Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Bane
There’s a body next to my feet. Blood pools around the open gash on his forehead. His wide vacant eyes stare off into nothing as his soul leaves his body.
Taking a step back so as to not get my shoes covered in the warm sticky liquid, I look to my side and see the white shimmer of a soul appearing.
The man comes into view, his face a mask of confusion. I know what’s going on inside his stupid little human mind. “I know what you must be thinking.” My deep voice makes the man jump, his head snapping my way. “Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you? It’s all the same.”
“Who are you?” he asks. “Where am I?” He frowns. “How did I get here?”
“Are you mocking me, boy?” I growl.
He blinks, shaking his head slowly.
Humans. So slow.
My chest deflates with an irritated sigh. “Simply put, you are dead. And I’m here to collect your soul.”
“Dead!” He shouts, eyes practically bugging out of his head. “I can’t be dead.”
“I can assure you, you can be dead, because you are. Look.” I point to his body on the ground. “Very much dead. You’ve already lost most of your blood and your heart stopped beating.”
The scream that tears from his lungs when he sees his body makes me wince.
“Could you not.” I growl, done with this encounter. It’s been going on long enough. “You’re being quite annoying.”
“I can’t be dead. I can’t!” He grabs at his hair, shaking his head. “I have so much to live for! Please, please give me another chance. Let me go back. I’ll do anything."
“So much to live for?” I chuckle, because this human seems to have a sense of humor.
“You have got to be kidding me. You’re a fifty-year old man who’s been living in his seventy-year old mother’s basement.
I know about you slowly poisoning her.” The curve of my lips is wicked.
“Such a naughty little human. After all that woman has done for you, and you repay her by trying to end her life sooner than she’s supposed to go.
You know, I don’t take kindly to people interfering with death.
Don’t mess with something you don’t understand. ”
“I-I didn’t do anything,” he splutters. “I swear.”
“No?” I cock my head to the side. “Are you telling me you didn’t hit on that sixteen-year old young lady a few houses down either?
” I tisk. “Have you no shame? She’s a child, you sick bastard.
Do you think you’re some prize cow? Your confidence is off the charts to think a man like you.
” I wave my hand in front of him. He’s short and pudgy, hair so thin the rest could blow away with one strong breeze.
“Would be so irresistible to be able to land a beautiful young woman of any age, let alone a child.” I sneer.
“I was just being friendly!” His face turns an ugly shade of red.
“I must look at the definition of friendly in my dictionary again. Because last time I checked, I don’t think pedophile was listed. Neither was showing your pinky sized dick to someone who would rather wash their eyes with bleach, than look at it.”
His nostrils flare and this man has the nerve to look like he’s about to take his shot at trying to cause me bodily harm. Surely, he’s smarter than that, to try anything with a reaper?
No sooner than the thought pops into my head, does he lunge forward, fist lifted, ready to take a swing.
With a snap of my fingers a loud pop rings through the air.
The man stops, lips parting as his eyes fill with horror. It takes his brain a moment to process what's happening to his body before he lets out a sound that I’d like to think is a dying cat mixed with a pig's squeal. All around very unpleasant.
He looks down to the big red blood stain on his pants, a hole right in the middle of where the fabric just seconds ago was covering his penis.
The penis that just went ‘POP’, and exploded.
When you become a spirit, you don’t feel pain. Unless you’re me and feel the need to remind this waste of a human meat sack just how insignificant to the human race he is.
“Oh shut up.” I bark. “It’s not like you had much to lose anyway.
You’re being a big baby. Your poor mother is now free of your awful existence.
” He continues to squeal like a little piggy, hand clawing at the ground.
“Keep trying, but you’re not going to find anything.
” I roll my eyes. “Like anything was there to begin with.” I say the last part under my breath.
Collecting souls isn’t normally this… eventful.
“I’ve had enough of this.” I snap my fingers and his screams stop. “Thank Lucifer.” I sigh in relief, enjoying being able to hear myself think. “Come on. Time to take out the trash.”
With another snap of my fingers, we leave the human realm and reappear in Hell.
Souls cry in the distance, giving the space around us an eerie atmosphere.
“Another one for you.” A tall skeleton-like creature steps forward, his body slow and sluggish. He’s a keeper, a demon in charge of sorting souls. “No need to assess this one, throw him in the pit.”
A white soul lightly stained with inky black parts shimmers above my palm. The keeper reaches out, grasps the soul in his hand and turns away.
One soul of the night down, twenty more to go.
Snapping my fingers, I fully intend on bringing myself back top side. However, that’s not where I end up.
“Lucifer.” I address the King of Hell, giving him a nod of respect. “What do I owe this pleasure?"
“Bane, buddy, pal. We need to have a talk.” Lucifer sighs, leaning back in his leather black chair. He places his feet on top of his desk, looking at me with an expression I can’t quite make out.
“Of course.” I nod again. What would he want to talk to me about? Have I done something wrong? Nothing has changed with the way I do things for hundreds of years.
Onyx. He knows. Of course he knows. He knows everything.
Holding my chin high, I stand with my hands behind my back, my long black cloak bellowing at my feet.
“I like you. You’re the best reaper in the game. My favorite you could say.” He starts.
I preen with pride, because that is a big compliment. I take my job seriously and for him to notice means I’m excelling.
“Thank you, My Lord.”
“That being said, in the past three weeks you’ve collected three thousand souls.”
My brows furrow. “Is that not a good number? It’s two thousand more than my regular quota.”
“No, they're wonderful numbers. Too wonderful.” he grins. “Some of our other reapers have been complaining that at times, they go to collect a soul only to find it’s already been collected… by you.”
“I fail to see the issue, My Lord.”
“I’m appreciative that you’re taking the initiative of being the best damn reaper in Hell. Really, I am. But you’re putting people out of a job.”
“If I do their jobs better than they do, I feel like it’s their problem, not mine.”
His lips twitch, face filled with amusement. “Does this have anything to do with the little human you’ve taken a liking to?”
My spine stiffens. “What do you mean?”
“Bane.” he chuckles. “Talk to me, man. What's going on? Why have you been spending so much time collecting souls? More than you need to. More than you’re required to. Are you trying to keep yourself busy? Have you found yourself fond of the human and can’t get him out of your head? ” He gives me a knowing look.
Lucifer has many powers, and a lot more no one knows about. Is one of them mind reading?
“Yes,” he answers, chuckling.
“I’m sorry sir. I was not aware that my actions were bothersome. I’ll stop.”
“So, you made a deal?” The question is rhetorical, he already knows the answer. “With a human. Why?”
“I honestly can’t explain what came over me.” I admit, hating feeling like an idiot in front of anyone. “I just… did.”
“I’m gonna go with the fact that because he’s your fated mate caused you to do so.
Fate can make you do crazy things. Trust me, I know.
Two mates here.” He points to himself. “Love my women to death. But never did I think I’d give my ex a second chance after she dumped me for that archangel piece of shit.
May he burn in Hell.” His grin turns devilish, suiting him perfectly.
“But that's what love does. Makes you do crazy things.”
“I do not love him.” I scoff. “I hardly know the man. I fucked him once. That's it.”
“You own his soul, and now his heart.” he cackles. “You are so dick whipped, it’s not even funny. Don’t think I don’t know about your stalking habits. You’ve been spending a lot of time in that town when none of the names on your list is from there.”
Don’t lie, Bane. It will only get you into more trouble.
“He’s mine.” I growl. “He’s my mate and I’ve made the biggest mistake in offering a deal for his soul.”
“And why is that?” he raises a brow in question.
My nostrils flare, angry at myself and eager to go find my little human just at the thought of him.
“Because now he’s up there, and I’m here.”
“Then change it. Go get your man.” He shrugs like it’s so easy.
“I can’t. The deal was I save his life. Take away his cancer. Give him a second chance in life.”
“And you did that. You gave him three extra weeks. I think that's more than enough.” he waves a hand.
My brows pull together. “So, you’re telling me to go back on my deal and end his time early on Earth?”
I can’t lie. I’ve been thinking about the exact thing for awhile now.
“Yes,” he says. “We don’t play by the rules, my friend. We make them. I make them. And I’m telling you, go get your mate. Bring him down. Kicking or screaming. You deserve this.”
“I haven’t prepared. I don’t have a place for him to stay.”
I have no need for sleep, for food or any other mundane acts. I simply just exist.
“You can stay here at the castle. It’s more than big enough. You can take the basement level on the east wing. No one has lived there in years. You will have it all to yourself.”
My lips part in surprise. I don’t think I’ve been rendered speechless in years.
“Are you sure, My Lord? I don’t want to impose.”