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Chapter 2
Remi
“I’m so hungry,” I gripe, my hands trembling at my sides. “Please, can you just give me one taste. Then I swear I’ll stop bugging you.”
Cameron, my trainer, shakes his head. “Nope. No tastes until you’ve finished your training for the day.”
My lip twitches and he grins, completely pleased by my misery.
But what can I expect? He is a reaper after all. And not just any reaper, but the freakin’ Grim Reaper, aka the big boss downstairs that gives orders to all the other reapers. So, if your soul is currently getting collected by some dude or chick wearing a cloak and carrying a scythe, Cameron is the one that’s sentenced you to your soulless demise.
“You’re doing this on purpose.” I put my hands on my hips and glare at him.
“Doing what?” he asks innocently, his boots soundlessly touching the floor as he floats a circle around me.
I cross my arms. “Starving me.”
“Now why would I do that?” he taunts, flicking a strand of my long, brown hair as he zips around me.
I grimace as my gaze attempts to keep up with his rapid movements. “Because you’re the Grim Reaper and you’re evil.”
“Hate to break it to you, princess, but my blood runs through your veins.” He moves up behind me and his breath dusts against my earlobe. “So if I’m evil then so are you.”
By the time I whirl around, he’s vanished. Dammit! How can I ever beat him, if I can’t even see him!
“I’m only half reaper,” I remind him, turning in a slow circle, my gaze skimming the ceiling beams and steel walls of the training room. “Therefore, I’m not evil.”
“Half reaper or full, you still have reaper blood in your veins. And reaper blood is categorized on the darker spectrum of paranormal creatures. And for a good reason.” His voice echoes around me, making it nearly impossible to locate him. “We’re not known for our niceness.”
I curl my fingers into fists, frustrated that I can’t spot him anywhere. “I’m not evil. I haven’t even hurt anyone.”
“Yet,” he stresses. “But you’ve also been kept locked up behind these steel walls for all of your reaper life.”
True. I haven’t left the facility since I was brought here a few weeks ago. The seclusion has been driving me mad, and I also worry what will happen when I finally endeavor into the real world, which will happen, at least according to Leader. But I’ll go into the world as a superhero. That is, if I decide to be one. I haven’t officially said yes yet, for many different reasons. One being that I’m constantly hungry for souls and seeing past that hunger is virtually impossible.
But things will get better. At least, that’s what Leader told me during the brief speech he gave me about my training.
“All of my reaper life?” I tell Cameron. “You make me sound ancient when I’ve only been a reaper for a few weeks.”
“Exactly, which means you haven’t had enough time yet to fully learn all of your cravings, urges, powers, strengths, and weaknesses.”
“What weakness?” Deciding to try another tactic to spot him, I hold still. “I feel stronger than I ever have.”
The room grows soundless, except for the humming of the air vent and the pounding of my heart. Without moving, I allow my gaze to rove the ceiling, the walls, the door, and the mat area, searching for a sign of an evil, gross, reaper lurking about. Okay, okay, I may have lied about the gross part. Sure, photos may show the Grim Reaper as a cloaked, bony creature with glowing eyes who carries a scythe. But Cameron doesn’t look like that at all. Blonde, tall, lean, with gauges in his ears, silver metal in his lip, and a tiny scar on his jawline, he’s utterly gorgeous. I’ll never admit that aloud, though, since the last thing I need is for the Grim Reaper, who is extremely cocky and self-centered, to know I think he’s hot.
“Exactly, which is one of your weaknesses.” Cameron materializes in front of me, so close the tip of our boots clip. “You think you know everything, princess, but you don’t.”
I trip back, putting space between us. “I know enough. And I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Calling you what?” He feigns dumb, tapping his finger against his lips.
I sigh audibly. “You know what.”
“Sure thing, princess.”
Gah! He’s driving me crazy!
He reaches out and grazes his thumb across my jutted lip. “Reapers don’t pout.”
“Well, this one does.” I jut out my lip further just to annoy him.
He heaves a sigh of frustration, which twistedly pleases me. “Fine, if you’ll stop pouting, I’ll give you one taste. But then we’re focusing on you learning how to channel your reaper powers, got it?”
I nod, excitement bursting in my chest. Because it’s feeeeddding time! “Got it.”
He momentarily searches my eyes, for what I’m unsure, then takes my hand and guides me to the corner of the room. After he untangles our fingers, he lines my back to the wall and places his hands beside my head, pinning me between his arms.
“I don’t know why you insist on feeding me this way.” I cringe at the hint of excitement in my tone. “It’s just as easy to feed me in the middle of the room where I’m not trapped against your body.”
“But it’s definitely not as much fun.” The corners of his lips pull to an arrogant smirk. “And even if you won’t agree with me, I know you secretly like doing it this way.”
“No, I don’t,” I lie, because I do. I really, really do.
“Liar.” Then he dips his head and nips at my lips.
The briefest taste of souls kisses at the tip of my tongue, but then fades as he moves back.
“Stop teasing me,” I complain breathlessly, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as a drop of souls trickles down my throat.
“Not until you admit it.”
I
shake my head. “Never.”
“Fine then.” He starts to push away, taking all of his wonderful, tasty souls with him.
Back when I was normal, I never would’ve begged a guy for anything. In fact, I had a lot of control over guys, due to a power I didn’t know I possessed. Sometimes I used this power for good, like with Ian, a guy I used to go to school with who slipped drugs into girls’ drinks so he could do awful things to them. After I found out about what he was doing, I made him dance for forty-eight hours straight. When I finally get access out of here, I fully plan on making him pay even more. My initial plan was to make a phone call to the police and divulge where Ian hides his drugs, but I figure what’s the point of having reaper power if I can’t use it for the greater good?
But then there was Max. While I never meant to use my controlling power on Max, I accidentally did. It’s an accident I’ll never be able to forgive myself for.
I swallow hard at the thought of Max.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about?” Cameron whispers into my ear.
“That I’m hungry,” I lie. “And that you’re the only thing stopping me from getting what I want.” Then I grab the front of his T-shirt, yank him toward me, and seal my lips to his.
He starts to pull away, but when a pleading whimper flees my lips, he caves.
“God, you’re such a pain in my ass,” he whispers before his tongue tangles with mine.
“I’m sorry, but I’m just so hungry,” I murmur then kiss him back, nearly devouring him.
The wonderful taste of delicious, intoxicating souls melts against my taste buds and pours fuel and energy through my veins. My legs grow weak from the energy overload and I loop my arms around him to keep from collapsing to the floor.
He moves back, but leaves a sliver of an inch between our mouths. “I’m not just supposed to give you what you want. It’s terrible training on my part, and you’re going to end up turning into a spoiled reaper.”
