I froze despite the boiled-covered demon darting in front of me. My shadowy mass quivered. If I had been solid…
What would I have done?
Words escaped me. Without knowing what ailed me, I didn’t know the proper response.
But I couldn’t tear my gaze from the woman.
She mesmerized me. Sexiness oozed from the tip of her head down to her black high heels. The blood moon reflected off her exposed pale back. A gown speckled by diamonds hugged her every curve. Few could pull off such a dark and sensual aura, but she basked in it as if the night was hers for the taking. Her breathtaking and eerie image would have sent the strongest man to his knees.
Something pulled at my chest as if a magnetic force yanked on my soul. Her aura locked me in place, like she controlled every part of me. She hadn’t even looked at me, but yet I was changing on the inside. Becoming someone else.
Something else.
A machete materialized in her hand, and she hacked into a demon approaching her. My form quivered again as I watched her move. Then her striking blue eyes turned toward me, and something inside me sparked. Whatever it was, filled me with awe and something else I couldn’t describe.
With a hand on her hip, she sashayed over to me. Fire engulfed me. My soul undulated in response. Without warning, she lifted her machete, and it became a sword.
My reaping form rippled. What the— An odd web of lust took root inside me, making my head foggy. I should have moved aside. Instead, I wanted to bask in her presence despite the danger.
Am I going to die?
I’d been waiting such a long time for death to finally claim me, but it didn’t appeal to me in that moment.
I can’t move.
Strange.
The idea of leaving her became appalling.
I could survive that blade in this form. Just come closer.
Her eyes narrowed as I stayed put. I studied the enormous pink aura flowing around her. If I had a mouth in that form, I would salivate.
What the fuck?
Goodness vibrated throughout her soul. She glowed with it. Why did I yearn to devour her? Good souls tasted bad. Bad souls tasted good. That was how it was for soul reapers.
Then a chill wafted off of her in waves. I studied her soul again. She was immortal—a Reaper. It was second nature to a demon to recognize a threat like her kind. The goodness within her made sense. It was her job.
I wasn’t afraid of what she was. Her existence, however, completely stunned me. I wanted to fucking hump her leg. Then buy her flowers because I’d feel shitty afterward for such wolf-like behavior. But I probably needed to put her in a cellar so no one else would see her and want to do the same things. How many had already? My rage simmered deeply. How many would I have to kill?
So many thoughts jumbled my brain. If I was a machine, I’d blow a fuse.
She stopped several feet in front of me and stiffened. Cocking her head, she glanced beyond my shadowy form. Perhaps she intended to end me like the other foul beasts slain that night. Her intense scrutiny made my shadow sway. Her hypnotic aura spreading through my form threatened to solidify me.
I inhaled and caught the scent of a familiar candy—green-apple Jolly Rancher with a hint of rum. She smelled like the sweet treat too. Her looks gave a man a reason to fall to his knees and give praise. My feet itched to move and meet her the rest of the way.
Before I could, a sword hovered at my neck. Side-glancing to my left, I saw the new arrivals. Two more male Reapers. Of course they traveled in a group.
“Ah, so this is where the trail of dead bodies is coming from,” said the one holding a shotgun. Both dark-haired males were dressed in tuxedos.
“Soul Reaper,” shotgun guy shouted.
“And the reason for all the missing, angry souls.” The other one chuckled. A yellow essence wrapped around him. I looked at the sword free-floating at my neck and noticed the same color swirling around it. Mysteriously, the weapon seemed to have a mind of its own. “You’re not afraid of dying?”
I tensed as the blade nipped my skin. Normally, I wouldn’t care about my fate since Tiffany no longer needed me, but the mysterious woman flashed through my mind.