Chapter Eleven

She’d called him an idiot. The insult made him want to laugh. Maybe it was the expression of outrage on her face or the cute way she tried to drill her finger through him. She hadn’t been tempted by other shifters, only by him.

A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, but he managed to contain it. He might not always get women, but even he understood enough not to smile or laugh when she was so worked up.

She might kick his ass if he did.

Watching her rant, her breasts heaving and her cheeks flushed, was a huge turn-on.

She was smart and strong and passionate.

She’d be a perfect mate for him, someone who could stand by his side.

Some of his humor fled. That was only a dream as long as she was being hunted. He didn’t know how to protect her, or even if those after her could be destroyed. It wasn’t something he’d ever come across before. None of the members of the Brotherhood had, at least not to his knowledge.

They shared general information with one another, but not everything, especially not about their own kind. None of them were that stupid. It would give a huge advantage to another powerful immortal, one who might be called on to put you down if you went rogue.

“That’s what you got out of everything I just said?” she demanded. “That I called you an idiot? Idiot,” she muttered again.

He couldn’t help himself. His lips twitched. She saw it, and her eyes narrowed. “No, I heard it all,” he assured her.

“And it amuses you?”

“It makes me happy that you care.” Like him, his words were simple and straightforward.

She sighed, seemingly exasperated. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Stay with me.” Easy enough. It was probably too soon, at least for her, but he wanted her with him—to sleep with every night, to wake with every day, to laugh and spend time with. He’d never thought it was possible until he’d met her.

While she knew he was different, he hadn’t shared everything. And that was the way it was going to stay, at least until the threat to her had been eliminated.

“It’s not that easy,” she began. To cut off any further objection, he kissed her.

She tasted like sunshine, like hot summer nights on the beach and cold winter days snuggled in front of the fire. And she smelled delicious. He’d intended to ask her why she always smelled like flowers.

Maybe it was a reaper thing.

Making a sound of exasperation, she dove headfirst into the heated embrace. God, she was something. Her tongue tangled with his, taking and giving. Every time was better than the last.

The sharp bite of her nails stung his biceps. Urgency driving them both, he pulled her closer, loving the way her breasts pillowed against his chest, the way her stomach cradled his erection.

He traced the features of her face—her pert nose, her high cheekbones, her slightly pointed chin. Taken apart, her features were nothing special. Only they were. Cassie was unique, a one-of-a-kind miracle. And she was his.

Slipping his hand under the shirt she wore, he smoothed his hand up and down her supple spine.

He wanted to rip the garment away and love her so hard and deep, she would never forget him. But mostly, he wanted to entice her to stay with him. Forever.

When they finally came up for air, she licked her lips, like she would after having some decadent treat, maybe the chocolate or pizza she said she loved.

It was enough to drive him crazy and imagine that sweet mouth on other parts of his body. His cock jerked against her stomach, ready and rearing to go.

“I’m sorry I called you an idiot.”

There was a twinkle in her eyes that belied that statement. “Are you? Really?” Even hard and hurting, he found humor in the situation.

Her answering smile brightened her face. “No, but it seemed like the thing to say.”

His lips twitched. Pretending innocence, she batted her eyelashes. He loved this mischievous side of her. Bears loved to play, and he so seldom indulged, and certainly not while anyone else was around. His darker side tended to dampen his playful spirit.

But Cassie ignited it.

He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. She resembled a mischievous sprite with her short, spiky black hair and brilliant green eyes. She seemed so pleased with herself that he laughed even harder.

Some of the tension that had been pressing down on him fell away. It was momentary, but life was unpredictable. Best to take advantage of it and appreciate the good things that came his way.

“Bet you think you’re clever?” He gave a mock growl.

She gave a solemn nod, but then her pleasure faded. “Not so clever considering the mess I’m in.”

As much as he wanted to make love to her, they needed to come up with a plan. Her safety came first. Always. Night was coming and with it those hunting her would be back, using the cover of darkness to search for them.

“Should we move before nightfall?” She’d know better than he what reapers could or couldn’t do. It would be stupid not to tap into her knowledge.

“It would be unpredictable. They wouldn’t expect me to be with another person. We might actually blend in better, go unnoticed.”

“You sure they won’t sense you?” That was a huge worry. “How can I kill them?”

“You can’t.” Her blunt words fell like an anvil, hard and heavy. “Only Death or a head reaper can take down one.” She glanced away as she spoke.

Something in his gut twisted. That wasn’t quite the truth. There’d been an odd note in her voice and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Something dark and dangerous welled up inside him, his lighthearted bear side withdrawing in hurt bewilderment.

She was lying to him.

No, not lying, just not telling him everything.

She crawled off his lap and sat on the side of the bed. “If you did manage to destroy one of us, Death would come.” She held his hand, her grip bruising. “He’d take you in an instant. You can’t hurt anyone who shows up. Promise me.”

Relief poured through him.

She’s lying to protect me.

It bothered him, but he understood. A part of him even relished it, since it suggested she cared.

“Then we need to hide.” Running wasn’t something he did. It was in his nature to stand and fight, to face his adversary head-on. No retreat. No surrender.

Only this time he had something to lose. Someone to lose. He wouldn’t risk Cassie. Not for the sake of his pride.

He ran through their options in his head. “We need to leave before the sun goes down. Get back to your apartment.”

“Is that really the best thing to do?”

Instead of answering, he asked her another question. “Will they hesitate to fight around people?”

She started to speak but hesitated before beginning again. “Under normal circumstances, I’d say no. But now I’m not sure. Not anymore.” On a sigh, she released his hand and stood. “I don’t know if their orders are to bring me back or execute me.”

“My orders were to terminate,” he reminded her.

“But that’s impossible.” Her words were soft, the honesty in them striking hard.

It was reassuring. It was also arousing. Such a strong woman in such a beautiful package, not just her lush body but her lust for life, her kindness, her intelligence.

He levered himself off the bed and stood beside her. “Then we go,” he told her. “They’ll have already checked out the bar and your apartment. The last thing they’d expect is for us to return.”

While it might be true that he couldn’t harm her, another of her kind might be able to. The odds increased if there was more than one reaper on her trail.

She waited a beat before finally nodding in agreement. “We go.”

It didn’t take them long to dress, set the kitchen to rights, pack their stuff, and leave. As he locked the door behind him, he wondered if he’d ever see this place again.

He shook off the errant thought, but it kept coming back as they climbed into the vehicle he kept in the attached heated garage and headed out.

…

Cassie hadn’t been looking forward to a long walk back to The Pit. She’d suggested they call Buck for a ride, but Alexei had surprised her by having an older SUV stored in a heated garage. The interior of the vehicle was scrupulously clean and smelled delicious, a combination of leather and Alexei. She inhaled deeply, soaking in both.

He didn’t need the ride, but he did need to keep up appearances. Wouldn’t do to have him wandering around in sub-zero temperatures all the time. People would ask questions.

And she was glad of it. She hated the cold. In spite of the heat blasting from the vent, she shivered.

“Do you think I’m changing? Evolving?”

“Why do you ask?” He drove down the fairly deserted road, competent and relaxed behind the wheel. She envied him the skill as she hadn’t learned to drive. Bill Pittman, the owner of The Pit, drove her to town once every couple of weeks for groceries. And any number of regulars offered their services on a weekly basis. And Buck and Tiny were always bringing her frozen fish.

She’d been mostly happy to keep away from town. It was better to stay as isolated as possible.

“I get hungry and need to eat. I feel the cold.” The wintery landscape rolled by. It was beautiful and deadly, isolated yet teeming with life in its own way. Most of the creatures were scarce this time of year, hibernating until the snow melted and spring burst forth. It was a stark but scenic land, even if she did find it too cold.

“Then there’s the whole sex thing.” That got his attention. He looked away from the road, his blue eyes piercing.

“The sex thing?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t really curious about it until I suppressed my powers.” She tried to figure out a way to explain. “It’s just not something we’re concerned with. Maybe because we’re all about death and not life.”

“Do you think that makes you more vulnerable?” His eyes were not only back on the road but scanning the area. He never really seemed to relax. Maybe when they were intimate together, but she had a feeling even then he could leap into action without hesitation. He was always watchful, but now it seemed heightened.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” It was a huge concern. Last thing she wanted was to be a liability to him, maybe be responsible for him getting injured. Or worse.

“What if you embrace that side of yourself again? Would all the other stuff go away?”

She heard his unasked question: Would her desire for him disappear? “I don’t know.”

The steering wheel cracked beneath his hands. He swore and lightened his grip. “I see.”

A huge lump formed in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t want to go back, not to the way things were before.” How could she? “I’ve tasted life and it’s much sweeter than constant death.”

“Is that the only reason?” His voice had gone impossibly deep, as though he was on the verge of shifting.

Maybe she hadn’t always been totally honest with him, but she could be about this. “No, that’s not the only reason.” She touched his arm.

The air inside the vehicle crackled. Goose bumps raced down her spine. Time had run out. She pointed off to the right. “Two reapers, coming hard.”

They weren’t quite at The Pit, which was good. The death of innocents would haunt her for the rest of her days. They were far enough away from town and enough of a distance away from the bar that they should be alone, at least for a few minutes.

He swerved off the road, taking the rugged SUV across the snowy tundra, leaving civilization behind at a fast clip. The reapers were gaining ground.

And why were they chasing when they could pop in right in front of them? “They’re taunting us. Stop.”

He yanked the wheel around and the SUV rotated so they were facing back toward the road. Heat pumped from the vents, and the engine hummed.

“Where?” he demanded.

When she opened the door, an icy blast hit her. Seemingly out of thin air two people appeared. Alexei was beside her before they finished claiming their physical form.

The man was tall with dark hair. The woman was shorter and slender with lighter hair. “Hello, Egan. Hello, Felicia.” Not who’d she’d expected to be sent after her. These two were low-level workers.

“Cassandra.” There was a sneer in his voice, and none of the deference he usually showed her. After all, she was his boss, or had been.

“Why are you here?”

Felicia shifted from one foot to the other and glanced around as though she expected someone else to pop in at any second. “You shouldn’t have left.”

Now was not the time for a long discussion about her motivation. “You should go.” Harming them would bring the wrath of Death upon her, but she wouldn’t allow them to hurt Alexei. He didn’t deserve that, not after the way he’d fought for her.

“I see you’ve made a friend.” Egan didn’t even try to mask his contempt.

Alexei didn’t twitch, not so much as a muscle, but she’d seen how fast he could move. She placed her hand on his arm to hold him back.

“Keeping your pet in line,” he taunted. “A shifter, no less.” He spat on the snow. “Useless creatures.”

“You’re trying to goad him into an attack so you can justify your actions.” Anger surged forward, making it increasingly difficult to keep herself in check. Felicia flinched, but Egan’s mouth firmed and he tilted his chin up, ready for a fight.

“Was it you?” she asked. “Did you hire Alexei?”

“How else would I find you? I’d overheard some conversation speculating on your whereabouts, but I knew you’d remain hidden. I decided to use an animal to track you.”

A low growl made the ground around them vibrate. A silent tremor that radiated through her. Her lover was not happy.

“You hired a member of the Forgotten Brotherhood? Are you out of your mind? And where did you even get such an idea?” Because no way did it originate with him. While he might claim it was his plan, he wasn’t exactly an original thinker known for his intellect. He was the type that did better with clear-cut instruction. “You think Death will appreciate getting on their bad side?” Not a chance. He’d be severely pissed at these two.

“No harm, no foul.” He shrugged, totally unconcerned. “He’s free to go. And from what I’ve been told, he hasn’t officially taken the job. Have you?” he addressed Alexei directly for the first time. “You haven’t signed on the dotted line.”

Alexei remained stoic and silent beside her. God, what was he thinking right now?

And where had Egan come up with the idea of hiring the Brotherhood? Reapers steered clear of them. The few who had died over the eons had been handled personally by Death himself.

“I don’t understand. Why are you here?” None of this was adding up. “You wouldn’t have been sent after me.” Of that, she was certain.

“Death’s orders are for you to be brought back alive. He wants to talk to you.” Hatred burned in his eyes, twin flames flickering with pure loathing. Why had she never seen it before? This kind of resentment didn’t simply appear overnight. This was a slow-burning anger, which took centuries, millennia to build.

“And you don’t want that?” The longer she could keep him talking, the more chance she had of figuring out a way to deescalate things before they got out of hand.

They were probably already past that point, but she had to try.

“Why do you get all the praise?” Egan demanded. “We work as hard as you. Harder. But does the big boss ever notice? No. He only has time for his original reapers. The special ones.”

Shit, she hadn’t mentioned that little detail to Alexei. And there was no time now to see how he was reacting to this revelation.

“You think you’re all so much better than the rest of us,” he continued.

“No, I don’t.” And she hadn’t. Not for one second. “I’ve simply been around the longest.” Alexei stirred beside her. That had got his attention.

“I’ll surpass you someday.” Oozing confidence, he continued, “Especially if you’re not around.” He reached behind his back and slowly withdrew a curved blade with a wooden handle. It was old, so very old. Power emanated from it, pulsing across the tundra. The land itself went quiet.

Her heart stuttered and stopped for a second before taking off at a rapid pace. This wasn’t possible. “Where did you get that?”

He held it up, his eyes caressing it like another man might a lover. “This?” He ignored her and turned to Alexei. “This is a sickle, a smaller version of Death’s mighty scythe. Not quite as powerful, but able to destroy any creature, or in your case, bear.” He smiled. “It can also kill Cassie.”

“There are only six of them in existence. How did you get one?” Access was strictly controlled. A sick feeling filled her. She recognized this particular one. Knew it as intimately as she did her own face.

It was Felicia who spoke up. “Things have been chaotic since you defected. We’re all looking for you, along with carrying out our normal assignments.” She crossed her arms in a defensive pose. “Things are backing up. Reapers are restless.”

“It wasn’t hard for me to get my hands on this.” Egan held it up, making sure she got a good look at it. “Don’t you recognize it?”

“It’s not a toy.” And she’d hidden it where no one, least of all Egan, should have been able to find it.

“I know!” His roar echoed over the land, followed by a huge crack of thunder. He drew himself up and used his free hand to slick back his hair. “You don’t deserve it. You have one of the greatest weapons of the ages and you never used it.”

“The death of a reaper is a very serious thing.” And what he had in his hand could be used to do it. She had to try to talk him down from the edge of anger he was perched on. Bad enough he was jealous. And that was on her for not seeing it. But what he held so casually could level entire towns or cities if wielded properly.

She had firsthand knowledge.

Because he was wrong. He was much, much younger than her, one of the newer reapers made as the population of the world swelled and the need became greater. He was only around three thousand years old. A mere babe compared to her. For a long time it had been Death and her, working alone. There’d been other creatures to reap long before people had appeared, other worlds.

She’d only used it once. Death had given the order. She could still remember the terror from the populace when they’d appeared among them.

His only instructions had been, “No survivors.”

The bloodshed that day was the stuff of nightmares, of myth and legend. She’d all but blocked it from her memory, keeping the sickle hidden ever since. She’d tried to convince herself she hadn’t really been responsible since she’d only followed orders. But kill she had. And the blade had soaked up the blood. Even now, she could sometimes hear the screams of the souls she’d taken that day.

They hadn’t been humans, but they’d been living, breathing creatures with families and a society. She still didn’t know why they’d been destroyed. You didn’t ask Death those kinds of questions.

He wasn’t exactly known for his patience.

She’d overheard him muttering about abominations created by the gods without approval once, but that was it.

And it had been so very long ago. Long before there’d been others like her.

She held out her hand and injected every ounce of authority she possessed into her voice. “Give it to me.”

Egan smiled. “Oh, I plan on giving it to you, all right.” Then he leaped toward her, swinging the deadly blade.