did you drug me, or are you really eating bacon right now?” I question, and she just laughs.
“I like you, have I said that?” she replies with a big grin. “The others said we should just kill you, but I think you have guts and spunk. Rare in this world. Plus, I promised to keep you safe.”
“You should kill me. They were right,” I deadpan.
“You don’t mean that, kid,” a reaper I only know from legends states in a low grumble as he storms into the room, the door smacking against the wall behind him. Ah shit. I recognise him from my brief time in his world, and the fact he is here is not good. This reaper is one of the Cherished Five, the council to the queen of the reapers, and extremely trusted in the reaper city. His dark hair is tied back in a braid that hangs down his back and over his thick black cloak that covers his tux. On the wall, I spot his scythe, the weapon of choice for most reapers, and they also use them to travel. This is so not good. Where the fuck is Mossy? “And Queen Evie, for god’s sake, don’t eat bacon when we need to ask her some questions.”
“You might be Connor’s dad’s friend and my ear into the reaper world, but you don’t get to tell me what to do with my bacon,” she warns him, and I think she is deadly serious.
I feel the same way about coffee. I could really use a cup of one right about now. Or five.
“I did warn you. Bacon is the sixth person in our relationship. And I’m certain her love of bacon is above us guys at times,” one of the kings jokes, patting the reaper’s shoulder as he enters from the other door to the room. This must be Connor, if I’m guessing right from my research. This one has blond hair and a playful smile that confuses me.
Evie only grins at her mate as he comes to her side, kissing her cheek. “Have you asked her anything?”
“Nope, sleepyhead just woke up,” she replies, biting into another piece of bacon.
“Then we will begin. What is your name?” the reaper demands as his power surrounds me, smothering me like a blanket of darkness as it tries to figure out a way past my barriers and into my mind. I hate reaper shadow magic. My power instantly reacts, spreading across every inch of my skin in a wave, and the reaper smartly steps back with a confused expression. I cool my powers so I don’t blow up the room as he crosses his arms, shocked I managed to ward off his powers so easily.
I only smile. A creepy smile just to fuck with him.
“Why don’t you two leave us alone?” Evie asks, sliding off the table, sensing something just happened. “We need a girl to girl talk, as clearly your cock power show isn’t working.”
“Will you speak to her about where she came from?” the reaper apprehensively asks, still staring at me, and it is getting weird at this point as I can’t figure out what he is thinking. His eyes almost look like they see an opportunity. I don’t say a word.
“She tried to kill you, Evie,” Connor quietly whispers to Evie, but I hear it. “And we can’t lose you. Neither can the children, and I don’t think you should be alone with her.”
“I will be careful to remember how we met,” she replies, and they kiss as the reaper stares me down before Connor leaves. After a long pause and neither of us breaking eye contact, the reaper walks out of the room, and I finally breathe as I’m left alone with the queen.
“Name?” Evie asks, moving to sit back on her table.
“Daesyn Heartlocke,” I honestly answer, since knowing my name won’t mean anything to her.
“Daesyn, why did you try to kill me? Who paid you?” she asks, picking up another piece of bacon and nibbling on it. “Are you an assassin? Do you work for some group?”
“I can’t answer those questions,” I tell her, and an invisible magical mark on my elbow starts burning even at the thought of telling her.
“Can’t or won’t?” she enquires.
I grit my teeth, feeling the magic pushing against my soul. Against my magic. “Can’t.”
The queen eyes me and clicks her tongue. “Fair enough. I will find out myself either way.” The room is filled with an awkward pause as she no doubt tries to think of a question she can ask me. “You’re a reaper, right?”
“Yes and no,” I answer.
“What is the no?”
“My father was a reaper, and my mother was what reapers hunt, lock up, turn into slaves and never tell a soul about. Don’t you know the answer, Queen Evelina?”
Of course she doesn’t have a clue. The rest of the world has no clue what the reapers hide in their world and why no one is allowed to go there.
“Careful, kid,” Evelina replies around a smirk when it’s clear she has no idea what I’m talking about. So her ear into the reaper world isn’t telling her shit. “I’m on your side, believe it or not. I made my mind up, and I like you. You remind me of myself at your age. Full of questions, lies and anger.”
“I’m not like you,” I snap, and she only laughs.
“Look, you don’t have to tell me anything, Daesyn,” she says as she slides off the table and crosses her arms. She walks to the doorway and pauses, looking back. “I don’t have any power over the reapers, and I owe them a debt for the war. They helped me and asked for nothing in return. Now they want me to look the other way and let them take you. Give me a reason to say no.”
I want to tell her a reason, I really do, but my secrets stick on my tongue like gum on my shoe. “I can’t.”
“Then good luck. They promised me they won’t hurt or kill you,” she softly tells me. “And I will be checking in on you. When you fuck up, which you will, my door is open as long as you don’t have a knife in your hand.”
“It’s not personal. They have—” I gasp as pain shoots through my core, and I grit my teeth through the pain. The magic bond is so strong, so powerful, I couldn’t fight it even if I wanted to. The queen leaves the room as annoying tears fall down my cheeks and I try to pretend I’m not scared.