Page 60 of Reaper’s Ruin (Reaper’s Ruin Trilogy #1)

Her cry tore through me as they dragged her away, fear naked in her voice, her eyes wide and desperate as they fixed on mine. Every instinct screamed at me to move, to fight, to tear apart anyone who dared touch her. My wings stirred beneath my skin, responding to the rage building inside me.

But I remained kneeling, my face a mask of indifference even as my unbeating heart shattered. I gave her one look—all I could risk with the Veil Lords watching—trying to pour into it everything I couldn’t say aloud.

I will save you. I will find a way. I love you.

The massive doors of the Soul Sanctum slammed shut behind her with a finality that echoed in my bones.

I was alone now, facing the five most powerful beings in the Shadowveil—beings I had served for eight centuries but never truly known.

Beings who had existed since the beginning of death itself, who held absolute power in this realm.

Beings who wanted to erase the woman I loved from existence.

Standing at the periphery of the chamber was Sevrin and the other three Enforcers, the Veil Lords’ elite protectors and executioners. If the Veil Lords found me guilty of lying to them, it would be one of those scythes that ended me.

My gaze flickered briefly to them, noting the way Jade, the only female enforcer, stared at me.

She was short, lithe, with silver and black hair braided down her back, though it wasn’t silver from her age.

She couldn’t have been more than thirty when she’d died.

It wasn’t her size that made her deadly, but her speed.

Rumors swirled that she’d been an assassin in her life who’d killed hundreds that never even saw her coming.

Unlike the others who stared at me with open hostility, her expression was unreadable, her gaze calculating rather than condemning.

There was something in the way she studied me that seemed almost.. . curious.

I returned my attention to the Veil Lords.

As powerful as I was—as feared as I had become in my long service—I knew I could never defeat them in open combat.

Not the Veil Lords with their ancient power, not their Sentries with their burning eyes and weapons forged from pure shadow, not the beasts that growled and paced at their feet.

My only option was deception. To convince them I was still their loyal servant. To buy time. To find a way out of this impossible situation.

“Speak,” Lord Azrith commanded, his swirling eyes fixed on me with an intensity that would have made a lesser Reaper tremble. “What is so important that it requires privacy?”

I rose slowly to my feet, careful to keep my posture respectful but not servile. Even now, I had my pride. Even now, I was Death.

“My Lords,” I began, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “The soul you’ve just seen—this Soraya—is unlike any I’ve encountered in eight centuries of service.”

“So you’ve said,” Lady Maerys replied, her voice cold as ice. “A human-fae hybrid with the ability to Realm Walk. What of it?”

“It’s more than that,” I continued. “She possesses extraordinary resilience. She’s evaded reaping multiple times—not just from me, but from the other Reapers you sent before me. She senses our approach. She shifts between realms before we can complete the reaping. ”

“And your solution was to... seduce her?” Lord Kairos asked, disgust evident in his tone.

I inclined my head slightly. “I realized conventional methods would fail. So I adapted. I allowed her to believe I was her ally. Her protector. Eventually, her lover. It was the only way to gain her trust, to keep her from fleeing every time I approached. You gave me a job to do, and I will do whatever it takes to complete it successfully.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Jade’s head tilt slightly, her silver eyes narrowing. Was that doubt in her expression? Suspicion? Or something else entirely?

“An unusual approach,” Lord Vexus said, leaning forward on his throne, his blue-green eyes prodding mine. “And one that seems to have failed, given that she still exists.”

“On the contrary,” I countered smoothly.

“It was working exactly as planned. She trusted me completely. She believed I abandoned my duty to help her find her door. Though, it is odd this soul hadn’t been dead more than a day before we were sent for her.

Not enough time to process her death and move on.

So it did make it believable that I was planning on helping her. ”

The Veil Lords shifted uncomfortably. Enough so I noticed their unease. Part of me wanted to press them, but the other part knew Soraya was in danger and I had to continue the pretense I was still dutiful Death.

“She cannot find out this was a ruse. We are at high risk of her disappearing again. I suggest you let me go to her, say that you realized there was a mistake, and she didn’t get time to find her door.

She’ll be suspicious down here, so let me go with her back to the living veil, win back her trust, and then, with her guard down completely, I can find the perfect time to reap her.

I’ll only get one chance to swipe her. If I miss, she’ll never let any of us near her again.

The timing has to be perfect. Now that she trusts me, thinks I’m her lover, I planned to do it while she slept.

Then there is no way she could evade me. ”

The Veil Lords exchanged looks, communicating in that silent way they had. The shadow beasts at their feet grew more agitated, as if sensing the tension in the air.

“You’ve had ample time to complete your assignment already,” Lord Noctis whispered, his voice somehow carrying through the chamber despite its softness.

“She is an anomaly,” I repeated. “She requires an anomalous approach. Let me go to her. Tell her she’s safe. When her guard is down, when she’s completely vulnerable... I’ll complete my assignment.”

Lord Azrith studied me for a long moment, his eyes swirling with colors I couldn’t name. “Have you realized something about the Umbral Keep, Death?”

The question caught me off guard, but I didn’t let it show. “My Lord?”

“Have you ever tried to slice through to inside the Umbral Keep?” he pressed.

“Of course not,” I answered. “It’s impossible. Everyone knows that.”

“And why is it impossible?” Lord Vexus asked, a strange smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Because...” I paused, suddenly understanding where this was leading, a cold dread settling in my stomach. “Because the Keep is spelled to prevent any surprise arrivals.”

“Indeed,” Lady Maerys said, satisfaction evident in her voice. “No one can Realm Walk into here. No one can slice into here.”

“And no one,” Lord Kairos added, “can Realm Walk out.”

The full implications hit me like a physical blow. They were right. Even if Soraya wanted to Realm Walk away, she couldn’t. Not while inside the Umbral Keep. And even if I wanted to use my wings to slice us to safety, to anywhere else in Faelora, I couldn’t. Not until we were outside the gates.

She was trapped. We both were.

But I couldn’t let them see my despair. I forced a smile, trying to make it look like relief rather than the grimace it wanted to be.

“Well,” I said, inclining my head. “Then our problem is solved. Now that she’s contained, I can complete my assignment without fear of her escaping.”

“You’ll reap her? Now?” Lord Azrith demanded.

“Immediately,” I lied smoothly. “I’ll go to her now, maintain the pretense until the last moment, and then...” I made a slicing motion with my hand. “It will be done.”

The Veil Lords exchanged glances again, suspicion still evident in their swirling eyes, but also a reluctant acceptance.

They wanted to believe me. After eight centuries of faithful service, of being their most effective Reaper, they wanted to believe this was just another method to accomplish my task.

As they deliberated, I chanced another glance at Jade.

She was watching me intently, her silver eyes never leaving my face.

When our gazes met, I expected her to look away, but she held my stare for a long moment.

Something passed between us—not understanding, exactly, but a kind of recognition.

Then she blinked, her face resuming its mask of indifference.

A cold realization washed over me.

She knows. I may have fooled the Veil Lords, but somehow she sees through the lie.

Those silver eyes had pierced my carefully constructed facade, reading the truth beneath my words.

The question was: what would she do with that knowledge?

Would she expose me, seizing this opportunity to bring down Death himself?

Or would she keep my secret, and if so, why?

I couldn’t read her intentions behind that impassive face, and that uncertainty unsettled me more than the Veil Lords’ suspicion.

“Very well,” Lord Azrith said finally. “Go. Complete your assignment. But know that we will be watching, Death. Do not disappoint us.”

“I won’t, my Lords,” I said, bowing low to hide the rage and fear warring in my eyes. “You have my word.”

I backed away from their thrones, keeping my head bowed until I reached the massive doors. As they swung open, I caught one last glimpse of Jade. Her expression hadn’t changed, but there was something in her stance, in the slight tilt of her head, that made me wonder.

Only when the doors closed behind me did I allow my mask to slip, a silent snarl twisting my features as I strode through the corridors of the Umbral Keep.

My mind raced, searching for a solution, for any way out of this trap. The Umbral Keep was impenetrable, its magic ancient and absolute. No Realm Walking in or out. No slicing through the veil from within its walls. The only exit was through those massive gates, always heavily guarded.

It seemed hopeless. But I refused to accept that. There had to be a way. I would not let them take her. I would not watch as they erased the only thing in any lifetime that had made me feel alive.