lay awake, staring at the moon outside my window, I thought of them. Of what they could be doing. Of where they might be. The Reapers were a peculiar breed, but fascinating, nonetheless. Just knowing that their kind existed had flipped my worldly concepts upside down.
Even now, as I put the ceremonial bowl down, I wondered… What were they up to?
Seeley
I felt like the ultimate stalker, and yet I couldn’t stay away.
Fortunately, I’d been on an assignment from Death. She’d tasked me with keeping an eye on GASP—not necessarily on Taeral, whom she’d trusted with Thieron until she was free again. No, she’d wanted me to stay close to Derek and Sofia, mostly because she’d learned about the day-walking protein.
I would’ve preferred being out there with Soul and the others, looking for the remaining First Ten, and I’d voiced my concerns to Death. She’d insisted that I do this for her, stating that it would make sense later. Just because she was still under 999 seals did not mean I could question her. Not at all. Her wrath, post-liberation, would’ve been memorable.
However, my presence here had its silver lining, since it meant I could be around Nethissis more often. At times, I could’ve sworn she’d sensed me, but she hadn’t said a word—not a single peep. There was just something about her that kept me hanging around, making it impossible for me to take my eyes off her.
Nethissis was a special creature. I still felt bad for convincing Acantha to sacrifice herself to Eirexis, but I’d done it to save Nethissis from certain death. The decision would haunt me forever, but I did find comfort in knowing that I’d given her a chance to live, to fully explore her marvelous existence.
Even now, as she helped Lumi and Kailani prepare their interplanetary spell, I fought the urge to reveal myself, wondering what her reaction would be if she saw me again—especially after the conversation she’d just had, where my name had been unexpectedly dropped. That had been a pleasant surprise. Copper scales covered the back of her neck, reddish hair flowing loosely over her bare shoulder. Her skin looked soft, glistening like silk in the moonlight. Her voice had the sweetness of honey, and I needed to get a grip, already!
“I think we’ll be ready to leave in a couple of hours, tops,” Lumi said. “We’re waiting for one last shipment of serium batteries for the shuttle, if I’m not mistaken.”
Kailani nodded, glancing at the small ship. “Dmitri!” she shouted. “How long till the batteries get here?”
Dmitri’s head popped up behind the windshield, his black hair ruffled. “An hour, maybe two!”
“Told ya.” Lumi chuckled.
“We already have batteries on board,” Nethissis replied, her brow furrowed. Even when she pouted, she was gorgeous. I worried I might’ve fallen for her. It would’ve been a tragedy, if that was the case. A Reaper and a living creature could never be together. Not only was it impossible to sway Death on the topic, but it didn’t feel right, either, no matter what my feelings for Nethissis were—though, frankly, I wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, that I felt for her; I only knew I wanted to see her again, that I could not get enough of her, and that I’d sort of traded another life for hers... But our worlds were apart, and that was to be the end of it. “What do we need more for?”
“Backup,” Lumi said. “I ordered them last night, after the GASP meeting. I’m putting our past experiences to good use, honey. Don’t worry.”
I finally found the strength to move away from this conversation, focusing on the vampires instead. I’d only seen Tristan and Esme in passing since I’d been assigned to shadow Derek and Sofia, but last night had been a good opportunity to get to know them better. They hadn’t been involved with GASP as much as their peers, but they certainly seemed to have potential.
As they stood to the side, talking to their parents, Derek, Sofia, Rose, and Ben, I noticed their body language. It told me more than their words ever would. Esme, for example, was a fierce creature. Only a few inches shorter than her brother, she knew how to appear imposing, keeping her back straight and chin up at all times, in a military fashion. Her athletic figure helped, as well.
She was the fighter of the two. Tristan was the studious type, but there was a wild side to him, as well. I could