8. Reaper

A Few Minutes Earlier

"This is fucking incredible,"I marvel, admiring the buildings all around me. "I hate New York City. But this…"

"Is Monster City," Flame tells me, stating the obvious.

"Indeed it is."

There are portals everywhere, but I don't give a fuck about the creatures coming and going through their magical spirals. I'm too enthralled by this realm's version of Times Square. It captivated me the moment we arrived, which was only minutes ago, yet it feels as though hours have passed.

None of the traditional skyscrapers exist here. It's all metal and greenery with a few splashes of windows. No billboards. No obnoxious human pedestrians. No taxis. No cars at all. Just open air, tall, environmentally friendly buildings, and hints of parks on every street block.

"I can smell the ocean," I say, ignoring whatever Orcus and Flame are discussing. "No overpowering stench of garbage or human ruin. Just… life." So fucking bizarre. "It makes me want to destroy some shit."

Because I can't feed on life.

Hmm.

I dance around, looking for a potential meal.

Humans scatter about, their fear an aphrodisiac that makes my stomach growl with hunger. Where there is fear, there is a cause. And those causes typically make a fine meal.

Except all I see is supernatural creatures prowling about, their good intentions tainting their scents. Too sweet. Too good.

I frown. "There's not a single dark soul here," I tell Orcus, more shocked by that than I am by the impressive architecture. "Not a single being worth killing."

But Orcus doesn't appear to be listening to me.

His eyes are ruby in color, his dark orbs completely overtaken by the Alpha within, as he scans the crowd, his nostrils flaring.

"What is it?" Flame asks softly.

"Omega," Orcus replies, that word underlined in a growl unlike any I've heard from him.

Flame and I share a glance.

Orcus's mother is an Omega. However, his expression and demeanor suggest it's not his mother he scents now, but another female entirely.

He takes a step forward, then pauses and abruptly turns right, his growl intensifying.

Flame and I immediately take our positions at his back, our centuries of friendship clicking into gear as our protective natures take over.

Orcus's steps grow faster with each passing second, his inner Alpha in complete control now. I've never seen him like this. However, he's been acting strange these last few days. I chalked it up to this mission, but now I'm wondering if it was something more. Something related to this Omega he appears to be currently hunting.

A potential mate?I question, shifting into a jog as Orcus takes off down a side street.

"And he thought we would be the ones distracted by our purpose here," Flame says to me conversationally.

I snort. "We're never letting him live this down."

"Never," Flame agrees.

If Orcus hears us, he doesn't reply. He's too busy sprinting down the alleyway between buildings.

Flame and I pick up speed, our gazes searching everything while Orcus remains dead set on chasing the Omega calling to his Alpha soul.

Strangely tinted windows,I think, noting the various creatures standing behind them. They seem to be observing our chase with interest. Why are you all hanging out in there instead of out here? I want to ask them.

But there's no time.

Orcus is practically flying now, his wings clearly threatening to break free from his back. I can sense it in the way he's propelling himself forward, his ethereal nature blinking in and out of view.

"Fuck," I mutter, realizing I'm about to lose my best friends. Because if he goes into angel mode, then Flame is going to let his panther out, and I'll be the only one left running on two legs.

There are lots of things I can do. Alas, flying and shifting are two abilities outside the realm of my possibilities.

My lips part, Orcus's name nearly leaving my mouth as a delicious scent almost knocks me on my ass. Dark souls. Three of them. Sinful. Decadent. Like chocolate-covered strawberries.

I blink. That is new.

Dark souls usually remind me of smoke, not dessert.

My nose twitches, my senses firing as Flame growls beside me. I'm too lost in my thoughts of a mouthwatering meal to focus on the cause of his irritation.

Focus, I try to tell myself. You can eat after helping Orcus.

Except every step is bringing me closer to the sweet fragrance of impending death, causing my mouth to salivate with need.

Energy swirls along my arms, my tattoos slowly unwinding to taste the air around me. Wisps and strands twirl, power unfurling from inside me to stroke everything and everyone in our path.

Orcus disappears through a doorway, only to come to an abrupt halt.

I growl as I run into his back, my hunger reaching a peak. Seek. Destroy. Devour.

Flame grips me by the nape and throws me against a wall, his jaguar very much in his gaze.

I leap forward, grabbing him by the collar of his leather jacket. "What?—"

"Let me go!"

My eyelashes flutter, my head slowly turning as my ears attempt to locate the source of those three words. Despite the hoarse quality of the voice, I know it belonged to a woman. One who appears to be struggling nearby.

One that makes Orcus growl low, his fury a palpable whip that makes me release Flame and take a step back.

My inky strands slowly come back to me, thoughts of a meal instantly replaced by a need to find the woman who uttered that demand.

"Just knock her out!" someone shouts, drawing my focus down a long, dark hallway.

A hallway that Orcus is already striding toward.

Flame glances at me, his irises allowing me to see his jaguar. He's livid, and I doubt it's because I shoved him.

No. It has everything to do with the whimper that followed the knock her out suggestion.

"Give up," another voice says on a sneer that has my eyes narrowing.

Another whimper follows.

Orcus's wings burst from his back, his responding growl one that vibrates the walls all around us.

However, the soon-to-be-dead soul ahead of us must not hear him because he says, "You're going to regret that, whore."

I snarl at the sight unfolding before us of a man with his hand wrapped around the throat of a beautiful female.

A female I instantly recognize.

Because she's been haunting my dreams all week.

The dark-haired woman from the village.

I could never forget the determination and strength highlighting her stunning eyes.

Except her expression right now exudes pain and fear. And that is not acceptable.

Flame leaps around Orcus to grab the guy with his palm wrapped around our woman's throat. A crack follows as the human male is thrown against a wall, his body instantly going limp.

There are two other men in the room.

Two black souls.

Two humans who do not deserve to live.

I stalk toward them while Orcus crouches down to gather the female into his arms, his purr a foreign sound that almost distracts me from my task. Almost.

Fearpours off the men I'm hunting.

And the cowards turn to run.

But my deadly strands are waiting for them, my tattoos unfurling in an instant to unleash every ounce of my lethal strength.

I wrap them up in my cords and squeeze.

Screams follow.

Delicious fucking screams.

And I drink in every bit of vitality these assholes give me, reveling in their sweet deaths as I swallow their souls down… down… down.

They're husks of human shells when I'm done, their darkness no longer a burden for this world to carry. That privilege is now mine.

I feel them inside.

See every sordid deed they've ever committed.

And lock them away in a box where they'll exist until my dying breath.

Enjoy purgatory, I think at them, pleased to be their executioner and their punisher. May you rest in hell.

I turn then, determined to end the third man. The one who dared to touch our woman.

Although, she's not ours, is she? I think, my head slightly clearer now that I've fed.

I blink at the woman, note the way Orcus is cradling her in his lap and humming against her ear, his wings nowhere in sight. The only evidence he even released them is in the tattered state of his shirt.

Is she his mate? I wonder, noting the way he's staring down at her with uncharacteristic reverence in his gaze. His Omega?

My teeth clench. Why does he get to have her and I don't?

Wow, wait. No. What the fuck was that? Since when do I even want a mate?

Sex? Yes. Always.

A mate? No. My soul is far too destroyed to entertain the possibility of a mate.

And yet…

I cock my head to the side. She is very pretty. I scent the air. And she smells like strawberries.

My eyes widen. Wait…

I glance at the man Flame has hoisted up against the hallway wall, his grip unrelenting as he growls at the man.

He's waiting for me to come feed. To end the man's life and devour his soul.

But the flavor… the fragrance… it's coming from the girl.

Only, her soul isn't black at all. It's pure. White. Beautiful.

And I want to taint it with my touch. Lick her.

Biteher.

I shake my head in an attempt to see reason. This isn't like me at all. Bondage while fucking? Yes, fucking please. Biting? No. Biting equals mating.

Licking is okay.

Nibbling is approved.

Biting… no. Unacceptable.

And yet, my mouth waters with the urge to sink my teeth into her sweet flesh and taste her delectable blood. Bind our souls. Marry us for eternity.

I take a step back and grab my nape. This realm is fucking with my head.

"Reaper?" Flame growls. "You have five seconds before I kill this asshole myself."

"No," Orcus interjects, his tone soft despite the growling purr rumbling in his chest. "Alina has the first right of kill. He hurt her. She chooses his death."

I hear Orcus's words and understand them. Hell, I even agree with them.

But all I can focus on is the fact that he knows her name.

Alina.

It's beautiful, just like her. Soft, yet strong. Short, while packing a punch.

I can see the evidence of her fight, the scratch marks practically engraved in her assailant's face.

"You're right," Flame says without releasing the human he has pinned to the wall. "How would you like him to die, little panther?"

I blink at him.

First, Orcus knows her name.

Second, Flame has already given the girl a nickname.

And I… I have nothing.

No. That's not true. I have weapons. Thousands of weapons.

I grin, my tattoos already unfurling again as I move toward Orcus. He doesn't take his eyes off the female. I can't blame him. She's hypnotizing.

She's also gaping right back at him.

And now at me.

I don't sense fear from her, just confusion.

"Who are you?" she asks, looking between us, then focusing on my inky strands. "What are you?" She shifts her attention to Flame. "And what…? What do you mean…? How would I want him to die?"

"He hurt you, little panther. He doesn't deserve to live," Flame explains with a shrug.

"No, he deserves pain," I add.

"A great deal of pain," Orcus agrees gruffly. "But it's your choice, Alina. Do you want to kill him?"

"And if you do, can I interest you in any weapons?" I ask her, already forming several within my strands in hopes of impressing her. "A hand knife to slit his throat, perhaps? Or a sword to sever his head completely?"

Her eyes widen.

"I can also create a gun," I tell her. "If you prefer a longer-range method."

"Too quick," Flame mutters.

"While I agree, it's her decision," I reply, smiling at her. "So what it'll be, pet? What's your weapon of choice?"