Page 81 of Right Hand Of The Reaper
Then she started to fade, disappearing back into the afterlife.
“Thank you for your help, Sabine.”
She bowed her head and then vanished completely. A sadness rippled through me, and a tear rolled down my cheek. I felt like I’d lost my kin even though I’d only just met her.
Grim brushed the stray tear away, his bony finger cool against my cheek, and I succumbed to the urge to fall into his arms. I stepped into the folds of his cloak and wrapped my arms around him. It was a little chilly, being hugged by Death, but this was right where I wanted to be.
“Thank you for finding her, Thane.”
“Anything for you, Roux,” he replied, his voice a low rumble that I felt all the way to my toes.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Atticus
“So,whathappensnow?”I asked the room. It had been a few minutes since we’d watched Roux curl up with the Grim Reaper. That had been odd, seeing her so comfortable with Death. And for him to seem so relaxed. From what I’d seen about Thane, he was highly strung, always observing and constantly thinking about something. But when he had Roux curled in his skeletal lap, he’d just been in that moment with her. It was… sweet. And it made me feel like I fell for the guy a little more. Not that we’d really had a conversation yet about the whole soul linking thing. I still didn’t know what to make of that, and it was clear Thane was navigating whatever he’d done to us. I knew I just needed to give him some time to understand it himself, but how long would he keep me waiting?
Thane’s eyes met mine across the room and there was a bright determination sparkling in his baby blues. Looked like he wasn’t going to keep me waiting too long.
“We need to head for the Vault,” Roux said, as she climbed off Thane. He’d shed his Reaper form a while ago, not wanting to singe the furniture with his Hellfire.
“Agreed,” Magnus said. “If we want to find out more about Nyx and the Diadem, we need to get moving. Come on.” He jumped from the sofa and pulled the twins to their feet, all three of them wearing matching smiles. Even Rayne, who I’d never seen look anything but surly. Maybe Roux was right. Maybe I did need to speak to Magnus, but I didn’t really know the guy. Would he even be receptive to talking to me? And the guy was a king, which was kind of intimidating.
Fuck it. I was a goddamn nightmare demon. I could do this.
“Magnus?” Why the fuck was my voice trembling?
The vampire cocked his head and fixed his ruby red eyes on me. “Yes?”
“Could I have a word? In private?”
“With me?” he asked slowly.
I nodded and caught sight of Roux giving me a double thumbs up. I rolled my eyes at her but there was a smile on my face.
Magnus shrugged his shoulders and left the room. I moved to follow but felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. When I looked behind me, Thane was staring straight at me, his eyes cold and calculating. Almost like he was trying a solve a puzzle or like a killer homing in on his next victim.
A flash of heat flared through my veins as I watched him, and I wondered why I enjoyed the thought of him being predatory. The thrill of being pursued by someone stronger maybe? I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it made my skin feel hot and my dick feel hard. And with that thought, I followed Magnus into the room across the hall.
I took a moment to look at the guy. He was good looking, with sharp features and high cheekbones but I didn’t get the mix of confusion and wariness that came with Thane. I could see Magnus was attractive, but I didn’t react to him like I did Thane. But was that me reacting to Thane, or the soul connection forcing the feelings? How did I tell the difference?
Magnus just stood there and waited, his hands tucked in the pockets of his trousers and his forearms on display. Hmm. They were nice forearms. Had I ever noticed forearms before?
“Are you alright?” Magnus asked. “You look like you’re in the middle of a crisis.”
A nervous laugh bubbled in my throat. “You could say that.”
“Is it to do with Thane?”
I nodded. “I’m just… I don’t know…” I blew out a frustrated breath. “I feel like I’m wading through something I don’t understand, and I don’t know if I can trust what I’m feeling.”
Magnus leant back against the dining table, the muscles in his arms straining as he leant backwards. “And what are you feeling?”
“Honestly, just confused.” I perched next to him and folded my arms across my chest. “Not only am I dead but I’m connected to Death by my soul. And on top of that I think I can feel what he feels. Am I just sensing his attraction to me? Or am I attracted to him?”
Magnus pursed his lips. “Have you asked him what he feels?”
“Not yet. I wanted to speak to you about how you dealt with suddenly being attracted a man.”
