A Search for Death (A Shade of Vampire #73) - Bella Forrest Page 0,114

inside me, my chest contracting with every step I took to reach her. The spirits around the ring-shaped pond were restless. They scowled at me and tried to hurt me—but as soon as they saw my scythe, they vanished. Not that they’d ever be able to lay a finger on me, not even if I’d still been alive. I’d once been a fearless sentry, one of the first in my species. After my experiences with original ghouls, aggressive spirits would barely get a scoff out of me.

When I reached the double gilded doors, my throat closed up for a moment. It was incredible… Death’s presence was so powerful, so intense. Impossible to describe, yet never to be forgotten. There was a warm sense of familiarity about it, as if I was simply on my way to visit my favorite sister. I already loved being here, so close to my origin as a Reaper… to my maker.

The doors opened before me, and I stilled.

She was waiting for me. I knew it. And I had a lot to talk to her about. I hated what was going on in the sanctuaries. The fae’s impending demise was unnatural and awful, and it didn’t make sense that us Reapers should stand back, when, millions of years ago, Death herself had intervened. The rules were too stiff, and as much as I’d tried to follow them, watching Vesta’s plight had pushed me over the edge. Despite my steely façade, I felt awful for her. She didn’t deserve any of this. None of them did.

“Come in…” a whispering voice beckoned me.

How could I say no?

I moved up the hallway, passing by the many rooms which Death had occupied with spirits. I recognized some of them—they all carried the mark, a small black spiral on the side of their necks. The sign proving that Death had reaped these people, personally. I’d come across them over the years. I’d reaped their sons and daughters, on more than one occasion. And to think my path had almost crossed Death’s on such occasions.

I wondered why she kept them here, but it didn’t take long for me to connect the dots. Those I recognized had been visionaries and cultural icons of their time. Interesting creatures with extraordinary experiences to share—and if there was one thing I knew about Death, it was the fact that she simply adored stories. We’d spent hours weaving them to one another during my first century as a Reaper. It had been a way for us to bond, and our telepathic sessions had grown shorter over the years, but still, to this day, she couldn’t get enough of the experiences and tales I gathered from the world of the living.

Four Hermessi stood guard outside her doors, and I knew one of them had betrayed Taeral and his crew, according to Viola. I scowled at them. “You should be ashamed of yourselves,” I said bluntly.

“This area is restricted, Reaper. Move back,” the Air Hermessi replied.

“One of you sold Taeral out to the ritual fanatics,” I insisted. “Which one of you was it? Huh?”

“Move back,” the Fire Hermessi said.

My blood boiled. I would’ve given anything for the power to smite them, right here and now. Unfortunately, that wasn’t part of my arsenal.

“Step aside,” the low female voice commanded from inside the room. “Let him in.”

The Hermessi didn’t seem pleased with that order, but they obeyed, making room for me to go in, as the double screen doors slid apart. I took in my surroundings, noticing the moving images on the paper walls. Glancing down, I noticed the absence of my reflection—the same as with every mirror I’d ever come across. A Reaper couldn’t be seen on any reflective surface, not even in his or her physical form. Part of being stuck between life and death, I’d figured.

Death got up from her throne, and I stilled, rendered breathless by her beauty. She was a vision in black and white, apart from her shiny red lips. Her silk dress had a life of its own, rippling across the marble floor as she walked toward me, smiling ever so gently.

“Seeley… What a surprise,” she said, her voice echoing in the back of my head, much like our telepathic connection.

I was floored in her presence. My knees were weak, and my heart pounded frantically against its ribcage. Warmth filled me to the brim as I saw the trillions of stars nestled in her eyes—the one feature we all shared with her. But there