Chapter 3

3

I left the Regina's office and picked up only a single shadow. Vance hovered a step behind me, close enough that when I abruptly halted my rapid march, he bumped into me.

I whirled and craned to look him in the face because, hello, for some reason all the reapers tended to be at least a foot taller than me. However, I refused to be intimidated. "Mind giving me some breathing room?"

"Actually, I do. You're agitated."

"You don't say," I drawled.

"It's not your fault those reapers went missing." He pinpointed the reason for my discontent.

"Kind of feels like it is. The portal wasn't causing issues before I began talking to it."

"Not entirely true. While it hasn't happened in recent years, reapers have gone missing while travelling before."

"One here and there isn't three in one week."

"Shit happens."

"I wish shit would happen to someone else," I muttered. Because no matter what he or anyone else said, the blame for their deaths belonged to me. The salty voice wanted a body and if I didn't find one, it would keep having a passive-aggressive tantrum.

"Want to go target practice to work off some steam?"

"No."

"Are you sure? You might feel better if you shot something."

I whirled on him. "Hitting a straw bale with a bullseye on it isn't satisfying nor does it help solve my problem."

Vance growled. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?" I asked as I stuck a hand in my pocket to check for my scythe. We were standing at the bottom step of the staircase leading up to the next floor.

"You're constantly giving me attitude."

I glanced at him. "Don't like my charming personality? Then ask to be reassigned."

"You've been pissy ever since I said no to a threesome."

Had I? Yes. Blame sexual frustration and the fact I wouldn't give in to their demand I choose only one. I knew if I did, I'd second guess my choice, maybe even regret it.

"Again, if you have a problem with me, then tell Asher. I'm sure he's got other reapers eager to be with me." Yeah, I layered that with innuendo, and it tightened his features.

"You know I'm not doing that. Just like I know you're being abrasive right now because you need to vent."

I stood on tiptoe and murmured, "You know what's great for relaxation? Sweaty sex. The harder the better."

"Is this an invitation to your bed?"

"You know my conditions."

His lips flattened. "You make it really hard to like you sometimes."

"And yet you still want me," I purred, cupping his groin. Instant erection. At least I never doubted his desire for me. He and Cain both got boners around me.

"Trust me, I wish I didn't. I don't know what it is about you that drives me crazy."

"It's my charm."

He snorted. "Yeah, doubtful."

"So why do you like me?"

It took him a moment to reply. "Because you're fierce and beautiful and stubborn." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "You've gone from someone scared of her own shadow to boldly slaying them. You tease me. In person. In my dreams. I can't stop thinking about you."

His words echoed Cain. No wonder I couldn't choose.

"Ditto. And when I say that it includes Cain. Trust me, I wish I could have simply fallen for one of you. I've never been so fucking horny in my life." The honest truth. "But the fact of the matter is, choosing one will hurt the other. Not to mention, I have FOMO."

His forehead wrinkled. "What the fuck is FOMO?"

"Fear of missing out."

That lifted his brows. "Aren't you already doing that, though?"

"Yes, but by choice."

"And that makes a difference?"

My lips curved. "Actually, it does." For the first time in my life, I felt as if I were in control. Mostly. I mean there was the whole disembodied entity and emperor of Inferis thing, but when it came to personal matters, I finally had a voice, and I was using it.

"What if Cain and I were to agree to take turns?"

The suggestion actually had me pondering. They seemed quite averse to the whole sharing me at the same time thing, but alternating sexy times? "That might work. Would Cain agree?"

"Dunno." He shrugged.

"I assume since you suggested it, you'd be okay with it?"

"It's not my preferred relationship." He grimaced. "But maybe it would allow me to either get you out of my system or prove I'm the better lover." He offered a wink and naughty grin that made me laugh.

"You know a competition of who does it better might just work." It would mean lots of pleasure for me. Greedy? I was okay with it. Putting my life on the line meant I wanted to live life to the fullest. Wanted to grab happiness—and dicks—and take what I could while I could because I had a bad feeling that unlike the heroes in books and movies, I might not get that happily ever after that saw me growing old.

"Guess you expect me to run it by Cain?"

My lips curved. "You are the two that need to come to an agreement."

"Fine," he huffed. "But if he dick punches me for suggesting it, I will require a kiss to make it better."

"I think that can be arranged."

"So if you don't want to shoot stuff, what is the plan?"

"I need to find a suitable body for the voice in the cold place. Any suggestions?"

He shook his head. "I still can't believe you agreed to do that."

"What else should I have done?" I planted my hands on my hips. "Should I have let Moloch rampage and kill thousands? Millions?"

"We could have found another way to stop him."

"How? Cain tried to decapitate him and the fucker barely flinched. And you know what they say about hindsight. I had a split second to make a decision: the life of one, versus an entire world. So yeah, I fucking agreed, and I don't need you or anyone else pissing me off about it. Count yourself lucky that you're not on my list of possibilities." Now there was a way to talk to the guy I wanted in my bed.

"You'd give the entity my body?" His voice lilted in shock.

"No," I grumbled. "But I'm running out of ideas. It wants someone who can do magic. reaper or witch. The problem being, I can't exactly condemn one of my allies." There had to be a way to solve this without fucking with my moral compass.

Before Vance could reply, Mizuki came flying into view. "There you are!" she exclaimed. "Nova says we're going to need you. A roc sighting has been confirmed in Toronto. It's nesting on the CN Tower and causing all kinds of trouble. Killed at least a dozen people so far."

"A roc?" My brow knitted. "As in the giant bird?" I knew better than to add the part where I thought them a myth. I'd been learning that much of our folklore actually had a basis in fact. Monsters thought to be legends did in fact exist.

"It's huge!" Mizuki exclaimed. "And the local police are claiming their bullets can't penetrate its hide."

"Meaning we'll need reapers and witches," I mused aloud. The reaper weapons were enhanced with magic, but if they couldn't scratch the surface, quite literally, then it would be up to those of us with power in our fingertips to even the odds.

"Cecily and Helen are already in Brazil handling the gigacerta herd that's rampaging its way across the countryside, so Nova said you and I need to go." Mizuki beamed. She'd taken to the whole heroic business a lot more quickly and enthusiastically than me. I'd been dragged kicking and screaming. But that was before I got a handle on my magic.

"Okay, let me grab my coat. I'll meet you in the front hall," I stated and began pounding up the steps. No surprise, Vance shadowed me.

"I'm coming with you," he stated as we reached my floor.

"You don't say," I muttered. I entered my room and grabbed the long duster coat hanging from a hook. As I slid my arms into my sleeves, Vance growled, "Why do you act as if me caring is such a burden?"

"It's more that you and Cain act as if I can't do anything. Which, I'll admit, used to be true, but I've gotten better. I can use my magic. I don't run away. I don't always need you guys throwing yourselves in front of me, trying to save me from a fight."

"I just want you safe."

"And I want to not turn back into the coward I used to be."

My admission led to him crossing the short distance between us and grabbing me by the upper arms. "Damn you for driving me nuts."

"I could be driving you insane with pleasure if you and Cain would cooperate." I offered a lopsided smile. He might be stubborn, but I had him beat. I'd made up my mind and nothing short of a ménage à trois would do.

Rather than retort, he used his mouth in another way, kissing me suddenly and fiercely, awakening every single pleasurable nerve ending I owned. His hand slid from its grip on my arm to stroke me between the thighs, firing me up even further.

The temptation to drag him to bed warred with my determination to have him and Cain, but also with duty.

"I don't have time for this," I murmured against his mouth. "I have a fight with a giant turkey to attend."

"We will talk about this later," he growled against my lips before stepping away.

"Only if you win the coin toss for who gets me first." I'd not mentioned the fact Cain had already given me an oral orgasm. It had only been the one time and rocked my world. But right after, Vance, unknowing, kissed me. Hence why I'd taken a stand.

"Fuck me," he snapped.

"I'm trying to," I quipped.

His glower almost made me laugh. Was I being fair? Probably not, but at this point I didn't care. I wanted what I wanted. He and Cain needed to get with the program.

We exited and headed down the stairs to find Cain all geared up and waiting.

He eyed Vance, and then me, with my lips feeling poufy from the fierce kiss. Given the jealousy between the two, I could think of only one thing to do. Before I hit the bottom step, I used magic to drag Cain forward and planted a smooch on his mouth, whispering, "Yes, he kissed me. And no, that doesn't mean I've chosen."

With that, I shoved away, and stalked off, knowing they trailed at my backside.

I found Mizuki waiting for me, practically bouncing in excitement.

"Ready?" she chirped.

"Hell, yeah. Let's go bag an oversized turkey."