Page 6 of Frosty and the Reaper
“You don’t understand, Kami. Your mate isn’t like the other reapers. Even Lucifer seemed uneasy when speaking about Zander Cosmos. It’s not safe for you to be with him. What if he blames us for what our mother did?”
Kami winced at that. It wasn’t Jackie’s mother who had been at fault. The real Queen Bianca Frost had been locked away in a glass coffin, while Kami’s birth mother had been parading around wearing her face for the last few decades. Before that, the Goddess of Illusions had helped a bunch of assholesupernaturals curse the reapers into magical naptime, so she would have surely been on the reapers’ shitlist if she’d still been alive.
Thankfully, she was nothing but a bad memory.
Kami could understand why Zander would be pissed off to be mated to the daughter of his enemy, but he didn’t even know about their connection yet. If he blamed her for what that crazy bitch had done, that would mean he wasn’t worthy of being her mate.
“What can he blame us for, Jackie? We weren’t even born when all that shit between the reapers and the celestial gods went down.”
“Just tell me where you are. Why the hell can’t any of us find you?”
“There are a lot of magical wards around this place, so you know I’m safe here. At least our phones work. I’m staying here for now, but don’t worry, Jackie. I’ll be in touch soon. Bye now.”
“Don’t you dare—”
Before Jackie could finish her threat, Kami hung up on her. When her phone immediately started ringing again, she turned it off. That might have been stupid to cut off her only potential lifeline, but she knew her sister wouldn’t stop pestering her if she left it on.
Blowing out a breath, she simply stared at the waterfall for several seconds. The more she thought about it, she realized that running away from her mate wouldn’t do any good. In fact, that would only cause more problems. Staying in this beautiful place wouldn’t be a hardship if she knew she was safe, but she didn’t want to be held captive there.
She really needed to speak to her mate before she decided what to do next.
As Kami continued down the long walkway, she paused when she came across a small crop of unusual flowers. She caughta whiff of their fragrance that was carried on the breeze and leaned over the railing to get a closer look. They were beautiful blooms with black heart-shaped petals, glowing red filaments and stigma, and golden leaves and stem. Its scent was subtle at first, before unfurling into something stronger. There were hints of something sweet, like black raspberries, with a touch of dark musk and smoked wood.
She shook her head when she realized the fragrance drifting from the blossoms was making her feel slightly intoxicated. Even as she thought that, she still wasn’t able to pull herself away. When she started to fall forward, a rush of panic set in, making her heart race.
Suddenly, a blast of cool air pushed her back, away from the railing.
Still feeling lightheaded, she braced her hands on her knees until she caught her breath again. When her head finally cleared, she cast a leery glance at the flowers again before cautiously moving away.
The wind had saved her, but that had been a close call.
That was a good reminder that the setting could be deadly, even if it was beautiful.
When she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned in that direction. A pretty demon with dark burgundy hair, the color of good wine, exited a pavilion with a citrine roof and was now striding toward her. She was wearing a set of robes the same color as her hair, with a thick black belt adorned with red and white flowers. As she strolled down the pathway carrying a small wooden chest, she was humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like a song Kami’s friend Sapphire had recently released.
Sapphire was a siren-succubus hybrid, or she had been before becoming a shifter god. In the strange world they lived in, power upgrades were common. Especially after people met theirmates and shared magic. However, recently, all of the shifters had gotten an upgrade after the magic that had been stolen from them long ago was finally returned to them.
Sapphire and her mate, the apex alpha dragon shifter, Raiden Drakas, were now the official leaders of their race. While they both complained about that fact, the truth was there was no better couple to lead the shifters.
Born with powerful abilities, Sapphire could mesmerize an entire crowd with her voice. For years, she’d had control issues due to her extraordinary gifts, but now her god powers allowed her to sing without worry. She was the lead singer in a band called Fire and Frost, along with Jackie, Summer Prince Ramsey Tyr, and two more fae. They had recently released their first album in the Human Realm, and their popularity had exploded throughout the six realms.
Listening to the demon hum the song made Kami smile even as she felt a twinge of jealousy. She wasn’t exactly happy that the first person she ran into on the island was a beautiful female. She suddenly wished she were dressed a little nicer rather than wearing jeans, a simple gray hoodie, and plain white sneakers.
She was about to announce herself, but she didn’t get a chance. The moment the demon sensed her presence, the chest she was carrying vanished, and she conjured up two wicked-looking blades in her hands. Spinning the weapons, she shifted into a fighting stance.
“Who are you?” the demon snarled.
Kami held up her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Whoa, easy there. I come in peace.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was brought here by Zander. You know, the big, surly dark god in armor? He must be roaming around here somewhere. He’s a big guy. You can’t miss him.”
The demon’s eyes widened, then her lips curved into a brilliant smile. “The master is back?”
Master? Of course, he would be the master there.
“So, you know him. Great. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is hid—” She coughed to cover up that potential blunder. Accusing the demon’s master of hiding was probably not a good idea. “I mean, he wandered off a little while ago, and I was just trying to find him.”