Frosty and the Reaper (Misfits of Magic #4)

Chapter One

Princess Kami Frost was in deep shit.

Like an epic quagmire of biblical proportions type of trouble.

Normally, such a statement would have seemed like a blatant exaggeration, predicated on her flair for dramatics and artistic nature.

Unfortunately, this time it was the unvarnished truth.

While the situation was undoubtedly pretty fucking dire, there really wasn’t a point in freaking out.

There wasn’t anything she could do about her current predicament, so there was no point in crying about it.

That would simply be a waste of time and energy.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

Over the years, Kami had thought a lot about how she would end up dying.

She’d even made a pretty creative list in her spare time.

That might have seemed like a strange notion for a young fae royal to obsess about, but given her background, she called it basic planning.

Especially since she’d always assumed her mother would be the one to finish her off.

That was the bitter reality she’d come to terms with a long time ago.

However, in all the death scenarios she had imagined, she’d never considered being killed by her own mate.

It fucking figured she’d end up with an unhinged, dangerous male who seemed hell-bent on defying destiny.

Then again, with the way her life had been going, perhaps she shouldn’t be that surprised.

Fate clearly seemed determined to fuck her over.

She couldn’t really blame the male for being a little crazy after everything he’d been through.

After all, being held captive in a magical slumber for centuries couldn’t be good for anyone’s sanity.

She wasn’t exactly pleased to find herself mated to one of the biggest, surliest, scariest males ever to exist either.

And that was saying something, considering she was friends with some of the most powerful supernaturals within the six realms.

But there she was, with her mate’s hand wrapped around her throat.

As far as first meetings went, she’d consider this a big fucking fail.

Strangely, after she forced herself to stop struggling against his hold, she found she could breathe just fine. No, that wasn’t accurate. She still couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t seem to need to. Perhaps that was one of the new perks of being a demi-goddess she hadn’t known about.

That in itself was enough to make her head spin.

While his grip was unyielding, it wasn’t painful. She didn’t think he was actually trying to hurt her, only hold her in place. Still, a little more pressure, and it would be lights out for her. Rather than trying to pry his fingers free, she simply grabbed hold of his wrist to anchor herself.

He was terrifying as fuck towering over her, but at least the view was nice.

He was a strikingly handsome male, with a raw beauty that evoked the majesty and primal allure of a wild, untamed animal.

His perfect features were sculpted with a precision that seemed to be carved by generous gods, each angle and curve contributing to a visage that was nothing short of spectacular.

His sharp cheekbones and strong, defined jawline added a touch of ruthlessness that contrasted with the gentle curve of his dark brows and lush lips.

An imposing figure, he had a massive frame and broad shoulders that seemed capable of carrying the weight of the world.

Although his body was covered with black armor, there was no mistaking his muscular form.

Long hair spilled down his back in an inky black waterfall, and his bronze skin pulsed with light as though his body could barely contain the magic within him.

Though he was undeniably impressive, she thought his glowing eyes were his most remarkable feature.

The dark orbs were backlit with glowing red sclera.

The vivid contrast between the black and red should have been absolutely terrifying.

Instead, she found his strange eyes captivating.

They enhanced his dangerous appeal, which was further amplified by the sheer power radiating from him.

Known as the God of War, Zander Cosmos was one of the most feared reapers from the ancient world. His reputation alone was enough to strike fear in the hearts of legions. It had been eons since he had last appeared, and most supernaturals thought he was long dead.

Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

A few minutes ago, she had been with a group of her friends who had gathered together to perform a ritual to free dozens of reapers who had been cursed into a magical slumber.

As the reluctant new owner of the Realm of Illusions, Kami had been the only one who had access to their resting place.

As a result, her participation had become mandatory.

While she had been glad she could help free the reapers, she and her friends had neglected to consider what would happen once they were actually released. Now, there were dozens of powerful, pissed-off reapers unleashed within the six realms.

And one was her mate.

While most people were thrilled to meet their mate, she was definitely not one of them. First of all, she was still young and hadn’t gotten to experience much of life on her own yet. She had dreams and aspirations that didn't involve being tied down to someone, especially not so soon.

Added to that, she wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of her love life being determined by fate.

The concept of destiny dictating her heart’s desires felt like a cruel joke.

In her estimation, fate couldn’t always be trusted.

Especially since she’d met several Gods of Fate and knew only a few of them were actually honorable.

There were plenty of celestial gods who enjoyed playing with the lives of mortals for fun.

They changed things on a whim, not caring who they hurt or the trouble they caused.

She despised the idea of being a pawn in one of their games, particularly since she’d already been manipulated by a god for most of her life.

Besides that, her biggest complaint about being paired up with a male who was basically old as dirt was that they were obviously mismatched.

As an ancient reaper, there was no doubt he was from a time long past. He had lived through eras she had only read about in history books, and his views were bound to be archaic.

On the other hand, she was undeniably a child of the modern era, flourishing amidst the fast-paced and dynamic culture of contemporary life.

She valued progressive thinking and enjoyed the freedom that came with being independent.

She hated being dictated to and didn’t like taking orders.

She would never be someone who asked for permission.

She would rather do what she wanted and face punishment for it later.

Their differences were a stark contrast, and it was clear that they belonged to entirely different worlds. They were bound to clash when it came to…hell, just about everything, and she worried there would never be peace between them.

Case in point, the fact he was currently strangling her.

From his actions, she wasn’t sure if he considered her a mate or a mortal enemy.

One second, Zander had been laid out on a crystal altar where he’d been asleep for centuries, and the next, the crazy male had kidnapped her.

He obviously recognized who she was to him, but he still seemed undecided whether or not he was planning on keeping her.

“Who are you?”

Zander’s deep, gravelly voice sent a shiver down her spine, but she did her best to hide her reaction.

It sounded like he’d chewed on some broken glass and chased it down with a shot of acid.

Perhaps that was a byproduct of not speaking for a few centuries.

She couldn’t decide if she thought it was sexy or disturbing.

Okay, she had to admit it was a little of both.

Trying for a bland stare, she used a finger to point at the hand that was wrapped around her throat. He glanced down and blinked as if surprised to see what his own appendage was doing. Slowly releasing her, he took a step back.

Coughing a little, she rubbed at her throat. It didn’t really hurt, but it was almost an instinctive reaction to wipe away the lingering sensation of his touch.

It was dark in the room he had teleported them to after leaving the cave in the Realm of Illusions, but her enhanced eyesight was able to make out that they were standing in the center of a large space that looked like a cavern.

Of course, her ancient mate resided in a freaking lair instead of a normal dwelling.

She wasn’t intimidated by the dark, foreboding atmosphere, though the thought of hanging out in a bat cave was pretty fucking bleak. A lot of her powerful friends liked to live in dark places, while she preferred a lot of light, at least when she was drawing or painting.

His cave was definitely another strike against him.

Since he seemed to be waiting for an answer, she gave him one. “Your mate?”

She said it more as a question than a statement. When he let out a low growl of irritation, she fought the urge to laugh. Understandably, that would have been an inappropriate response.

At least, she was sure he would think so.

Most people would have fled in terror from his anger. However, she wasn’t most people. Her reactions were rarely normal, especially during stressful situations. She liked to laugh in the face of danger since defiance was far more palatable to her than cowering in fear.

Sarcasm and dry wit were her default settings, and she tended to overreact and lash out whenever she was upset.

She had a wicked temper and could hold a grudge like nobody’s business.

Highly emotional, she could also be dramatic as fuck.

Of course, some would say that was pretty typical behavior for a princess, but Kami had never considered herself as high-maintenance as some of the other royals.