2. A DEAL WITH DEATH

Chapter two

A DEAL WITH DEATH

D ying is frigid. It's the sort of chill that touches parts buried so deep inside, you didn't even know they existed. A permeating cold sinking into every nook and cranny. There's no escaping it: the loneliness between life and death. Not quite in your body, not quite separated from it. But worst of all…I could still hear her. My best friend's cries and screams as she performed the summoning spell she never should have attempted alone. I tried to call out to her, to slip back into my body, but I couldn't. Fuck, I was supposed to be there! By her side, backing her up if Death decided he had no intention of sharing his throne with his heir. From what I'd researched, Cadagon was a less-than-gracious ruler who cared little for what anyone else thought, let alone what they desired. And Kim was alone in the forest, accompanied by a demon and—based on the sizzle of flame tickling my barely conscious ears—Death himself.

I'd failed her.

Red light danced behind my eyelids as complex galaxies began to spin about, giving way to supernovas that stretched out farther than the human eye should be able to perceive. My soul began to writhe—the sensation of being swept away by a waning wave overcoming me with a rush to the head. What was happening? Panic gripped me. I didn't fear death, not really. But any sort of consciousness which didn't include Kim? The notion had me clawing back into my bones. To be truly alone…there was no worse fate or torment. I needed her. We needed each other. I screamed into the unfurling void and begged for it to release me, but it held sharp and firm, ready to drag me into oblivion. I thrashed, though my body remained fixed and motionless. Why couldn't I move ? All sound evaporated, the silence deafening.

No. No!

A voice called to me then, the darkness skittering away in its wake to create a path in my mind's eye. On one end: a hooded figure stood at the bow of a boat rocking on a crimson sea. On the other: an ornate door encased in bright yellow light. I turned back to the silhouetted man. His presence needed no formal introduction. Only one being could overshadow the dread presented at the afterlife crossroads.

Death: returned to claim my payment.

"You're here," I said, despite my lips never moving somehow.

He nodded and pointed to my hands. Choose.

I followed his gaze and watched in stunned horror as my fingertips dissolved into cosmic stardust. The remnants flitted away on an invisible wind. Each passing second whittled me away further, but the heavens stirred with promise, galaxies shifting overhead. Beautiful. A strange peace settled around me like a blanket, blocking out the chill. Maybe…maybe I could stay. Here in this warmth and comfort. I met Death's sights again. A knot formed in my throat as my feet turned towards the light at the opposite end of the path.

Choose wisely! He barked into my head.

My stomach jumped. Wait, no. I needed to get back. To something…but…to what again? The door began to sing a familiar melody, summoning me nearer. My soul knew it well: the harmony of the universe. Synchronicity of all things. I'd forgotten it after binding myself to this mortal coil; but now, here, I remembered it clear as day. The answers to life's great mysteries resided beyond that door. Every question could be answered. All I had to do was choose it. There would be no loneliness there, no pain. There, I'd be whole again, connected to the source. An internal magnet called me nearer, murmuring how I could leave everything behind: my pain, my grief, my—

She needs you, Cooper.

She…wait…Kim! The door's melody rose as if it knew I wavered. I stared at the golden door handle and considered taking hold, but fought the temptation as an ache settled in my chest. While peace surely resided within, true rest wasn't attainable without her. I'd be leaving half my heart behind, constantly wondering if my leaving had doomed her. I took a step back. The closer I got to Death, the more the light dimmed. The door cracked open wider with each step, attempting to call me back towards it, but I'd made my decision. Waves lapped at my feet as I settled at Death's side.

Meeting his flame-filled eyes, I whispered, "I choose life."

The path beneath me crumbled, dropping me into a violent sea. I thrashed to the surface time and again fighting for air, but the bloody waters filled my lungs, burning deep. As I sank to the murky depths devoid of warmth, I wondered. Had I been fooled? Was the abyss my punishment for walking away from the light? My toes skimmed the ocean bottom, knocking a rotten bone loose from a corpse's chest cavity. I'd chosen life, and yet here I was: dying. Again. Dread threatened to consume me. The door to peace had closed, and I was lost. Forever.

"Awaken," Death said, his voice drifting about like vapor.

The waters hurled me back through time and space towards a light, but not an ethereal one. It was softer somehow. Moonlight? No, torchlight—a mere sliver. Only…why couldn't I move? If I didn't know any better, I'd have confused the blood in my veins for concrete. Something wasn't right. I was stuck, trapped. Not breathing. Why wasn't I breathing ? And then, life came—a thousand needles stabbing through my chest. My eyes flew open, and my lungs labored as I took in the blurry scene. Darkness, but…

"I—I'm alive?"

"Indeed," Death responded from somewhere in the shadows. "Though you cut it far too close for comfort with your insufferable uncertainty. The Sea of Lost Souls nearly devoured you. And what's worse, my most treasured cloak is now ruined. Centuries old. Congealed blood is impossible to remove."

A swish of wet fabric tickled my ears, and my body shot up; but a hard crack to the head knocked me back down in an instant. The hell? I poked a fresh cut above my eye; my vision stained red. The world sharpened and came into focus. Glass. Wood. Nails. A coffin.

I was trapped in a fucking coffin!

Despite the fact that every bone in my body, every muscle and organ, seized with the pains of having stopped working for however long I'd lain dead in the dirt, I couldn't stay still. Small spaces, especially those lacking air, were among the few things that could seriously freak me out. To be confined in that way: stuck with nowhere to go while hyperventilation threatened to soak up your very last breath before you even had time to consider how you might escape…yeah, the stuff of nightmares right there. But I couldn't regain control. What was the point in bringing me back only to let me die another slow death? Cadagon was a serious piece of—

The coffin lid snapped open, and I thrust up, heaving in big lungfuls of moist, night air. When my head finally stopped spinning, I surveyed the room. A crypt. Based on the gold and intricate carvings surrounding the winding hallways to my left, I'd bet serious money that this was a resting place for royalty. A crescent moon carved into the granite ceiling snagged my attention: the symbol for Anathema. Yeah, this wasn't just any royal crypt. Death's family line was laid to rest here. A chill ran up my spine.

"How do you feel?" Death asked, concealed in shadow.

My head turned to find the corner now empty. "Cadagon…"

"That's ‘Death' to you, boy," he called out, again from behind. "But I see someone has done their research. Good, I do dread wasting time on frivolous details."

"Guess that means you don't want to hear my life story then, huh?" I hopped out of the coffin—my jellylike legs nearly taking me to the ground—and righted myself against the coarse stone wall. Shit, I must have been dead long enough for rigor mortis to set in, because damn, my muscles were useless.

"On the contrary. I already know precisely who you are, Copernicus Talonborn. Or has the debt you owe me been forgotten so easily?"

As if my body wasn't already stiff as a board, his words turned my bones to ice. That name…I hadn't heard it uttered since I was a child. "Of course I remember my debt, but how do you know that name?"

Death emerged; the hood of his dripping robe hung down over his face. He began to circle me—watching—and pressed his black-stained fingertips together the same way he had upon our first meeting. "Naturally, I grew curious after striking our bargain as to whom I had bound my blood. It did not take long to realize who, or rather what, you are."

I squared my shoulders. "Huh. Here I thought you'd remember me based on having slaughtered and chased my people from their homes. Or are you really stupid enough to believe you killed the last of the Talonborns?"

"Lies and slander," Cadagon snarled. "Seems you've learned well from the mortals. Good. Kimberly will need you to utilize such lying abilities moving forward. That is, if you wish to repay her for the steep bargain she struck to save your life."

Bargain? But what— Reality sucker-punched me in the face: she'd struck a blood pact to save me. Shit! What a reckless little thing she was. I told her to always save herself, to not worry about me. But then again, if she'd listened then she wouldn't be the woman I fell in love with. Figures she'd sacrifice on my account. Brat.

"What did she offer you?" I asked.

Death tilted his head up just enough to flash a wicked grin my way. "I'm not at liberty to discuss such details. Even if she is the object of your unrequited love."

His words hit hard, and my sights slipped to the floor. He wasn't wrong, but I hated to admit part of me still hoped that one day Kim would learn to love me. That she'd find her home in my arms. A ridiculous wish. But her affections or lack thereof wouldn't sway my mission. I'd protect her down to my last breath, even if it meant she would find happiness in another's arms. In Juniper's arms. I swallowed hard, lifting my gaze. Based on Cadagon's prideful stare, he knew he'd hit a nerve, and I'd be damned if I let him have the satisfaction. I righted my face, donning an even expression.

"Fuck you." I stepped closer. "You don't know a thing about us or how we feel for each other."

"Oh, but I most certainly do. You see, I have eyes everywhere." He motioned about the room. "Even in the mortal world. How do you think Kimberly has gone this long without being attacked? Lived unharmed and peacefully among the rogue creatures of the night who have hunted her these years past?"

Memories—dark and twisted—traced their claws across my brain. The first time I'd killed in Kim's name, I'd been fourteen. We'd snuck out that night, trailing about the woods in search of a distraction from our monotonous lives, when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I'd searched the area and found nothing, yet I'd known someone was watching us. Watching her . Based on the pull in my gut, the lurker had malicious intent. Careful not to alert Kimber—she'd have thrown hands despite her gifts lying dormant still—I'd taken her home. Made sure she was tucked into bed safe and sound before sneaking back out the window and heading straight to the garden shed.

Looking back on it, I felt bad for him: my inner child. The way his hands shook around the shovel handle as he'd waltzed into the tree line, entirely unprepared for what he'd find or the sudden awakening of his magic thereafter. Turned out someone in Anathema knew Kimber hadn't died in the massacre, knew she'd escaped. My guess at the time was someone had put a bounty on her head, considering the failed attacks that ramped up soon after. I'd found the stalking reaper—demented and torn from his purpose to bring balance based on the crazed look in his eye—hunched over, rocking back and forth as he glared up at her bedroom window. Circling back, I'd whispered from behind, "Hey, pervert. You make it a habit of watching underage girls sleep?"

He'd spun on me and buried a blade in my thigh before I could blink. That was the first time I'd known real pain. To my surprise—and future list of kinks—I'd discovered pain fueled me. With time, I'd learned to love it. Crave it: the submission pain demands. Asshole had only managed to get one cut in before my shovel cracked against his skull, knocking him out. Shock froze me in place until he'd started to stir again, writhing in the dirt, and it'd became clear what I had to do. Cocking the shovel back over my shoulder, I'd made his death quick and clean, but for my own sanity, not his. I hadn't had the stomach for murder yet. That would come later. After throwing up violently for gods knows how long, I'd buried him in the family pet cemetery and never looked back.

I fixed my eyes on Death. "She survived because I protected her."

The room darkened as he threw his hood off, his irises burning with living flame. "She survived because I allowed you to live!"

A laugh slipped past my lips. "So you admit it. I was the one who stayed and watched out for her, unlike her useless father who tossed her to the wolves—"

"Silence! I have done everything in my power to keep her safe!"

My jaw locked; words stuck in my throat despite my attempts to free them. Black smoke crept from Cadagon's fingertips, spilling across the floor to circle my ankles and hold me in place.

"Listen closely, boy," he said pointedly. "What happened in the past will come to light in due time, but I have one clear, concise mission for you. One you will neither deviate from nor alter. If you do as you are told, I will consider both Kimberly's and your debts paid, but I expect your full cooperation. Do you understand me?"

With a snap, my lips were free.

I rubbed my sore cheeks. "Both our debts?"

"Both. But do not test me, or I may be inclined to retract my kind offer and deliver you to the Shroud instead."

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"It should, if you have any sense whatsoever." He circled me again, stopping to run his finger through a candle flame. "I am certain you have heard the tales, have you not?"

Kim had mentioned the Shroud on more than one occasion. It's where she and June met, somewhere within the astral plane. Never once had she said anything to make me concerned for her safety there, but given the conviction in Death's eyes, it grew painfully obvious that I'd been naive in this. "I can tell you're dying to fill me in on what I missed, Death. Go on then, tell me."

With a nod, he drifted to sit on a carved stone bench in the corner. Gold and alabaster inlays along the bench's arms shone in the blinking candlelight. "The Shroud is an odious place. Those of us with any true sense residing in the adjacent realms remain vigilant in avoiding it as it harbors great destruction and chaos. You see, at the beginning of time, the Old Gods—the original Fate and Death—fell in love. A burning, all-consuming connection. With time, they hoped to create what most do: a family." Cadagon's face grew still, and a sliver of horror slipped through his calm demeanor. "These ‘children,' as the delusional Gods called them, were simple beings at the start. But then humanity was born, and Fate and Death grew curious about those strange, fleeting beings."

The hair on my neck stood up.

"With Fate and Death's attention stolen," he continued, ambling towards me, "their creations grew jealous. That jealously gave way to murderous and ravenous tendencies. Only when the Old Gods' children had pushed humanity to near extinction did Fate and Death lock them away in the Shroud."

Disturbing, sure, but I hadn't a clue why Cadagon felt the need to share this little fairy tale. "What are you getting at?"

"Our gifts, Cooper. Kim's and mine. Where do you think such abilities came from?"

"They descended from the Old Gods. It's in your blood."

Cadagon laughed. "Hardly. It was a gift. A weapon. Fate bestowed part of her light to Elysium, and Death reluctantly presented part of his darkness to Anathema. They cut out threads of their inherent powers and wove them into chosen, mortal bloodlines to ensure humanity would never be pushed to the verge again. But such power comes with a cost."

My eyes narrowed on him. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"It is important for you to know. Should those sinister beings confined in the Shroud find release from their prison, leaders of the adjacent planes would be called to fight. With imbalance brewing in the realms as we see here in Anathema, humanity is already at risk. Kimberly must restore balance before it taints the other planes bordering the Shroud. If not, we risk history repeating itself, and innocent people will die. Kimberly very well could be one of them."

"I won't let that happen," I bit out, grabbing Cadagon's cloak sleeve.

He brushed my hand away but met my gaze with conviction. "Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

"I would do anything for her."

"For the sake of all things we hold dear, I hope that is true, because what I am about to ask of you should not be considered lightly." Death reached into his cloak, returning with a gem-encrusted scythe. His stare burned hotter than before as he slid the blade across his palm and extended it to me. "Do you promise to weed out Kimberly's enemies? To uphold her honor at all costs and see to her survival, even if it should cost you your life?"

The steady drip of blood echoed about the room, and I weighed his words. Cadagon was not known for being forthcoming, let alone truthful. He could very well be hiding something. Playing me. "And if I deny the terms of your deal?"

"Then I will return you to the Sea of Lost Souls or better yet, the Shroud. I will even allow you to choose your fate. But you will not deny me, because you care too greatly for her. It is what brought you back from the brink, what brought you here to Anathema."

He was right. I would strike the deal regardless of the fine print, but knowing I had no choice—that I served another's will for my own life—made it difficult to simply grab his hand and agree. In the end though, it was easy: make the deal or die. Not to mention, I'd be damned before Kim succumbed to another realm's corruption when enough surely awaited in her own. I met Death's stare, and it struck me: the reason he'd saved my life two years ago was because he'd had to.

"You can't protect your own daughter…why? I thought you were the big, bad Death himself. Why drag a shifter into the mix?"

"I will say this only once, so listen closely." Something akin to regret reflected in his expression as he huffed out a breath. "I have made mistakes. Done things I am not proud of. But always in the name of my family. While they will never understand or truly know me, that is not my concern. I am bound, Cooper, but I can offer you a chance at the happiness I never got. At love."

"I—I don't understand."

Blood ran down his wrist as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've made deals to ensure Kimberly and her mother remained safe until my daughter could return and claim her rightful place. The time has come to pay the price for those deals. I won't be around to protect her, and she will be forced into situations I've no power to revoke or change."

"What kind of situations we talkin' here?"

"For one…" He hesitated, his lips forming a tight line. "She has been promised."

The ground shook beneath me. No, that—that couldn't be. Losing her to another because she chose them was one thing. But for her to be forced into a loveless marriage? Like hell I'd let that happen.

I paced the room, my hands fisted at my sides. "Promised? This isn't gods-damned Elizabethan England! Nobody has a right to a woman's body or heart unless she chooses it. I'll fucking kill him!"

Death's smile grew wild. "How I hoped you'd say that. Now, do we have a deal?"

We stood there; our eyes locked. Trusting someone like him came at a cost, but if he was telling the truth—if he really had boxed himself into blood pacts to ensure her safety—then I might be the only one looking out for her. A vision of Kim facing this brutal kingdom alone swept in, scaring the shit out of me. I lifted my chin. I knew what had to be done. My best friend's safety far outweighed the risks. From here on out, I would be her shadow. Her blade.

I offered my hand to Death. "Yes. We have a deal."

In a heartbeat, he snatched my wrist, dragged his dagger down my palm, and clapped our hands together. A blood pact. Unbreakable. Binding.

"Let it be known," he said with a laugh that boomed through the stone enclosure, "the deal with Death has been struck. You have your mission, Copernicus. You will kill the vampire Lord. You will kill Lyvias Kraven."