Page 21

Asha

My spine curved as Thanatos made his way down my naked body, nipping and sucking several places along the way. His moon eyes shot up to mine before he sunk between my thighs and used his ridiculously long tongue to reach places inside me I didn’t know existed.

I was still getting used to my new body. Or not body. Well, supernatural form, I guess.

“Oh, fuck,” I moaned, his tongue working back and forth while his fingers prodded lower. “You’re not playing fair, asshole. Your ravens—”

“Our ravens,” he corrected, pulling his head away.

I bemoaned the loss of it. “Still feels weird to say it. Can’t believe I somehow became Death, too, when Michael decided it’d be a great idea to stab me with her badass bird sword.”

His laughter tickled my thigh, and I shuddered in response. Brushing his mouth over my skin, he eyed me skeptically. “Even I’m not sure how it all works, but I’d be the first to admit I don’t give a fuck how it happened, only that it did.” He kissed his way down my legs, getting closer to where I throbbed for him, and I stopped the jerk with a hand.

“They said one of the Horsemen found their Counter Soul? Does that mean the end of the world can still happen?” I demanded, relieved when he lifted his head and got to his knees.

Brushing back his dark hair, Thanatos sighed. “It does. They still have time to deliver one of the Counter Souls for the apocalypse. We were wrong about the timeline. There’s still a few months left. Each Horseman has a Counter Soul, and now it’s clear that they’re the only ones who can collect. But you needn’t worry. War is protecting hers. Famine can’t be bothered to find his. And Zelus is…well, Zelus. He’ll be punished for what he did to you, so even if he has, I’ll make it so he can’t ripen and deliver his soul, I promise you, little raven.”

But my gut was never wrong, and it was screaming at me, so I wasn’t listening anymore. Sitting up, I beckoned the shadows to dress me. It was weird that I could do everything he could now. So weird. The thoughts of a human with the powers of a goddamn god.

“I need to check on Emily. I don’t know what it is, but something feels off. I just…”

Already next to me, Thanatos peered down at me, not happy to be interrupted.

He hadn’t let me go since the day I died. He’d spent every second drowning me in pleasure—pleasure I didn’t know was possible. It was nothing like the ecstasy I found in my human body. Still, he’d ignored every raven that came calling. He left them to do his— our —duty. I’d come to terms with the fact that Thanatos would happily let the world burn around us, but I had someone I still cared about in danger. Especially if they still had months left to deliver a soul.

“I can take human form like you can, right?” I asked, turning. “She won’t know I…you know…died, right?”

His smile burrowed into my chest. “Right.”

“Good. Let’s just pay her a little visit, and then we’ll team up to thwart the end of the world,” I decided out loud.

Thanatos couldn’t look any less interested. “She’ll die one day. We’ll collect her soul the way we were always meant to. If…should you want her to come here, I could—”

“No. I want her to live a fucking awesome and ridiculously long life, Mr. Killer.” I clicked my tongue at him, crossing my arms. “We’ll take her soul when she’s super old and super ready to go. Not because you guys thought humanity wasn’t worth saving, and not before she’s gotten to destroy every man who crosses her in the courtroom.”

The terrifying Reaper of Souls who I couldn’t help but find adorable sighed again, signifying his defeat. “I should’ve known you’d meddle with it all. What if we can’t stop it?”

“Well, you did it once, Than. What makes you so sure you can’t do it again? Besides, if what you say is true, then it’s really only Zelus we have to worry about.”

Finally, a grin appeared on Thanatos's face. “You make a very good point, little raven.”

“Those are the only kind I make, Mr. Killer. Come on. I don’t want to waste any more time. I need to make sure she’s okay.” Shadows danced around us before we were in front of my old apartment door.

Shadow teleportation really beat having to walk everywhere. Wetting my dry human lips, I tried the door knob. It was unlocked. When I opened it, Emily came sliding out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand. She looked gorgeous all dolled up like she was about to make a room of men fall in love. And was she…cooking? That could only mean one thing.

“You expecting someone else? Rude.”

Her eyes went wide before she ran at me. I nearly got taken out at the door by the blonde, but I’d expected it, so I braced myself.

She pulled away, in awe. “Holy shit, lady. You look a-ma-za-zing. Shit. You even smell good. What’s that called? Oh, but wait. Did you text to say you’d be coming home?” She dragged out her phone, sauce splattered across her face.

“I wanted to surprise you,” I lied as we came inside.

“No shit. I’m definitely surprised.” She stole a glance at Thanatos before waggling her eyebrows. “This chick has that satisfied glow about her. That your doing, big guy?”

I didn’t think I could blush, but apparently, I could. After a second, I finally got my thoughts sorted. “Wait. Who do you have coming over? You never cook.”

She laughed, then sent her elbow into my side. Ouch. Still hurt like hell in this human body I created. “I cook. I cook…stuff. What, I can’t cook?”

Thanatos’s eyes suddenly darted over to the door. I was still getting used to the new Death spidey senses, but even I knew someone was here that wasn’t human. Demon? No. It didn’t feel that way. Angel? Definitely not. Before I could ask, Emily pushed past the two of us to open the door. I almost couldn’t believe who was on the other side until Thanatos growled the name.

“Zelus.”

The End.

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