He was enjoying this, watching Tilton suffer.
It was dark out, but the outdoor lights provided enough illumination for me to see everything. Maybe that was partially due to the Reaper, since he boasted about his abilities in my ear as Tilton collapsed on the ground.
“Is he dead?” Rachel asked, clinging to me.
“No.”
I could feel that he was still alive. My Reaper sensed it. He knew Tilton would live until we harvested his soul. That knowledge slipped into my mind easily, freely shared by my Reaper.
Excitement rippled along my spine.
It was time.
Hannibal exited the cabin, and I kissed Rachel as I felt my body lift off the ground. I held her tightly against me with one arm, leaving the other hand open to receive my scythe. It sang as it appeared, filling my palm as the wails of thousands of souls lingered on the blade.
“Don’t be afraid, my beautiful one. No harm will come to you.”
Rachel trembled as I turned my head to stare into her eyes. I knew she was seeing the Reaper more than me. He wanted herto get a good look, to know that she was protected. Her gasp and wide eyes betrayed her fear. It filled the air and soured it.
But nothing was as foul as Tilton’s soul. It was an inky blot that stunk like sulfur. His crimes flashed through my mind, and I growled as I saw what he had done to innocent children. How he helped form a vile organization called The Sect of Primordial Light. They believed sex with children brought them favors and success.
I felt nauseous and choked on his memories, staring into his face with loathing. “You took from the innocent. Now, I will force every vile memory and harm you did back onto you.”
I didn’t know how it was possible, but I reversed those memories, pushing all the pain and suffering from his crimes into them so they filled his body, tormenting him with every foul thing he’d ever done. Tilton’s cries were so loud and numerous that Rachel covered her ears and whimpered.
“I’ve got you,” I promised. “You’re safe.”
Hannibal joined me as the ground began to quake beneath us. It split open into several fissures, cracking across the surface until one giant chasm opened up below our feet. Black robes billowed over my body, and the same robes appeared on Hannibal as he hovered in the air directly across from us.
“Dad?” Rachel asked, staring at him with shock.
“This is what we are, my daughter. Every Graven Bastard. Now you know our secret.”
She blinked, and I could feel her accepting his words, experiences during her childhood, and the years since providing answers to questions she never knew she had until now.
Tilton finally stopped screaming. He was nearly a husk now. All that kept him alive was his tainted soul. I lifted my scythe at the same time as Hannibal, and we swiped through the air, tearing it from his boy and slicing it into pieces. The fragmentsfell into the fissure, sucked in by the hungry bowels of hell and Lucifer’s domain.
I watched the fissure begin to close, and the ground no longer rumbled. It returned to normal as we slowly lowered. Our feet rested on the grass and dirt as if they had never moved.
What remained of Tilton’s physical form crumbled into ash and blew away in the wind. He was gone—no longer a threat.
I swiped at the blood on Rachel’s neck, relieved to find that the nick was superficial. It would heal quickly.
She glanced between her father and me. I wouldn’t make her choose.
“Go to him.”
She kissed my cheek and ran to Hannibal. He caught her in a fierce hug. His face and body were normal now, no longer controlled by the Reaper. I could feel it was the same for me.
After she hugged her father, Rachel returned. I slid my arm around her, tugged her close, and claimed her mouth like I planned to do every day as long as she wanted me.
“Stay with me, Crypt. Be a part of my family.”
I answered her with another kiss, suddenly turned on and needing her. Inside, Rylee slept. She was unaware of what had happened.
We can shield the area during a reaping. No one will see or hear anything unless we want it to happen.
Ah. That made sense.
