Page 21 of Vexed

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Vex

Lily’s tongue peeked out between her teeth, a tell-tale sign she was wrestling with a particularly spicy scene. I watched her from the armchair, bathed in the warm glow of her desk lamp.

The rhythmic tap-tap-tapping of her keyboard filled the small room, a soundtrack to the most surreal and beautiful period of my life. Lily was writing her erotic reaper novel, and I was her captive audience, witness to the blush creeping up her neck every few paragraphs.

Honestly, I never thought I was capable of feeling this content. Before Lily, my life was dark and filled with cries of countless souls.

Now, watching her create worlds with her words, a warmth spread through me I’d never known. Every time she’d catch me staring, a shy smile would bloom on her face, and I’d just melt a little more.

“Okay, okay,” she muttered, stifling a giggle. “He’s taking off her—” She stops, biting her lip. “Damn it, that sounds clinical.”

I chuckled softly. “Maybe ‘unfastening’?” I suggested.

Her eyes widened. “Ooh, good one! ‘Unfastening the delicate clasp of her bra…’” She typed furiously, a renewed fire in her gaze. I leaned back, content to watch her work, lost in the sheer beauty of her focus.

The peace was shattered by the sudden clang of the door opening. Hannah stood in the doorway, her brow furrowed.

“Vex,” she said, her voice a little too loud for the small space. “Someone’s at the door for you.” My stomach dropped.

“For me?” I frowned, pushing myself up from the chair. “Who is it?”

Hannah shrugged. “Didn’t say. Just asked for you specifically. Said it was important.” She gave me a searching look, her eyes flicking between Lily and me, then back to the doorway. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, “I sure hope so.” I glanced at Lily, who was watching me with concern.

“I’ll be right back,” I promised her, then followed Hannah out into the hallway.

As I approached the front door, I felt a knot tightening in my gut. I braced myself, took a deep breath, and opened the door. The face on the other side wasn’t someone I expected to be here. Okay, this is bad. Like, really bad.

I turn to face Hannah, giving her a reassuring smile which she returned before taking the silence as her cue to leave. I quickly stepped outside, closing the door behind me before facing him again.

“Adimus?” I ask confused. He almost never sets foot in the Human Realm, so him being here could only mean bad news.

“Vexlorn,” he said, his voice resonating with an almost painful authority. “They’re coming.” I’ve never seen him this serious.

Fuck.

I knew this was coming.

“Who, exactly?” I ask, trying to figure out how bad this is actually gonna be.

His eyes bored into me. “The Council. The other Arcs. They know.”

My stomach dropped. I knew what ‘they know’ meant. Breaking the Reaper Code was a monumental offense, punishable by—well, let’s just say eternal non-existence wasn’t exactly a picnic.

“I wonder how they found out?” I asked sarcastically, trying to keep my voice steady.

Adimus sighed, a sound like rustling leaves in a graveyard. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is why , Vexlorn. Why would you dare take a human life? You know the Code! You know the consequences!”

I knew the rules. Every reaper did. Humans die when their time is up, end of story. We just usher them along. But, Lily.

“You should’ve known this would start a war, Vexlorn! A civil war among reapers!” Adimus bellowed, his usual calm manner was gone. He’s pissed.

I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I did it for Lily.”

Adimus’ expression hardened. “Lily? Some pathetic mortal? You risked everything, damned yourself for a mortal?

“She’s not just ‘some mortal,’ Adimus! She’s pure. Innocent. And they… they took that from her.” My voice cracked, the memory raw and painful.

He raised a brow but kept quiet to let me finish.

“They ambushed her, Adimus. They… they beat her, raped her, and then left her body in the street like she was trash. When I got there, she was so broken. I can’t describe what it was like to see her like that.” I started to pace, rambling.

“And those men, those monsters, were still nearby. Laughing, bragging about their evil deed, they were planning to do it again, Adimus! How could I let them live? How could I stand there and take her soul, knowing they were walking free, ready to hurt someone else?”

I stopped pacing and stared at the floor. “I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t stand the thought of taking her soul to the Underworld. No one deserves to die like that.”

Adimus was silent for a long moment. I could feel his judgment, his condemnation. He couldn’t possibly understand.

“I know I broke the Code. I know what I did was wrong. But I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. I chose her. I chose revenge. Whatever the consequences,” I said with finality.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and, surprisingly, something that almost resembled pity.

“They won’t see it that way, Vexlorn. They see only the broken law. Prepare yourself,” he said, his voice low. “They won’t be merciful.” With that, he vanished.