36. Chapter Thirty-Six
~Leo~
The reaper stood exactly where we had left her, her tall frame confined within the unseen boundaries of the trap, her pale hair catching the light filtering through the window.
There was something unsettling about the way she held herself, as if she felt no discomfort or fatigue from long hours of standing in one place.
Maybe the concept of being trapped didn’t carry the same weight for her as it would for anyone else, or perhaps she was simply used to it.
That thought sat uncomfortably in my chest.
We kept to the wall, careful not to step onto the rug, and I found myself watching Kalo more than I watched her, tracking every subtle shift in his posture that might signal discomfort or danger.
To my surprise, the reaper spoke first. “You are continuing to interfere with the natural order. Keeping me here only deepens the imbalance you have already caused.”
Her light-filled gaze moved over each of us in turn, but when it passed over Kalo, my chest tightened instinctively in a protective reflex I couldn’t seem to suppress. I didn’t want her looking at him. I didn’t want her anywhere near him.
“I should have collected several souls overnight,” she continued in the same, even tone. “Death will not be pleased.”
Death.
The way she said it sent a chill through me, not because of what the word meant, but simply because she spoke as if it were a living being. Someone she knew.
Maybe someone she answered to?
Questions pressed at the edges of my thoughts, but Vaughan’s instructions held me in place. Let Kalo and Evalina lead, he said, so I stayed silent even as every instinct urged me to speak up.
Kalo leaned closer, his voice calm and measured even though the situation itself remained anything but. “What’s your name?”
“I am a reaper,” was her only response.
Evalina’s head tilted curiously to the side. “Well, even if you don’t use it now, you must have had a name at some point. All elves have names.”
A long silence followed, so long that I began to wonder if she hadn’t heard Evalina, or if she’d simply decided not to answer at all, but finally, one word passed her lips.
“Visenya.”
The name instantly made her feel like more of an individual, and I wondered if that had been why she’d been so hesitant to speak it. Or perhaps it had been so long since she’d used it, she’d struggled to remember what it had been.
Kalo’s tone remained calm and respectful.
“Hello, Visenya. I’m Kalo, this is Evalina, and this is Leo.
” He gave me a quick smile as he gestured towards me, and I instinctively mirrored it, though there was little about the situation that called for smiling.
“We’re sorry for interfering with your work.
I know this complicates things for you, but it’s important for us to fully understand what’s happening. ”
I watched her closely, looking for any sign of a reaction, but her expression remained completely unreadable.
“Are you in communication with Death now?” Kalo continued. “Is that how you know you missed your assignments?”
“No. Your trap dampens the connection.”
That meant she couldn’t call for backup, which was a relief. We probably should have asked that question earlier.
“Then how do you know things have been missed?” Evalina asked.
Although she answered the fairy, the reaper’s gaze seemed to focus on Kalo. “Because there’s always work. It doesn’t stop. That is why you have only seen me intermittently while I waited for your bond to solidify. When I’m not with you, I’m working.”
An unexpected flicker of understanding flared in my chest. A duty that didn’t end? A role she couldn’t step away from? Didn’t sound so different from being a pack Gamma.
“That must be exhausting.”
It was Kalo who spoke, and I glanced over at him, surprised by the softness in his tone.
When Visenya didn’t answer, Kalo pressed on. “Will Death punish you for missing your assignments?”
Again, she made no response, and as the silence stretched, I worried we were losing the small connection we’d managed to find.
As if she sensed it too, Evalina took a small step forward, careful not to touch the rug. “I used to serve a fae prince who delighted in finding fault in everything I did. I’m sure you know the type.”
Visenya’s attention shifted to her. “Used to? What happened to him?”
“I cut out his heart and gave it to some dragons for safekeeping.”
She stated it so calmly that it took a few seconds for the words to fully hit. Visenya visibly startled, her frame swaying for the first time, and a moment later, a new sound filled the room.
Laughter, coming from the reaper. Brief, and a little rusty-sounding, but unmistakable laughter.
Visenya covered her mouth almost immediately, her glowing eyes blinking as though the reaction had surprised even her.
Kalo looked equally stunned, nearly choking over his words as he gaped at Evalina. “You did what?”
“She cut out his still-beating heart and locked it in a box,” I confirmed. “And he deserved it.”
Evalina’s lips curved in appreciation of my endorsement, and the tension in the air eased again.
Kalo hastily took advantage of the thaw. “Are you bound to Death personally?” he asked the reaper. “Like Evalina was to her prince? Or are you bound to a magical force, the way I was as a genie?”
“These questions will not change your fate,” Visenya said, but her tone seemed a tiny bit warmer than before.
Kalo didn’t flinch. “That’s not necessarily true. When Amanda became my master, she asked questions. She learned the rules of the genie’s magic and she avoided the curse. If there are rules around your powers, maybe we can find a way to work within them so that we all get what we want.”
“It’s not magic,” Visenya replied, more firmly than before. “I’m bound to Death himself, and you will not outmaneuver him with technicalities.”
My stomach sank at her certainty, but Evalina only looked more curious. “How did that happen? How did you become bound to him?”
“I…” The reaper frowned as she stumbled over her answer. “I suppose it was my choice, in a way.”
Interesting. Kalo had told me that the night before, Visenya said that choice didn’t factor into it, but apparently, she’d changed her mind.
Kalo let out a quiet breath beside me. “Becoming a genie was technically my choice too, but I didn’t fully understand what I was agreeing to. If I had, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Visenya’s unsettling gaze fixed on him. “If you hadn’t made that wish, you would have died thousands of years ago. You would never have come here, and you would never have met the man you don’t wish to be parted from now. You would truly choose that?”
Kalo’s eyes flicked towards me as my heart stuttered, but I did my best not to react. I barely even breathed as the question hung in the air between us.
Was I worth it? Was I worth all that he’d endured during his years as a genie?
Of course, Silo said in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. It seemed almost ridiculous to hope that I was.
Each second Kalo remained silent felt endless, the anticipation of his rejection almost more painful than the inevitable answer to come.
But when Kalo finally spoke, his words weren’t what I expected.
“If you take me now, or if you take him, then I would have to weigh that decision carefully. But if we’re allowed to live, if we can build a future together, then you’re right.
I would still choose it, even knowing what it would mean for me. ”
Told you so, Silo preened while I exhaled a disbelieving breath.
“The same could be true for you,” Kalo continued.
“You made the choice to become a reaper, but that doesn’t mean you never get to make another decision for yourself.
There could be a different future for you too.
Help us to understand how it all works, and maybe we can find a way to change your fate too. ”
Visenya watched him for a long moment.
“Your passion is admirable, but what happens next isn’t up to you or me. Death alone determines the balance.”
That settled it, at least in my mind.
“In that case, we need to speak to Death directly.”