Chapter Twenty-One #2
Georgia’s world had been rocked off its axis and was spinning madly out of control.
David’s attack was the least of it. She was struggling not to hyperventilate and pass out.
Kieran wasn’t delusional, unless she’d gone over the edge and joined him.
Her mind wanted to deny the evidence of her eyes.
A tall, cloaked male carrying a huge scythe had stepped out of a spinning dark circle and into her dining room.
The black crow she’d seen earlier was perched on his shoulder.
She was even more stunned when he’d pulled back his hood to reveal his face.
This was Kieran’s father. Alex’s and Sam’s as well.
There’d been no time to digest that before she understood that everyone in the room was in trouble except, ironically enough, David.
Fate and timelines and the rest twirled in her brain like a runaway carnival ride.
Then came the biggest shock of all—Kieran loved her.
Dark spots appeared before her eyes. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her top was stuck to her body with sweat, but chills racked her. Her heart was beating so hard it hurt. Hand to her chest, she gasped. Kieran’s blood stained her skin and her clothes, the scent making her stomach sick.
“Georgia!”
She turned toward Kieran, seeing him as if through a tunnel. “Breathe, damn it. In through your nose and out through your mouth.” Worry clouded his dark eyes, even though he was the one with two gunshot wounds and the gleaming scythe blade hovering next to his neck.
Pull yourself together. Kieran needed her. She sucked in air through her nose, her gaze locked on his. The tightness in her chest eased enough that fainting was no longer an immediate concern.
Neither Sam nor Alex stepped forward to help. Not that she blamed them. This was a family matter, and she was caught in the middle of it.
The slightest movement in the scythe captured all their attention.
“Are you sure you’re willing to die for her?
Remember, my son, there is no afterlife for you, no opportunity to be reborn.
There is only complete and utter annihilation.
This weapon doesn’t take souls, it destroys them—reaper, god, or human. It doesn’t differentiate.”
The horror of that propelled her past her fear.
“You’d do that? To your own son?” It shouldn’t surprise her.
Humans did much worse on a daily basis, but the three brothers seemed close, despite their differences.
That had to have come from somewhere. She shivered when the Grim Reaper turned his cold, black stare toward her.
It took every ounce of courage not to turn away.
“I have kept the timeline since the dawn of existence.” His voice echoed with the weight of the ages.
Her vision dimmed when he dropped that tidbit.
He was literally older than dirt. “Do you know what happens when it’s disrupted?
Chaos. Allow one person to live, and you start a cascade that ends with the total obliteration of the world itself.
Humans have free choice while they live, but only the Fates decide when they die. ”
“Not you?” She tried not to think too hard about the fact she was actually talking to Death. Passing out wouldn’t help anyone. Standing was totally out of the question. Her legs were trembling too hard to keep her upright.
He shook his head. “It is my job to see it unfolds as it is destined.” He swung that great weapon toward her.
Unlike Kieran, she flinched and swallowed heavily.
Kieran remained frozen in place, torture reflected in his gaze.
“What will you do? My son claims to love you enough to die for you. However, if you accept your fate, I’ll spare him. ”
She licked her dry lips. “And if I don’t?”
“The timeline must be kept.” Which she knew meant they’d both die anyway. “However,” he continued. “It’s possible to bend it a little, maybe buy you a few years.”
“Take it.” Kieran’s voice was cold and emotionless.
How could a father barter his son’s life like it meant nothing to him?
She couldn’t believe either of them expected her to take the offer.
She wasn’t ready to die, but she supposed few ever were.
There was so much she hadn’t done, so much time she’d wasted on regrets, letting the past taint the present.
She wanted Kieran’s arms around her, but he was more distant than ever, both of them alone.
No, not alone. He loved her. This amazing, powerful man loved her enough to defy not only his family, but Death himself.
All she’d ever wanted was to be loved. It didn’t get any greater than this.
Taking a breath to steady herself, she placed her hands on Kieran’s chest. He was once again the inscrutable man she’d met.
There was no smile, no quip to mask the man beneath, not this time.
He was pale, sweat beaded on his brow. Blood seeped from his shoulder and the wound in his side, spreading across his shirt.
He had to be in tremendous pain, but he accepted it as his due, asking for no quarter, seeking no help.
I’m meant to die. Death himself had confirmed it.
If Kieran hadn’t interfered, David would have killed her.
If she took the offer of a few more years, she’d always be looking over her shoulder, wondering if today were the day.
There would be no joy in that. But the largest factor was that she couldn’t live with herself if she bought those years at the expense of Kieran’s life. He meant too much to her.
Impossible as it should be, he’d slipped into her heart and made a place for himself.
She stared into eyes as dark as midnight.
Reaching up, she smoothed a lock of hair off his forehead and pressed her palm against his cheek.
There was no regret, only calm acceptance in his gaze.
She was about to do something she’d sworn to never do again—put a man’s needs ahead of her own.
But this wasn’t just any man, this was her man.
I love her. Those three tiny words had unlocked something inside her. Assurance that she was doing the right thing filled every cell until her entire body pulsed with surety. Whatever came next, she was ready to face it.
Kieran swallowed heavily, his head dropping down until their foreheads touched. “Enjoy these next years for both of us.”
She brushed her lips across his. It was far too brief a kiss, but it was everything. “Do you really think I can allow you to sacrifice yourself for me? I love you, Kier.”
Climbing unsteadily to her feet, she faced Death before she lost her nerve.
If all they’d said was true, she’d be reincarnated at some point, while Kieran would be gone for good if his father followed through on his threat—and she wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t.
Whatever happened, he deserved to be remembered, his sacrifice, his love, honored.
And if he survived, if there was ever a chance they might find each other again, she wanted to do everything in her power to make it happen.
She desperately wanted to close her eyes, to not see it coming, but she wanted one final glimpse of Kieran, wanting it seared on her brain, needing to take a piece of him with her into the afterlife. “Take me.”
Time slowed to a crawl. An expression of horror crossed Kieran’s face. The wicked-looking scythe swung toward her. This weapon doesn’t take souls, it destroys them. He meant not to send her to the afterlife but to destroy her forever. There would be no chance for her and Kieran to ever be reunited.
“No!” Kieran lunged up from the floor and shoved her aside. The blade missed her by a hairsbreadth, but it didn’t miss him. The curved blade ripped through his shirt and sliced into his stomach. Eyes wide with disbelief, he dropped to his knees.
Screaming his name, she knelt beside him and pressed her hands over his. Blood bubbled out of the wound. “Help me!” she yelled at his brothers.
They’d been frozen in place, but now they leaped to her side. Sam dragged his shirt over his head and jammed it against the gaping wound. Blood rapidly soaked it. Alex tossed his shirt over so that Sam could add it to the compress and disappeared down the hallway.
“You don’t get to tell me you love me and then die.” This wasn’t supposed to happen. While Sam swore and kept the pressure on the wound, Alex dumped a handful of fresh towels he’d gotten from the bathroom beside them. Kieran gripped her hand in his.
“Worth it.” When he coughed, blood bubbled from his lips. “These days with you…” He trailed off and seemed to gather his waning strength. “Best ever.”
Heart shattering into a million pieces, she turned accusing eyes to the silent man hovering beside them.
He slammed the base of his weapon against the floor.
“It was never my intention to use this on either of you. I would have stopped before it struck you if Kieran hadn’t gotten in the way.
If he’d done his job, none of this would have happened.
This is Death’s scythe.” He shoved the blade forward.
“One touch obliterates the soul. Yet he lives.”
Because he was Death’s son? Whatever the reason, it gave her a burst of hope. Hands coated in Kieran’s blood, she offered them to him. “If I go with you, will you save him?” If trading her life would save his, she’d willingly do it.
Death shook his head. His eyes were entirely black, without a hint of white. “I cannot save him.”
Not “won’t” but “can’t”. Georgia understood the awful power of the weapon. Once it was wielded, the damage could not be undone, not even by him.
Turning her back on Death, she lifted Kieran’s head onto her lap. “I’ll remember you. We’ll find each other again. I promise.” It was a false vow, and they both knew it. There wouldn’t be another chance for them to be together.
He reached up, cupped the back of her head, and drew her down until their lips touched. She tasted his blood. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on his face. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he whispered. Then his hand fell limply back to his side.
Both Alex and Sam had stepped back, giving them space. When she caught their gazes, Sam shook his head, confirming her worst fears. Kieran was dying. There was no afterlife for immortal reapers. Gone was gone.
Her soul wept, but she sniffed back her tears and stroked his face, determined to be brave. “You gave me the best days of my life, too. Even though you’re stubborn as a mule.” Her teasing made his lips twitch. They both knew the end was coming, even if they were pretending otherwise.
Kieran stared up at his father. “Are my brothers and their women safe?”
The Grim Reaper inclined his head. “They made their choices.”
He turned his head toward his brothers. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, brother.” The fine lines radiating from the corners of Sam’s eyes had deepened. He looked to have aged a dozen years since his arrival. Alex was in no better shape. The only one unchanged was their father. He watched it all unfold, seemingly unmoved.
Kieran’s breathing was labored, becoming less frequent, until finally, it stopped.
Burying her face against his chest, she wept silent tears.
They trailed over his skin, seeping into his wound.
She poured all her love into him, praying he’d somehow feel it and understand he wasn’t alone, that he’d never be alone again.
Then the world exploded.