Page 58 of Vexed
“But you have to know,” he continues, his tone turning serious, “You will have a mortal soul, with only the minimum memories and experiences of that soul. There will be no memory of Lily.”
The rug is yanked out from under me. I frown, shaking my head, “What? What’s the point? I’m only doing this for her.” A mortal life without her is pointless.
He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. He leans closer to my ear, his voice barely a whisper. “Fine, I’ll make it easier and place you near her, but that’s it. The rest is up to fate.”
What if Lily and I never meet? What if we both grow old and die without knowing each other ever again? The risk is terrifying, unbearable. But she’s mine and I’ll find her again. I have to.
“Oh, and bare in mind, when your mortal life comes to its end, you will return and claim back your place as Keeper of Souls.” He finishes, holding me gaze as he waits for my decision.
With a trembling hand, I carefully loosen the clasp of my reaper’s robe and hand it to Adimus. “Let’s find a soul. I have a date with my girl.”
EPILOGUE
Lily
* 5 years later *
“Standing here before all of you still feels like a dream. I don’t have words to describe how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Enjoy the rest of the day and thank you so much for coming,” I say, trying to keep my voice from cracking.
Never in my life would I have imagined I’d have the courage to write a book, never mind have people actuallyloveit. Apparently, my weird ass brain translates well onto paper. Thishas been my fifth signing event in three weeks, and the joy of it is something I could never have prepared for.
“You are one amazing woman,” Hannah says, startling me slightly as she comes up beside me, engulfing me in a tight, comforting hug. “I’m so proud of you, Lil.”
I wrap my arms around her, giving her a grateful squeeze as I look out towards the surprisingly large crowd that came to celebrate my work. Hundreds of people. Insane.
“Thank you for always supporting me,” I manage, feeling the telltale sting of tears start to prick at the corners of my eyes. I blink them back, because ew, crying in public.
I glanced at the time on my watch—damn, later than I thought. I quickly grab my bag from under the table and turn to face Hannah.
“I have dinner with my mom, you know, the official ‘OMG-my-daughter-is-a-real-author’ celebration. Are you gonna be fine on your own here for a bit?” I ask, already feeling a twinge of guilt.
She dismisses me with a wave of her hand, “Yeah, yeah, go and enjoy. Tell your mom I said hey,” she says, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. I smile, relieved, before heading for the exit.
I scramble around in my bag, trying to find those damn keys. Seriously, do they have a secret lair in there? Maybe I should start attaching a tile tracker or something.
“Where the—“ Suddenly, someone walks right into me, sending my bag flying to the pavement. My carefully organized chaos of pens, receipts, and half-eaten granola bars is now scattered across the floor. Fantastic.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even see you there,” a deep voice speaks, a voice that sends a completely unnecessary shiver running down my spine. Seriously, hormones, get a grip.
“Oh, don’t worry—“ The words die in my throat as I slowly peer up at the man. Well, fuck me sideways. He’s like a goddamn Viking or something.
He runs a hand through his dark hair, his piercing gray eyes staring directly into my soul. Intense. And then he smiles. Fuck, that smile.
“Well, considering your height, this must happen quite often, huh?” I finally find my voice, managing a slightly sarcastic quip to mask the fact that my brain just short-circuited. Short jokes are my defense mechanism. Sue me.
He chuckles, the sound like a particularly delicious, low-frequency hum. “Yeah, kind of,” he says, kneeling down to help me gather all my stuff that fell out of my bag. God, even the way he kneels is attractive. I’m doomed.
Come on, Lily. Don’t be rude. Introduce yourself, dammit.
“I’m Lily, by the way,” I say, extending a hand.
We lock eyes as he helps me to stand, and then he reaches out to finally shake my hand, “I’m Vex,”
The sound of his name, spoken in that gravelly voice, sends a wave of emotions over me that I can’t quite explain. It’s a bit exhilarating, a bit terrifying, and a whole lot distracting.
Pushing the weirdness aside, I place my hand in his. His hand is warm and large, engulfing mine entirely. I feel my palms starting to sweat slightly.
“Strange name you got there,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly as he lets out a chuckle. Smooth, Lily. “Was it your mom or dad’s choice?”
