Page 9 of Reaper’s Ruin (Reaper’s Ruin Trilogy #1)

“You’ll really help me?” I asked again, still not quite believing this terrifying being—this Reaper named Rhyker, which I still struggled to believe was a reality—had actually agreed to give me time.

He nodded once, a stiff, reluctant movement. “I’ll give you time to find your peace.”

Relief washed over me so intensely I could almost feel it coursing through my body. I wasn’t going to be erased from existence. At least not yet. I still had a chance to find my mom wherever she may be.

“Thank you,” I whispered, wiping away the last of my tears with shaking hands. “I just... thank you.”

Rhyker looked uncomfortable with my gratitude, his storm-gray eyes shifting away from mine. I took the opportunity to really look at him, now that I wasn’t completely paralyzed by terror.

He was... well, intimidating didn’t begin to cover it.

Tall—at least six foot four—with broad shoulders and a lean, powerful build evident even beneath his black leather armor and ominous cloak.

His face was all sharp angles and perfect symmetry, like something carved by a master artist who’d decided to create the most beautiful yet dangerous sculpture imaginable.

Objectively terrifying. And yet somehow, also the most breathtakingly gorgeous man I’d ever seen. Which was just... wrong on so many levels .

He was a Reaper. Like a Grim Reaper, and one sent to erase me from existence. Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about how Hollywood would be falling over themselves to cast this man in any role called “Hot and Freaking Scary.”

“So, what now?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

He glanced around the marketplace. “We need to figure out how you got here. Why a human soul is in Faelora at all.”

“Yeah. How the hell did I get here?”

I followed his gaze, taking in the bustling market around us.

Now that I wasn’t running for my... afterlife, I could actually appreciate the strangeness of this place.

The roughly built market stalls, the simple look of everything.

Instead of cars, it was horses carrying people along, and there was no hint of modern technology or electricity I could see.

People—fae, I reminded myself—moved through the crowd wearing clothing that looked like it belonged in some fantasy movie, all flowing fabrics and intricate embroidery.

And the food... Even though I couldn’t smell anything, my mouth watered just looking at the sweet pastries stacked up in one small stall manned by a small older woman. I reached out instinctively at what looked like cinnamon rolls, my fingers passing straight through the display.

“Oh man. These look freaking amazing. I have like a serious sweet tooth. One time, at Lily’s twelfth birthday party we went to the mall.

I ate like six huge Cinnabon rolls. I got so sick I puked in a plant right in the middle of the mall.

It was right in front of the boy I had the biggest crush on, and everyone called me Spew for like, the entire school year.

So embarrassing. They had to call my mom to come get me and I spent most of the night swearing off Cinnabon for eternity. Which, of course, didn’t last. ”

I smiled at the memory, then sadness flooded me again she was gone. But to a better place I hoped, and one where I would find her soon.

“I can’t touch anything,” I said, a fresh wave of sadness washing over me as I swiped my hand through the shiny-glazed roll I considered bending down to try biting.

But one look at the perplexed Reaper staring at me behind the shadowy fog made me stop myself from what would definitely be an embarrassment.

I stood up, eyeing the delicious sweets I couldn’t try. “This sucks. I can’t interact with any of this. I’m just... nothing.”

“You’re not nothing,” Rhyker said quietly. “You’re a soul without a physical form. That’s different.”

“Does it matter? I’m still... dead.” The word caught in my throat. “I still can’t do anything. I can’t talk to anyone except you.”

“There are rules to death,” he said, his deep voice matter-of-fact. “Souls can’t interact with the living. They simply linger, unseen and isolated, until they find peace. Then a door appears to take them to what comes next.” I paused. “Or a Reaper comes if they don’t move on.”

“But I died in my house. In the... what did you call it? Mortal Realm? So why am I here in Faelora? If I’m going to figure out what happened to me, that seems like the most logical first step to solve that riddle, right?”

He nodded his head. “That’s a good start, because not only should you not have been able to cross realms, but humans haven’t existed in Faelora for centuries. And souls don’t just jump between realms, so this is truly unusual.”

“Wait, so if humans don’t exist here, then are you like, Fae, or are Reapers something different?”

Darkness flooded his eyes as they narrowed. “I’m not fae.”

“Oh. Sorry,” I said quickly, taken aback over his anger at my question .

But then the darkness softened, and he looked away as he said, “I was human. Once.”

There was so much pain in those four words that I didn’t dare press further.

“So, how do I find my door?” I asked instead. “What am I supposed to do?”

“It’s different for every soul. Some need to say goodbye to someone they loved. Others need to finish something important they left undone.” He paused, studying me. “For souls who were murdered, it’s often about justice.”

“Justice,” I repeated softly. “You mean like... finding out who killed me and my mom?”

He nodded. “It’s possible you can’t move on until you understand why you died.”

“But how am I supposed to do that?” I gestured helplessly at the crowd moving through us. “No one can see me or hear me except you. I can’t touch anything. I can’t even remember most of what happened.”

I closed my eyes, trying to force the memories to come. “There was a man... I didn’t know him. He had this weird dagger with symbols on it. I remember how it caught the light before...” I shuddered, unable to finish the sentence.

When I opened my eyes, Rhyker was watching me with an intensity that stole my breath.

“I’m... I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said, though the gentle words seemed awkward in his mouth.

“But why would someone break into my house to kill me and my mom? We’re nobody.

Just normal people. I’m a nursing student, for God’s sake.

Was it like a serial killer? I can’t think of anyone who would want to harm either of us.

And we both worked like crazy long hours, her two jobs and me in nursing school plus working nights.

So, if it was just like a robbery, they had like tons of hours on any given day they could have broken in.

This felt like someone wanted me dead. But why?

And still the bigger question, how the hell did I end up here? ”

Rhyker was quiet for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he said, “There’s someone who might be able to help us understand what’s happening.”

“Who?” Hope flickered to life inside me.

“A fae sorceress who lives in the Sylvan Court. She can see both the living and the dead. She’s the only person I know who can see into the Shadowveil.

.. see Reapers as you are seeing me now.

I’ve crossed paths with her once or twice.

I can talk to her, and she might be able to tell us why you’re here, why you’re jumping between realms.”

“Yes!” I said eagerly. “Let’s go see her. Maybe she can help me find my door, so you don’t have to... you know.” I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘reap me’ so I just slid my thumb across my neck and pulled a face.

His expression grew troubled. “There’s a problem. She lives halfway across Faelora.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant but then suddenly realization dawned. “Oh. So, like, how are we going to get there you mean?”

“Yes. Exactly. I can get there easily but I’m not sure about you. That thing you do where you pop up in different places. Can you control that?”

I shook my head. “No. It just happened every time I got scared. I can’t control when or where.”

He grumbled, those firm lips twisting as he thought.

“I can travel through the Shadowveil easily enough,” he explained.

“The Shadowveil? Is that that foggy stuff around you?”

He nodded. “Reapers live in the Shadowveil. A mirror world of the living. Usually no soul or human can see us though. ”

“I can see you.” I stated, though rather obvious, so I continued, “but it seems like you’re kind of muted and like behind a mist or fog or something.”

“That’s how I see the living realm. Interesting. I don’t understand how you can do that. But the sorceress may since she has the same unique ability.”

“And how do we get there then?”

“Well, I can slice through shadows with my wings and be there in moments.”

“Wings?” I blinked, my eyes instinctively going to his back. “You have wings? Wait. So you can fly ?”

A look that might have been amusement flickered across his face. “Not the way you’re thinking. My wings aren’t physical like a bird’s. They’re made of shadow and allow me to cut through the barrier between realms or move instantly between shadows.”

“So you don’t fly? You just... teleport?”

“I don’t know what teleport means but I can be anywhere in Faelora with a shadow in the span of a breath. But the problem is you. You’re stuck in Faelora, and the journey to the Sylvan Court would take weeks on foot.”

“Weeks?” My voice rose in dismay. “I don’t have weeks! Do I? What about those other creepy shadow guys? Will they come for me? Can they do that?”

He frowned, clearly conflicted. “No, at least I don’t think so.

Only I have the frequency of your soul to track you, but the longer you’re here, the greater chance the Veil Lords could realize I haven’t succeeded in reaping you and send someone else.

Though this has never happened before, not reaping a soul, so I don’t even know if they can reassign you while you’re imbued in my scythe.

But regardless, there is one option. I think. ”