A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,71
first time. I’m assuming Unending hadn’t used it before then?”
“That is correct,” Night said. “Minds and hearts changed, and by the time Death wanted to undo what she’d created with Unending, our sister had decided to hold on to her power because it kept her beloved mortal immortal.”
“So, when Death came to her to take the power away, she and Unending had an argument,” I muttered, connecting the cosmic dots.
“A massive argument, or so the story goes.” Soul sighed. “Unending never talked to us about it. She kept the details to herself. This was after Death had granted us our freedom and shortly before Phantom, Widow, and I accepted the mission to protect Thieron’s elements. Unending didn’t feel like she owed Death anything. She was trying to build a life with her mortal. After the argument, she left, and we haven’t seen her since.”
I went over past conversations I’d had with Soul, Phantom, and Widow regarding Unending and the other First Tenners. And I remembered what they’d told me before. There were some inconsistencies.
“That’s not what you first told me about Unending,” I said. “I do remember you mentioning an argument, but nothing of the kind you just described, Soul.”
The First Tenner shrugged. “To be honest, these were the sorts of details we preferred keeping among ourselves. No one likes an uncertain Death, now do they?”
“It does make our creator seem a tad… immature,” Kelara muttered.
Seeley helped me up, but I refused to leave his side. My arms slipped around his waist, and I held on to him. He looked down at me, smiling gently as he tucked a lock of long copper hair behind my ear. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.
“Are you not glad she’s also buck naked?” Widow chuckled. It prompted the others to laugh, while I blushed, my face burning.
I had gotten so used to my condition that my nakedness had basically slipped from thought. Seeley, however, didn’t laugh. He just held me, all tingly warm and protective. Morning came closer, scythe in her hand. Instinctively, I moved to get away from the blade, until she spoke.
“It’s okay, Nethissis. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“What… um, what do you want to do, then?” I asked.
“Well, you’re not the first mortal to die naked, my dear,” she replied. “I’ve taken pity on others before you, for various reasons. I might as well do the same with you.”
“Right. Morning does have her little sartorial trick,” Night said, clearly amused.
“None of you seem to mind me having only my hair to cover my privates,” I muttered. “What if Morning does something wrong, and I end up in the afterlife before I get my chance at resurrection?”
Night cleared his throat. “First of all, none of us seem to mind you’re in your birthday suit because we don’t care. However, our new friend Seeley there has obviously been struggling with this for a very long time. I believe my sister is trying to help you out of pity for him, not you. Second, do not underestimate Morning. She’s not the kind to accidentally reap someone.”
“That’s true. At worst, she just sticks her scythe where it doesn’t belong,” Soul grumbled.
“Nonsense! You and Atifa were a good match!” Morning shot back, glowering at Soul, and I understood they all had quite a history together. A big band of undying Reapers that were older than time and sassier than most Lamias I’d ever met—and our species was renowned for our talent at talking smack.
“Atifa?” Kelara asked, staring at Soul. Her tone felt strained, tempting me to consider that she might be a bit jealous. “Who’s Atifa?”
The First Tenner looked like a deer caught in the headlights. But he waved the problem away.
“That’s a story for another time. Now go on, Morning, do your thing,” Soul replied, shifting focus back to his sunny-side-up sister. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
Morning nodded once and brought the scythe closer until the tip of its blade touched my shoulder. I felt the cold metal, a chill rushing through my limbs as fabric began to materialize over my skin. A smile stretched across my lips as I found myself fully clothed in a simple long white dress with thin straps and a fitted waist.
“There we go,” Morning said, pleased with what she’d accomplished. “Much better, don’t you think?”
I pulled my hair up into a loose bun, no longer having to use it to cover myself. “Thank you,” I replied. “It’s definitely better.”