Chapter One
Ossy
The fields of grass swayed like the waves of the ocean when the breeze was gentle but still present. The smell was different, though. Brine didn’t drift in the air. Instead, the scent of vegetation and tilled earth met me each morning and sometimes in the afternoon when I had nothing to do.
The salt didn’t soften my skin. The blades of grass were tall and sturdy enough to cut me if I wasn’t careful. But the sun still bleached my hair and kept my tan as it always had been.
I missed the water. I missed riding the waves. And I missed Phineas McPherson more than everything in my old life, including surfing.
It used to be easy. The life I had before the beloveds started showing up. Catching the waves, the beach, forgetting to file paperwork, and reaping souls. The best part of my old life was making love to Phineas whenever he wasn’t prickly.
The people who were ready for transport suffered a bit with the reaper revolt.
It was a tough break for the living realm and for poor Donn, who would have to change things up at some point, or the dead would outnumber the living.
But it was for him to figure out. He was the god of death.
Reapers, and especially the beloveds, were stuck in the middle.
I didn’t know what to do any more than any of my brothers.
Except maybe finding my beloved and keeping him safe.
I wanted Phin here on the farm with me. That he wasn’t left me with a pit of worry in my stomach.
Yeah, it took the ending of the living and death realms to admit it. I know that makes me an asshole. I’d grovel for eternity, but we’d left Phin inside headquarters.
What to do about Phin. Figuring out the best solution was above my pay grade, but it wasn’t above Morgana’s.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know what Phin was to me.
No one did except me. Even Phin probably didn’t feel the connection the way I did.
Not when he was stuck at Bureau headquarters, where Donn could manipulate him and keep him ignorant.
Grym and Elliot were fucking like rabbits, and I was standing in the damn back forty, pining for our lost assistant when I should have been reaping souls, but I just needed a fucking second to get my shit together.
I needed a plan, but planning anything as serious as a rescue had never been my strong suit.
I was good at planning other shit, like parties, and when getting shitfaced was the best idea I’d ever had.
Even then, I had a hard time following through.
I wasn’t sure why. Committing felt too heavy sometimes.
Too many emotions attached, and I didn’t really want to deal with how I felt about shit.
But Phin was in danger, and that was staring me in the face.
It was too hard to ignore. His safety was more important than anything else.
Losing Phineas changed the game. I couldn’t hide from the emotions. They were too big. Maybe they always had been, but I’d made up my mind that Phin needed to be with me. He needed to be safe, and if he stayed at headquarters, he wouldn’t be. Not for the long term, at any rate.
I hadn’t gone far into the field. I rarely went to the back forty so early in the day. The house was only a few yards away, so I marched inside and didn’t stop until I reached Morgana’s office. I sat in the chair opposite her without being invited.
Morgana scowled. She did that often and seemed to reserve that exact expression for me alone. I didn’t know why. I was a delightful reaper and probably the most fun of all of us. “Why aren’t you out finding beloveds?”
“Because I already know where mine is.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Go get him, Ossy.”
I smirked. “There’s one problem. It’s Phin.”
Morgana stiffened. “Are you sure?”
“Fairly sure.”
“Be absolutely sure.”
It wasn’t as if I had a job anymore. Not really.
I’d always be a reaper as long as I was in the living realm, but the Bureau wouldn’t pay me anymore.
I was sure of that. I’d all but quit when everyone else did.
It wasn’t like they could give me a demerit for fucking around with Phin.
But I was still fairly sure Morgana had no clue about us.
Maybe no one did, except for Cael. He was the most observant.
I wasn’t sure how Morgana would react, but I might as well lay out the truth. Full steam ahead and all that, since I barreled into her office and interrupted whatever she was doing. “Phin and I have been fucking around for months.”
“And you didn’t bother to mention that he was your beloved until now?”
“I didn’t feel it before we defied Donn.” I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
At first, I thought the discomfort was about missing my old life, but then I started thinking about Phin. And it hit me all at once, like a rogue wave. “Donn blocked the feeling. Now that I’ve quit my job, he can’t control it anymore.”
Morgana seemed to consider the possibility. “If that’s the case, Phin likely doesn’t feel it. His ignorance is keeping him safe for now. I suggest we keep him in the dark until we can figure out what to do.”
My chest tightened. “Keeping Phin in the dark will only make him angry when he finds out that was our plan.”
“He’ll get over it.” Morgana dismissed me after that, even though I still sat in the chair opposite her.
I stared her down. No way was I letting it go that easily.
She read and took notes on whatever she’d been reading for a full three minutes before she glanced at me with raised eyebrows. “Was there anything else?”
“Yeah. Many things. Let’s start with the fact that you don’t know Phin at all if you think he’ll ‘get over it’.
I mean, I can usually soften him up with a sexy kiss, and sucking his dick works well, but that was for the small, stupid shit I did.
Like ditching him for stellar waves and that time I got so shitfaced I forgot where he lived.
Not telling him something this big is going to take more than just a good dicking down. ”
Morgana shrugged. “Blame it on me.”
“Blame...” I couldn’t even get the words out. That was the stupidest thing she’d ever said to me. “I’m going to take the heat either way.”
Morgana rolled her eyes. “First of all, you and Phin should never have fraternized with each other. Not even once. You both know the company policy.”
I looked away. “Yeah.”
“It wasn’t safe then, and it’s even less safe now.
Even if Donn knew about the two of you, he clearly masked the pull you had toward each other, which was smart on his part.
It might have clued us in a lot sooner. But we need a solid plan if we’re going to keep Phin safe, Ossy.
Not going off half-cocked on a suicide mission to headquarters.
Donn will send both of you to Tech Duinn.
We can’t have that.” She sighed. “Until we think of something, we keep Phin in the dark. The last thing we need is for Donn to be a step ahead of us and for us to lose Phin before we can reach him.”
“He’s already lost somewhere in the Bureau.” That made my chest ache. “What if I never see him again?”
Morgana reached across the desk and held out her hand. I took it. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to prevent.”
“I just want him here with me so I can keep him safe.” I met her gaze. “I could teleport there, grab him, and teleport back.”
“And then what, Ossy? Wait an hour for Donn to send demons after him?” Morgana frowned again. “He has an army, something we don’t have. If we lose one beloved, we’ll lose them all, including Phin. We need support first.”
“How are we going to get it?”
“I’m working on it right now. Until we have a solid plan and support, it’s best for Phin to stay where he is.”
It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, and she knew it. “We need to act quickly where he’s concerned. Donn will not leave him alone forever.”
Morgana sighed. “We have hours, maybe a day at best. I know. I know.”
My chest ached. “So for now, you want me to just fucking wait?”
“There are other beloveds to find.”
“Except mine is the one in the most danger.”
“They all are, Ossy.”
I’d never felt such strong emotions before. I didn’t like it. Emotions stressed me out. “I won’t wait long. And I’m calling him. I need to know he’s alright.”
We had beloveds to save. I got that. But Phin was one, too, and he was a reaper. Maybe he didn’t go out in the field, but he was one of us. Family was family. “Families protect each other.”
“Keeping him off Donn’s radar is protecting him, Ossy. That means he has to go to work as he always does. His ignorance is saving his life.”
“Get our ducks in a row so we can get him out of there.” The clock ticked away. I could practically hear it. Each click pulled Phin further from me.