Page 132 of Reaper's Ruin
“Rhyker!” I cried out, unable to stop myself, fear overwhelming my attempt to play along with his charade.
He turned then, his eyes meeting mine for the first time since we’d entered the Soul Sanctum. In that brief moment, I saw everything he couldn’t say aloud—his love, his determination, his promise.
One look. That was all he could give me.
But in that look was a vow more powerful than any words could convey: He was going to save me. Somehow, against all odds, against the Veil Lords themselves, he would find a way.
And though it seemed impossible—though every rational part of me screamed that this was the end—I believed him.
I clung to that belief as the Reapers dragged me from the chamber, the massive doors closing behind me with a sound like a death knell. I clung to it as they pulled me through more twisting corridors, down spiraling staircases that seemed to descend forever into the bowels of the Umbral Keep.
I clung to it as they threw me into a small, dank cell made of black stone, the door slamming shut with a finality that echoed in my bones.
I clung to that belief—to the memory of his eyes, to the echo of his voice whispering he loved me—as darkness closed around me, complete and absolute.
And I waited for Death to come for me once more.
Not to end me this time.
But to save me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Rhyker
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 fromher 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?
