Page 29 of Reaper's Ruin
And I had done it for her.
Not because she was beautiful—though she was. Not because she stirred something in my chest I hadn’t felt in centuries—though she did. But because she washuman. Because she was the first soul I’d seen in over eight hundred years that reminded me of who I used to be.
She was my last chance to do something that mattered. A final chance to protect one of my own. Maybe even save what was left of myself in the process.
As I stared at Soraya in the dappled forest light, my newly awakened senses were overwhelmed by her presence. I could smell the subtle scent of her hair—something sweet and floral that stirred memories long buried. I could see the depth of blue in her eyes, not the flat color visible behind the veil, but all the shifting shades of life. I could hear the slight catch in her breath as she looked back at me, feel the warmth radiating from her skin even from where I stood.
And in that moment, with perfect, terrifying clarity, I realized: I would break every law in existence for her. I would face obliteration without flinching. Not just because she was human.
Because she wasthishuman.
Maybe it was foolish. Maybe it was dangerous. But I couldn’t help the way something inside me stirred to life every time I looked at her.
I wasn’t sure if these feelings were a blessing or a curse.
But I was beginning to suspect... they might be both.
CHAPTER SIX
Soraya
I couldfeelagain.
The forest floor beneath my bare feet. Damp earth between my toes. The gentle breeze against my skin, carrying scents so rich and complex I could barely process them all. The weight of my own body, solid and real in a way I hadn’t experienced since the moment I’d died.
It was overwhelming. Intoxicating. I couldn’t stop touching things.
I moved around the clearing surrounding Selyse’s cabin stopping to touch, smell and stare at every little wonder my eyes clapped onto. I bent to pick up a fallen leaf, turning it over in my hand, studying the delicate veins that ran through it. I plucked a blade of grass noticing the slight shimmer when I twisted it in the light, something grass in the Midwest didn’t do.
“Are you done touching everything? We should get moving. We don’t know how long these forms of ours will last,” Rhyker said, his voice different now—deeper, more resonant in this physical form.
I glanced up at him and felt my breath catch.
If I’d thought him intimidating before, it was nothing compared to seeing him fully in the living realm. He was still massive—towering over me, broad-shouldered, his body powerful in a way that seemed almost supernatural. But there were changes. His eyes, which had swirled with stormy shadows behind the veil,were now a striking light gray, almost silver in the soft sunlight, with just a hint of blue at the edges. Human eyes. Beautiful, intense, and utterly mesmerizing.
He caught me staring and raised an eyebrow. I quickly looked away, heat flooding my cheeks.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s just—everything’s so...realnow.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his own gaze sweeping over the forest with a similar wonder, though he tried to hide it beneath his usual stoic expression.
The Sylvan forest was unlike any woodland I’d ever seen. It wasn’t the orderly arrangement of trees and underbrush I was familiar with from Minnesota’s nature preserves. This was wilder, more exotic—almost jungle-like in its lushness. Vines thicker than my arm twisted around tree trunks, flowering with blooms in impossible purples and blues. The trees themselves grew to staggering heights, their canopies creating pockets of dazzling light as the sun filtered through layers of leaves.
Tiny glowing insects drifted through the air like living sparks. Birds with iridescent plumage darted between branches, their calls musical and strange. Even the moss beneath our feet seemed to pulse with subtle energy, as if the entire forest were quietly, contentedly alive.
I let the blade of grass slip through my fingers, watching it drift and twirl before settling back on the ground. Still not satiated with all the things I wanted to touch and see, I knew Rhyker was right and I didn’t have time to linger when I had my murder to solve.
“This is amazing, Selyse. Thank you,” I said as I approached her. She sat on a log next to a small outdoor firepit where she’d settled to rest. The exhaustion from her spell was evident as she watched me quietly.
“I’m glad it worked. My mother kept detailed notes, but there is always a learning curve with new spells.”
“Then I’m just glad you didn’t accidentally turn us into toads or something.” I laughed but she just furrowed her brow.
“A toad?”
I waved a hand. “Never mind. Earth thing. So, what’s our next step? How do we figure out who killed me and my mom?”
“The dagger is our best lead,” Rhyker said. “If it’s fae-made, with the symbols you described, there’s only one place I’d go to learn more.”
