I smiled even as I pushed him away. “Get out of here before you get me in trouble.”
Ossy stole one more kiss before pulling his cloak's hood around his head and disappearing from the supply closet.
Only after he left did I realize how easy I had made it for him.
“Damn it.” Why did I always give in to Ossy Reaper?
Chapter One
Ossy
The fields of grass swayed like the waves of the ocean when the breeze was gentle but still present. The smell was different, though. Brine didn’t drift in the air. Instead, the scent of vegetation and tilled earth met me each morning and sometimes in the afternoon when I had nothing to do.
The salt didn’t soften my skin. The blades of grass were tall and sturdy enough to cut me if I wasn’t careful. But the sun still bleached my hair and kept my tan as it always had been.
I missed the water. I missed riding the waves. And I missed Phineas McPherson more than everything in my old life, including surfing.
It used to be easy. The life I had before the beloveds started showing up. Catching the waves, the beach, forgetting to file paperwork, and reaping souls. The best part of my old life was making love to Phineas whenever he wasn’t prickly.
The people who were ready for transport suffered a bit with the reaper revolt. It was a tough break for the living realm and for poor Donn, who would have to change things up at some point, or the dead would outnumber the living. But it wasfor him to figure out. He was the god of death. Reapers, and especially the beloveds, were stuck in the middle. I didn’t know what to do any more than any of my brothers. Except maybe finding my beloved and keeping him safe. I wanted Phin here on the farm with me. That he wasn’t left me with a pit of worry in my stomach.
Yeah, it took the ending of the living and death realms to admit it. I know that makes me an asshole. I’d grovel for eternity, but we’d left Phin inside headquarters.
What to do about Phin. Figuring out the best solution was above my pay grade, but it wasn’t above Morgana’s. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what Phin was to me. No one did except me. Even Phin probably didn’t feel the connection the way I did. Not when he was stuck at Bureau headquarters, where Donn could manipulate him and keep him ignorant.
Grym and Elliot were fucking like rabbits, and I was standing in the damn back forty, pining for our lost assistant when I should have been reaping souls, but I just needed a fucking second to get my shit together.
I needed a plan, but planning anything as serious as a rescue had never been my strong suit. I was good at planning other shit, like parties, and when getting shitfaced was the best idea I’d ever had. Even then, I had a hard time following through. I wasn’t sure why. Committing felt too heavy sometimes. Too many emotions attached, and I didn’t really want to deal with how I felt about shit. But Phin was in danger, and that was staring me in the face. It was too hard to ignore. His safety was more important than anything else.
Losing Phineas changed the game. I couldn’t hide from the emotions. They were too big. Maybe they always had been, but I’d made up my mind that Phin needed to be with me. He needed to be safe, and if he stayed at headquarters, he wouldn’t be. Not for the long term, at any rate.
I hadn’t gone far into the field. I rarely went to the back forty so early in the day. The house was only a few yards away, so I marched inside and didn’t stop until I reached Morgana’s office. I sat in the chair opposite her without being invited.
Morgana scowled. She did that often and seemed to reserve that exact expression for me alone. I didn’t know why. I was a delightful reaper and probably the most fun of all of us. “Why aren’t you out finding beloveds?”
“Because I already know where mine is.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Go get him, Ossy.”
I smirked. “There’s one problem. It’s Phin.”
Morgana stiffened. “Are you sure?”
“Fairly sure.”
“Be absolutely sure.”
It wasn’t as if I had a job anymore. Not really. I’d always be a reaper as long as I was in the living realm, but the Bureau wouldn’t pay me anymore. I was sure of that. I’d all but quit when everyone else did. It wasn’t like they could give me a demerit for fucking around with Phin. But I was still fairly sure Morgana had no clue about us. Maybe no one did, except for Cael. He was the most observant.
I wasn’t sure how Morgana would react, but I might as well lay out the truth. Full steam ahead and all that, since I barreled into her office and interrupted whatever she was doing. “Phin and I have been fucking around for months.”
“And you didn’t bother to mention that he was your beloved until now?”
“I didn’t feel it before we defied Donn.” I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
At first, I thought the discomfort was about missing my old life, but then I started thinking about Phin. And it hit me all at once, like a rogue wave. “Donn blocked the feeling. Now that I’ve quit my job, he can’t control it anymore.”
Morgana seemed to consider the possibility. “If that’s the case, Phin likely doesn’t feel it. His ignorance is keeping him safe for now. I suggest we keep him in the dark until we can figure out what to do.”
