Page 38 of Reaper’s Ruin (Reaper’s Ruin Trilogy #1)

I understood immediately. “That means a Reaper will be coming for her soon.”

Elira looked between us, confusion clear on her face. “A Reaper? What’s that?”

Rhyker’s jaw tightened. “Someone who collects souls who haven’t moved on.” He glanced at me, concern evident in his eyes. “If one comes for her while we’re here—”

“They might see you,” I finished his thought. “And not all of them would be as helpful as Taelon.”

“The Veil Lords cannot find out what’s going on,” he muttered.

“Taelon may have covered for me, and I’ve disappeared for extended periods before, and they’ve never questioned it.

I still meet my soul quota more than any other Reaper.

That buys me a little time before they send Veil Watchers looking for me, but that doesn’t matter if a Reaper spots me in this form. We need to get away from her. Now.”

I turned back to Elira, trying to focus on her situation despite the knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. “Do you know who killed you?”

“No,” she whispered, hugging herself as if cold. “I didn’t see a face. But I think it was because of my royal lineage. Someone has been picking us off one by one.” Fury flashed in her eyes. “But I don’t even know why? What have I ever done to deserve this?”

Rhyker’s eyes narrowed. “Your brother—Prince Alaric—he was named heir immediately after, wasn’t he?”

“He’s my cousin actually. I was the King’s daughter. But yes,” Elira nodded. “The very next day.”

Rhyker’s eyes flashed with an understanding. “Do you think you were killed to make way for him to sit the throne instead of you? All the people being killed, were they heirs before him?”

Her face twisted. “I mean, yes. Some of the men who died would have ascended before him. But I’m a female. I can’t inherit the throne so I can’t imagine that had anything to do with it.”

“Perhaps, but it seems suspiciously convenient that the King was killed, potential heirs to the throne were killed, and the person who benefits the most is Alaric,” he said darkly .

I frowned. “You think Alaric is behind this? But he seems so nice. He’s been nothing but kind to us.”

Rhyker fixed me with a hard stare. “Never trust appearances, Soraya. Especially not with the fae. Kindness is often just a mask for deeper, darker motives.”

His tone bothered me, that hatred of the fae coming through again. I wanted to argue, but now wasn’t the time. Instead, I turned back to Elira.

“We might be able to help each other,” I said. “You see, I was murdered too. I’m trying to find out why so I can find peace and move on.”

“You were murdered?” Elira’s eyes widened with sympathy. “By whom?”

“A man,” I said, the memory still painfully fresh. “He broke into my home in the Mortal Realm. He had a strange dagger with symbols on it that glowed. I saw him today, at the hunt.”

“Can you describe him?” Elira asked.

I did my best to recall his features—the cold eyes, the severe mouth, the way he had moved with deadly purpose.

She listened as I went on in detail, her face starting to twist with what looked like stunned recognition.

Then when I mentioned the lightning bolt with crossed swords pendant clasping the front of his cloak, her eyes bloomed with horror.

When I was finished, she sat staring at me, eyes wide with shock. “That sounds like... no. It couldn’t be. But—” her breath hitched. “That matches the description of my uncle, Lord Cassius.”

“Your uncle?” I repeated, shock rippling through me. “Why would your uncle want to kill me? I’d never even been to Faelora before I died.”

“Well, he’s not my uncle by blood. He’s one of my Uncle Laryc’s brothers—Aunt Ravenna’s late husband.

I just always called them uncles too because they were like family growing up.

I don’t know why he would kill you though,” Elira said, shaking her head.

“None of this makes sense. Why would he travel to the Mortal Realm to kill a human?”

Rhyker and I exchanged glances, the same realization dawning for both of us. The coincidence was too great to ignore.

“The murders are connected somehow,” I said slowly. “There has to be a reason Lord Cassius targeted me specifically, and it must be related to what’s happening here in the Storm Court.”

A wild surge of hope blossomed in my chest. We had a name now. We knew who had killed me. Was this enough? Would my door appear?

I held my breath, waiting, a mixture of hope and dread washing through me. Hope that I might see my mother again soon. Dread at the thought of leaving Rhyker behind.

But as I looked around the room waiting for a magical door to appear, the room remained unchanged.

“I need to know why,” I said, as much to myself as to the others. “That’s what’s keeping me here. It’s not enough to know who killed me—I need to understand why he chose me.”

Rhyker’s expression softened slightly, tension slipping from his shoulders. I realized that he too must have been wondering if my door was going to pop up. Was that... relief on his face?

“Without my ability to shadow travel and observe from the Shadowveil, I’ve been limited in what I can discover,” he said. “But you—” he turned to Elira, “—you can go anywhere in the castle unseen. You could be our eyes and ears.”

The ghost princess straightened, a new determination replacing her despair. “You want me to spy for you? On my family?”

“Your uncle murdered me,” I said gently.

“And someone murdered you. We need to know why. We need answers so we can get our doors because if we don’t find our peace, we both get wiped from existence.

A reaper will come for you and rip you apart.

No afterlife. Just... nothing. And your time is running out.

Don’t you want justice too? To learn the truth and maybe find your peace? ”

She looked down at her hands, then back at us with a firm nod. “I do. Tell me what you need me to look for.”

We were just beginning to outline a plan when the air in the room seemed to shift, growing heavier, colder. Rhyker tensed, his eyes darting to a shadowy corner where the light from the lamp didn’t quite reach.

“Someone’s coming,” he said quietly.

Before I could ask what he meant, the shadows in the corner deepened, swirled, and I saw a figure materialize behind the Shadowveil—tall, broad-shouldered. My breath hitched, heart hammering. We’d been discovered.

But then I saw his face, splitting open into an easy grin that seemed out of place given his dark nature.

Taelon.

I let out a rushed sigh.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled, his eyes sweeping over Rhyker’s formal attire. “Don’t you clean up nice, Death? Almost didn’t recognize you without all the brooding and leather.”

Rhyker glared at him with enough intensity to wither an oak. “What are you doing here, Taelon?”

“Saving your undead ass, as usual,” Taelon replied cheerfully, then his eyes found Elira. His expression shifted, becoming more serious. “So, this is my assignment, huh? Pretty girl. Hate to reap the pretty ones.”

Elira looked at us, fear widening her eyes. “What’s happening? Why are you talking to no one?”

I remembered then that it had been odd I’d been able to see into the Shadowveil. I realized Elira had no idea Taelon was here.

“There’s a Reaper here,” I explained quickly. “Like I told you about. You can’t see him though. ”

She flew backwards, rushing behind me.

“Taelon,” I warned, blocking the terrified girl. “You’d better not be coming to do what I think you’re coming to do.”

“Hey, I’m just a guy doing his job. Nothing personal,” Taelon said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “And just feel lucky it’s me who came to reap her or this could have gone very badly for you both.”

I was glad Elira couldn’t hear him talking about reaping her.

“I heard a soul from the Storm Court was getting assigned,” Taelon explained.

“I knew you two were heading this way, so I volunteered for the job. Thought it might be better if a friendly face showed up rather than one of the others. Shadow Watchers have been active lately, by the way. Veil Lords must be getting suspicious about something.”

Fear bloomed in my chest at the mention of the Veil Lords. Rhyker had spoken of them in hushed tones, like they were demons from the deepest hell.

“Thank you,” Rhyker said, the words seemingly difficult for him to speak. “But I need to ask for another favor.”

Taelon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? The mighty Death needs my help again? This is becoming a habit.”

“We need more time with her,” Rhyker said, nodding toward Elira. “She has information that could help Soraya find her peace.”

Taelon’s amusement faded. “You know I can’t do that. I have a duty—”

“Please,” I stepped forward, meeting his eyes directly. “Just give us a little time. Forty-eight hours. That’s all we’re asking.”

Taelon looked from me to Rhyker, conflict clear on his face. “You know what the Veil Lords would do if they found out.”

“I do,” Rhyker said grimly. “But I’m asking anyway.”

Taelon sighed dramatically. “The things I do for you, Death.” He pointed a finger at Rhyker.

“Forty-eight hours. Not a minute more. I’ll stay scarce.

I’m not really on their radar so hopefully they won’t notice.

But if things go sideways in here, I’m not taking the fall. I’m coming back to finish this job.”

“Understood,” Rhyker nodded.

Taelon turned to me with a wink. “Keep him in line, will you? He’s been much less grumpy since he met you. It’s an improvement.”

Before I could respond, he stepped back into the shadows, which swirled around him like liquid smoke before closing completely, leaving no trace that he had ever been there.

“Well,” I said into the silence that followed. “That was close.”

“Too close,” Rhyker agreed. “We need to be careful. There’s only so much Taelon can do to cover for us.”

“Is he gone? Is he going to reap me?” Elira looked between us.

“He’s giving you forty-eight hours to find your peace,” I said to her. “We have to get to work.”

Her earlier fear transformed into resolve as she took a deep breath. “Then we’d better make these forty-eight hours count. Tell me what you need me to find out, and I’ll get started right away.”

As we outlined our plan, I couldn’t help but feel we were getting closer to the truth—to understanding why Lord Cassius had traveled between realms specifically to kill me. It wasn’t just about finding my door anymore. Now it was about justice—for me, for my mother, and for Elira.

But a small, selfish part of me wondered: What would happen when I finally found the answers? When my door appeared, and it was time to leave?

I glanced at Rhyker, finding him already watching me, that same tortured expression in his eyes I’d seen earlier. He looked away quickly, but not before I caught a glimpse of something beneath the pain.

Longing .

The same longing that had been growing inside me since the moment his lips had touched mine.

And I realized, with a sinking feeling, that I was in serious danger of falling for someone I would inevitably have to leave behind. Someone who, by his very nature, couldn’t come with me when I walked through that door.

But for now, we had a mystery to solve. A murderer to expose. And a ghost princess who needed our help as much as we needed hers.

I pushed my conflicted feelings aside, focusing on the task at hand.

“Let’s get started,” I said. “We have work to do.”