Page 82 of Dante's Circle Reborn

“You know, I would get mad about that joke, but it’s an apt description.”

“I can barely believe you are letting me get away with that.”

He just rolled his eyes, another smile playing on his lips. He liked Eva. And if they both survived, he had a feeling he was going to like being her mate.

But all of that was a bigif.

As if his thoughts had conjured the man, a male in a dark robe appeared before them. Ashen let out a growl that was all bear.

“Ashen, reaper, you have failed. And now you will have to pay the price. Your charge was supposed to die, yet you frolic with her from realm to realm, defying your masters and the fates. You know the punishment. You will be no more, and I will have the pleasure of ending your charge’s life.”

Ashen knew that voice, the one who had sneered at him before. He wanted to rip the face from the man’s head.

That was a very bear thing to think. Or perhaps, it was also reaper. Hewasdeath, after all.

“What the hell?” Eva asked next to him, and he used the power of his reaper to pull the cloak back over him, his scythe appearing in his hand.

Eva looked at him and then at the other reaper. And then she opened her mouth and screamed.

It was nothing like the song she had sung to him at their first meeting. Her death? His death? He may never know. Because deep down in his heart, he knew it had to be this reaper’s death. There was no other answer.

The other reaper grimaced, his dark eyes with purple spirals narrowing. “I really hope that is your death because you failed. The Collective of Shadows sends their regards. Now, your soul and hers will be ours.”

The reaper’s scythe formed in his hand, and then they were fighting. Other people roamed about, cursed, and then got out of the way of the two reapers fighting one another in the open. He hoped no one would know exactly who they were, but this reaper had just outed them at least to the people in the immediate vicinity.

Eva finished screaming, her whole body shaking, but he didn’t know if she was a warrior. However, she picked up a large stick from beside her and started coming at the reaper, as well. The reaper was much larger and could fight harder than either of them.

Ashen charged, slicing with his scythe, but he wasn’t strong as a reaper.

However, the bear within him was now awake. He threw back his head and roared, claws ripping through his fingertips. The other reaper’s eyes widened, and he took a step back.

And that’s when Ashen moved forward, clawing at the reaper. He moved, one strike then another. The reaper screamed, and then there was no more sound or movement.

Eva stood next to him, her hands shaking, a bloody stick in her hand from where she had hit the reaper over and over again, fighting for both of their lives.

“Oh my God, I helped to kill someone,” Eva practically shouted, and the wizards around them looked on, concern on their faces. But they didn’t move forward. It was as if they were used to fights to the death like this. And maybe they were.

Eva started to shake and dropped the stick, her eyes wide.

Ashen didn’t know how to make her stop, didn’t know how to pull her head out of the panic she was clearly feeling. She hadn’t been the one to kill him, Ashen had done that. But it looked as if she had never been in a fight like this before.

He cursed himself for letting it happen.

So, he did the only thing he could. He lowered his head, pressed his mouth to hers, and kissed her.

She froze, her entire body stiffening at the contact, but he kissed her a little bit harder, brushing his lips along hers, and then he moved back. She blinked, her lips parted.

“Oh.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, his bear in his voice. His claws had receded, but he could feel his beast prowling, as well as the reaper inside him.

He was now a duality, and he didn’t know exactly what that meant or what to do about it.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice small.

“What the hell is going on here?” another man asked. Ashen whirled, his bear at the forefront, his scythe back in his hand.

The man in front of him looked on, his mouth agape, as he just stared.

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