I got. After all, he was the only Tech guy that I knew could keep quiet and do the job without screwing up.
We found a few souls nearby that lingered on the precipice of death. I chose the one that lay in the hospital, and when I arrived at its room, its anchor appeared so withered that I was surprised it was still alive.
The hunger that existed in our Grim forms exploded into a ravenous beast and urged me towards the frail being in the bed. She nearly disappeared into the sheets, and the moment I reached inside of her, my own soul was flooded with her relief and overwhelmed with euphoria. So high, I floated so high in my mind, and nothing terrible existed. So good, so good. More, I need more.
An instant later, I froze as the Reading locked the soul and me together. I lived her life, experiencing it all, and that more than anything cut through the tingling, swirly feeling inside of me. The chaotic room filled with useless commands and failed actions didn't exist as I relived everything in the short time she'd had for this go around. When I reached the end, I knew her experience would linger on the fringes of my mind until I gathered enough memories to shove hers deeper. More than anything, her relief at meeting Death bothered me. No one that young should greet Death so openly. She reminded me of the Earth souls, so depleted of hope that they only wanted to embrace their end.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After we dropped off the souls, we switched to our Grim forms and flew to our unit. Grace sat on the ground by the door, and when we appeared, she shot up, dusting off her ass. With her head bowed, she whispered a greeting, and I bit my tongue.
While Axton entered our code and opened the door, I asked her, “How did the meeting with Corin go?”
A grey blush crept into her cheeks, and her fingers twisted in her cloak. “It went smoothly, I presume. We developed a more solid strategy for the celebration proposition, and he plans to visit with some of the Assemblians and Seraphs.”
“Sounds like a short, productive meeting.” I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye and stepped inside.
“Oh, well, yes. Productive. It was.”
Her stumbling words piqued my interest. I recognized nothing but nosiness motivated me, but if pressed, I could always claim that I merely wanted to protect Corin. Even if I was fully aware that Corin would devour the poor thing alive.
“So, what did you do after you left?” I lowered myself onto the couch, keeping my gaze leveled on her.
The trio didn't seem too interested in my meddling because they all dispersed into their rooms. While Grace chewed her lip and wrung her fingers, the sound of a shower droned low in the background.
“Have a seat, Grace. We'll be here for a little while. Sorry about our lateness. We just finished with some reapings.” I gestured towards the other couch and watched her sigh of relief. Perhaps she assumed I'd abandoned the topic. I chuckled under my breath. “Well, did you get any work in? Or use the time to relax a moment before everything gets really busy?”
I barely made out her words as she tried to fade into her seat.
“We ate and talked.”
A brief grin burst across my face before I stifled it and cleared my throat. “Oh, how did that go? I hope Corin behaved. He does tend to be a bit much sometimes.”
Her head popped up at that, and for a moment, she glared at me. It was rather adorable, though I didn't expect she would appreciate that description.
Then her head dipped back down, and, louder than before, she replied, “He did nothing inappropriate. We were discussing the plans when his meal arrived, so he shared. That's all.”
“Sure.” If you say so. “Well, I'm glad to hear it went nicely. Hopefully, he will be able to sweet-talk his father into what we need. In the meantime, we have to do what we can. Our first task is gathering Reapers and getting them established. I'd like to begin sending them through as soon as possible.”
Grace nodded, and I switched on my Sight, scanning the room for Shadow. She perched on the edge of the couch but didn't seem too keen on coming any closer. Someone, save me from moody creatures.
Scooting down to the end, I placed my hand beside her, trying