Page 41 of Vexed
“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 iswhy, 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.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lily
Vex and I walked deeper into the field, the tall grass brushing against my legs. The moon hung heavy in the sky, bathing everything in a silvery light. It was nights like these that felt ripped from a dream, or maybe a nightmare, depending on how you looked at it.
I wanted to go for a walk because the night sky looks extra beautiful tonight. All the stars twinkling and I swear I saw a shooting one a few moments ago. Not to mention the peace and quiet.
“Remember that time I tried to give you a pigtail because I thought you were lonely?” I chuckled, nudging him with my shoulder. Vex just sighed, a low, rustling sound like wind through dry leaves.
“Outrageous, really. A little girl befriending a grown man.” He mirrored, a hint of amusement in his voice. He was death, but you wouldn’t know it most of the time. He was just…Vex. Tall, perpetually dressed in black, and with a smile that could rip your heart out. Normal enough, if you ignored the whole reaper thing.
“I was eight! I didn’t know you were, you know… death! I just thought you were a weirdly dressed dude who needed a friend.” I grinned, the memory still making me laugh. Befriending the Grim Reaper had definitely been the most bizarre thing I’d ever done, and trust me, I’d done some weird stuff.
The last two weeks with Vex practically living with me were quite eventful. From explaining how my skincare products weren’t potions, to him being blown away about the amount of food I could fit into my body.
