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“What happened to her when she disappeared?”

“Is she in contact with Mr Gautier?”

How incredibly annoying.

One of them stopped me, her amber eyes wide with curiosity. “Could you give us a comment about Miss Vicary?”

I tried to go around her, but they would hardly let me pass, they definitely wouldn’t let Reaper breathe. I couldn’t do anything either, not with all these cameras .

Bloody hell.

I turned back to the tree, finishing my cigarette on my way. Taking Reaper’s arm, I pulled her up, not caring that Jamiel was in the middle of his story. No one said anything as I brought her to the back side of the school.

What am I doing?

I lifted her up; she was so easy and light.

She reached up, taking a hold of the stone wall, hoisting herself up on top of it, giving me a glimpse of the knives on her thigh strap.

Thank the Neverworld she was wearing shorts underneath.

I forgot to ask. I took a step back before jumping and climbing the wall with her.

“Oi, Cinth!” Jamiel called from below, irritation evident on his face for stealing her away.

“You guys have more tolerance for those people,” I muttered, landing in the soft grass on the other side, Reaper following before I could help her.

The crowd must have spotted us up on the wall, because a group of them turned the corner, racing towards us. For a moment, all I could see were zombies, hungrily reaching their arms out for us. Yeah, honestly, it was slightly terrifying.

I cursed under my breath, took Reaper’s hand, and bolted from the area. We sprinted through the streets, turning corner after corner, trying to lose them, but they were relentless. I’m just glad she could keep up.

The July heat was not ideal for running and when I turned back to check on Reaper, she looked like she was about to pass out and I could feel the change from leading to dragging her with me. It wasn’t actually that hot, more warm, but Souics were more used to the snow.

I pulled Reaper into an alley and behind a wall so we could take a break. She leaned her back against my chest as we tried to catch our breaths. My heart was pounding from the run and the feeling of her—

Shit.

“Don’t touch me.” I pushed her away, and she didn’t argue, moving her weight onto the wall instead.

The sound of the media shouting and wondering where we went closed in, and I cursed, hoping they wouldn't find us. Maybe I should’ve just let her wait it out.

But they didn’t look like they would leave without at least one statement from her and she's just a kid.

Don't they realise that? Whatever she went through in those four years must have been traumatic.

Not that I care.

“It’s so…” She breathed. “Hot.”

I caught her before she crumbled to the ground, her body completely overheated.

I set her down, propping her against the wall and used my free hand to go through my bag for the water bottle I always kept in it.

I opened the cap and poured a bit of the water onto her neck, watching as it slithered down her skin, over her collarbone and under her shirt.

Reaper’s eyes were barely open as she took in shallow breaths. I felt a pulse against her neck, but it was weak. Resting the bottle to her lips, I waited for her to tilt her head and drink it.

When she had downed half the bottle, looking slightly more alive, she pushed it away from her. “You take the rest.”

“I’m fine, you’re the one who passed out.”

“How embarrassing.” She sighed, sitting up.

“Only a bit,” I teased, especially knowing she was the infamous Reaper. Who knew the heat would be her biggest weakness?

She attempted to stand, but fell with a curse. “Why of all days is today so hot?” It was only twenty degrees, but the sun was for once beaming down on us as the Ether Kingdom had drifted to the West side of the city, so it felt just a bit warmer.

I pulled her down to sit between my legs this time. “Calm down, you just passed out. ”

“I have to get home,” Reaper said, holding onto her head.

I pressed the water bottle against her forehead. “Is that better?”

Gross. Why am I being so nice? I'm going to throw up.

She nodded.

“Drink more.” I handed the bottle to her. I quickly hunched over her when two people with cameras ran past. Absolutely relentless. “We’ll wait five minutes and then go.”

She nodded, sipping on the water, and leaned her head back on me, closing her eyes. “Thanks for helping me.”

My heart skipped a few beats.

Excuse me? Help her?

“They wouldn’t let me pass,” I muttered. “And I don’t think they were leaving anytime soon.” Though I have no idea why I took her with me.

She let out a small, short laugh, before the water bottle fell onto her lap. I couldn’t quite see her face, but her chest rose and fell at a steady and even pace, asleep. I checked her pulse again, just in case, it was slow, but she was fine.

You’d think being Reaper, a wanted assassin with a line of grievances, would be more careful. She is so na?ve. I could easily take my knife out from my pocket and slit her throat if I wanted to. Carefully I moved her hair from her neck and lightly grazed my finger across it.

Right there.

I wrapped my hand around her neck, but didn’t apply any pressure, just rested it there, teasing myself.

Tilting my head back against the wall, I closed my eyes.

Her neck was so slender and soft. The muscles in my hand tightened and twitched, aching, begging to grasp her just a little harder.

Craving to feel the steady pulse against her neck weaken to nothing.

I shouldn’ t.

***

Beneath me a thin layer of still, clear water mirrored the above so perfectly, the line where the sky met the land was near invisible, merged into one.

As though I were floating in this place.

The Stygia mountains lay off in the distance.

The sun just about to rise, painting the world in crimson reds and indigo blues.

It was so peacefully silent. Only the sound of my steady heart beating and the blood rushing in my ears greeted me.

I took in deep breaths, the salty, crisp air tingled the insides of my nose, I could taste it.

The salt flats . That would mean Soulesity would be behind me.

Though, when I turned, there was nothing but the endlessness of the salt flats and a little wooden one-story house standing just fifty metres away.

Elevated off the ground by half a metre, a couple steps led to the front entryway, a single small window next to the door.

I stepped closer to the house, the water rippling with each step. The lights inside were off and dust collected on the steps. The old, white paint was chipped, peeling off the wood…

***

I released a deep breath, blinking, reorienting myself back to reality.

I released Reaper’s neck from my grip, my back aching from the hard brick wall I had been leaning against. Without moving too much, I checked the time on my phone.

I must have fallen asleep, we’d been sitting here almost an hour.

The media was surely gone by now, but how could I be so careless?

Taking the water bottle from her lap, I poured the last bit of it on her collarbone and she winced awake.

“I need to go.” If I was around her a moment longer, I was going to kill her, but for once, something stopped me.

She got off me, standing up, and I followed. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I just did. ”

Reaper rolled her eyes, but she wouldn’t have done that if she knew who I was. I couldn’t wait for her to find out, the way she won’t be able to meet my eyes. The way she’ll do anything I say. She’ll be just like everyone else.

Pathetic.

She wouldn't stop staring at me, her icy gaze intense, making me feel self-conscious. Almost.

Maybe that was what she wanted.

“Can you get home from here?” Part of the inner circle of the Kokkino clan, she lived in the estate near the docks. It wasn’t too far from where we were.

Her eyes darkened before she nodded. “Thanks.”

I didn't know what to make of that expression of hers and decided not to dwell on it.

***

Stalking my victims from above, I hid behind pillars. It was an easy assignment, I just needed to kill the people below. Deciding it was time, I dropped down just as another figure dropped from their hiding spot at the opposite side of the room.

I was shocked and confused to see Reaper who had the same expression.

You must be joking.

The men quickly pulled out their weapons. “It’s an ambush!”

I rolled my eyes, there’s only two of us.

The men split up and charged at us. I took the ones coming at me down faster than her and began running towards her. I got to her just as she pulled her knife from one of their eyes. She quickly turned towards me, holding out her hand. My knife rested against her throat as she rested hers on mine.

Reaper’s chest heaved, her eyes squinting to a cold glare. “Why’d you stop?” Her voice was slightly muffled by the red bandana covering the bottom half of her face, but she sounded confident, still soft-spoken but more confident than she had been earlier today .

“I could ask you the same thing.” My lips curled up into a smirk. “They call you Reaper, don’t they?”

“And what do they call you?”

She should have recognised me by my hoodie, burnt orange and green, split directly down the middle, complimenting my eye colours.

A black face mask covering the bottom half of my face.

Black track pants, better for movement, and shoes the same colour as my hoodie that didn't slip on ice. I’m not one for stealth, if anyone sees me, it’s best they run.

“Vulture.”

She laughed, putting down her knife, and I followed suit. “No offence, but Vulture sounds kind of lame.” She clearly had no idea who I was, no one would dare talk to me like that. But I thought she would have at least heard the name.

“I didn’t choose it.”

My street name wasn’t that bad, right?

Reaper reached her hand towards me, her cold fingers gently brushing against my neck, sending a chill through my bones. Searching for a tattoo behind my ear, but she wouldn’t find one.

“Don’t touch me.” I said, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

I glanced at her fingertips, long coffin nails encrusted with jewels, painted a deep shade of red.

How does she fight with these?

Those in the Underworld burn our fingertips long enough for our prints to melt, or wear gloves. Reaper did neither, exposed. Though, I guess, the Kokkino clan didn’t really have to worry, having officers in their back pockets wanting to prove their worth.

“What clan are you?”

“I work alone… Kind of. ”

Police sirens bled through the walls, lights painting us in red and blue. But I couldn’t move, completely imprisoned in her gaze. Her dead eyes morphed into amusement, as if she knew the power she held.

“Cel.” Leo jumped down from where he was hiding. “We need to go.”

“And why were you just watching?” I asked, releasing my hold on Reaper and shoving my hands in my pockets.

“I’m only here in case something goes wrong.”

The Kokkino clan cares enough for their clansman's safety?

He put his hand against Reaper’s back and pushed her a safe distance away from me. “Sorry if she’s said something wrong, she’s not good with people.”

I tilted my head back with a smirk. “She’s still alive, isn’t she?”

I was mostly serious. He gave me a polite nod, before turning back down to look at her. “Let’s go.”