Chapter Nineteen
“ S he’ll behave. And if she doesn’t, I will handle it.”
I realized I’d made a grave error the moment the words left my mouth.
Axelle’s beautiful face was expressive, making it easy to know what she was thinking.
When Zacharias had arrived, a delighted relief darted across her features. Had she come to UG looking for him? Jealousy unfurled in my chest, twisting around my lungs and making it hard to breathe.
I needed a little more time to figure out if I’d been blinded to Zacharias’ true motives, or if he was simply following through with the plan we’d put so much time into. But seeing the confusion and hurt that filled her eyes and caused her pouty lips to droop had me ready to stop the charade. I was trying to keep her safe by hiding her identity from the man who had once been like a brother but who I now suspected was my enemy.
There was another way I could keep her safe: by claiming her as mine. She would be untouchable, because no one would risk my wrath. Which was wise, since I yanked the soul out of anyone who dared to cross me, and rather than helping them to the beyond, I’d let her collectors devour their energy. We hadn’t officially met, but I had a feeling we were going to see eye-to-eye on anything related to Axelle’s safety.
I’d never been great with emotions, but in the wake of my brother’s death, I’d found it impossible to work up the mental energy to care about what happened in the world around me. I did my job, but I’d grown quiet, allowing Zacharias to take a leadership position. He’d grown bold and bossy, something he wouldn’t have dared to pull on the old me.
Watching him in the club, I realized he’d forgotten who he was dealing with— what he was dealing with. He continued aiming barbed insults at me, stirring up the thing inside me that had gone quiet in recent years.
I kept my composure, acting as if nothing had changed between us, even as a storm built inside me. This was a game, one that would be over in less than two days. Then I’d make him bow in front of my woman and apologize for his disrespect.
It had been difficult, but I played my role well… right up until the moment I saw the anger and betrayal in her eyes morph into trust. No matter that I was hardly more than a stranger to her, she’d decided to trust that I wasn’t the man treating her like little more than arm candy.
She’d thrown herself against me, showering my cheeks, forehead, eyelids and mouth with exuberant kisses. Her kisses were overflowing with love, rather than just carnal lust. I desperately craved more, wanting to soak in the affection I could see swimming in the depths of her soulful brown eyes.
For the first time in my very long life, I was drowning in a sea of warring emotions and I didn’t know how to act. I wanted to get on my knees and beg her to forget every word I’d said that had pierced her heart. My cock had been painfully hard since she’d left my bed, and my skull pounded with the primal urge to take her somewhere private and claim her body until she was screaming in ecstasy.
As if I wasn’t confused enough, my need to avenge my brother’s death and get him justice demanded I put aside my desires and stick to the logical course of action. I was a master of self-control; denying my body for two days shouldn’t be this hard.
With my world turned upside down, I clung to the mask that had served me well for decades and said, “She’ll behave. And if she doesn’t, I will handle it.”
I would’ve laughed at my stupidity if not for the fear that seeped into my soul. A golden ring that lined the outside edge of her irises glowed to life as her eyes glinted with mischievous glee.
Her crimson lips curved into the wicked smile of a siren, luring sailors to certain death. And just like those doomed sailors, I was hooked. My mouth went dry and my erection strained against the seam of my pants.
Whatever she was planning, I knew I was in for the absolute best-worst time of my life. I’d won the last game we’d played, but the odds weren’t in my favor this time.
“I’m sorry.” Axelle dropped her chin, looking up at me through her thick lashes.
She clasped her hands together and dropped them to her lap, appearing repentant—which we both knew was a lie. “I forgot where we were and you looked good enough to eat.”
“It’s fine.” The words came out harsh as her knuckles brushed against the bulge barely hidden by my dark slacks.
“Tiny Tank!” Zacharias called.
Glancing over Axelle’s shoulder, I watched as the warlock’s head turned in our direction and he lumbered through the crowd toward us.
Zacharias stood, offering his right hand for the warlock to shake, only to have the other man give him a weird fist pump. It was painfully awkward, and I enjoyed it.
Tiny Tank was tall—well over seven feet—but his frame was too thin. His skin hung loose from his body, giving his eyes a slightly too-large and protruding appearance. Greasy strands of hair hung around his face, and if it weren’t for his height, I would’ve asked if he’d ever found his precious ring.
I’d dealt with warlocks over the years, and they’d taken meticulous pride in their hygiene. That, combined with the fact that they wouldn’t have been caught dead—or alive—in the UnderGrave, was enough to make me suspicious of this man.
Unlike Zacharias, I remained seated and waited for Tiny to extend his hand before I leaned forward and shook it. The movement caused the devil on my lap to be pressed against me, something she took immediate advantage of.
I’d opened my mouth to give my name just as she gripped my erection through my pants and slid her fingers along the length. Just her touch had pleasure surging through me. To my horror, I barely managed to clamp my mouth shut before I dazzled everyone within earshot with my impression of an anime girl moaning.
Axelle took advantage of her hands being hidden between our bodies to massage along my length a second time. This time, my ears rang and my pulse jumped from the delicious torture.
Still sitting upright, I ran my fingers through her dark curls until I cupped the back of her head.
Angling her so that our cheeks touched, and her hair hid my mouth, I whispered a single word, “Behave.”
The brat had the audacity to hum, as though thinking about it. “I want to be good, but I’m really, really bad at it.”
Her voice was low and slightly husky, as though she’d been screaming my name all night long. My brain struggled to reconcile the sex kitten on my lap with the gorgeous bookworm who’d barely been able to maintain eye contact with me while I’d danced for her.
Was her stubbornness and desire to win canceling out her embarrassment when it came to sex?
“Don’t push me, pet. I’m not above taking you right now and making sure every man here knows you are mine.”
“Is that the truth, though? Because technically, only one man has followed through with claiming my body”—turning her head a fraction, her tongue traced an intricate line up my neck—“and it wasn’t you.”
My snarl was loud enough to catch the attention of everyone sitting nearby, but I didn’t care. I knew the collectors were part of the deal if I wanted her. She’d been open about that. But knowing another man had been inside her, while I’d stood in a cold shower for hours and stroked myself raw in a futile effort to rid myself of my erection, was enough to make me insane.
I focused on my breathing and keeping the shadows from escaping my control and causing a scene. Zacharias and Tiny Tank fell silent, their small talk forgotten as they studied me.
“Everything okay?” Zacharias asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
Clinging to my mask, I rolled my eyes and drawled, “Of course it is. My pet is struggling with being patient, and needs a reminder of who’s in control.”
I’d half-expected Axelle to get mad and storm away, but she didn’t.
“For a man who’s cold as ice, you are hot as Hades.” Her soft, breathy laugh was like a caress. “And there must be something wrong with me because I shouldn’t be this turned on by you.”
Her words repeated over and over in my mind.
She wanted me.
My cock strained against my slacks, eager to do her bidding.
Sagging back against the booth, my vision flicked back and forth at a rapid-fire pace. My control was hanging on by a thread. Not wanting anyone to see my unusual cat-like pupils, I pulled my sunglasses from my pocket and slipped them on. Axelle and my brother were the only two I’d allowed to see my eyes in their natural form.
Grabbing my drink from the black cloth-covered table, I focused on not-so-Tiny Tank and tried not to think about the gorgeous ghost sitting on my lap.
“I’ve had my ear to the ground, but no one has tried to pawn it or sell it in the Dark Faire.” Tiny Tank took a long drink of his foamy beer. When he finished, he used the back of his hand to wipe across his mouth.
The mention of Philetus’ missing scythe stabbed through my heart like the blade of a knife. When a reaper passed, their scythe absorbed their energy. The scythe then passed to an heir, or the next in the bloodline.
It should’ve been mine.
If it hadn’t been stolen, the moment I touched it, I would have been recognized as the scythe’s new vessel. The energy stored inside it would’ve poured into me, and our reaper magic would have merged my brother’s scythe with mine, forging a new weapon that combined our unique abilities and the intricate art that adorned each curved blade.
I didn’t care about the power. As far as I was concerned, I already possessed more power than the reaper court was aware of, and far more than I was permitted to use. But I would’ve loved to hold my brother’s scythe one final time, and have its markings on my blade to honor Philetus’ life.
In the recorded history of scythes, this was the only one to have been stolen. Reapers’ blades stayed in the reaper plane after death and remained untouched until the nearest family member arrived to claim it.
Only a reaper could have seen his fallen weapon and taken it. And the court was shielding them.
Without realizing it, I’d rested my hand on Axelle’s thigh, unconsciously seeking comfort.
“The moment you hear even a whisper, I want to know.” I sipped my drink, studying the shady warlock. “Find the scythe and I will pay ten times your normal fee.”
The warlock’s eyes gleamed. “Of course, Reaper.”
“If I find out you have lied to me, I will take your soul and wipe all evidence of your existence from the face of the Earth.” I delivered the promise of reward and the threat in the same bored tone, wanting him to think I didn’t care which option he picked.
“Ignore his rudeness. Saul’s been on edge lately, but he’s a good guy.” As always, Zacharias hurried to apologize for my behavior.
It was an odd habit he’d picked up in the last few years. I was blunt, but Zacharias was only charming in person. Behind closed doors, he had a harsh sense of humor and was far more vindictive than me. Yet, he enjoyed playing good cop to my bad cop.
I zoned out as Zacharias pulled out the grocery list of potions he needed to restock his shelf. Magic was finicky, and I wasn’t interested in touching anything this warlock had cooked up.
Unable to resist, I cupped Axelle’s face and brushed my thumb across her bottom lip. She sucked the digit into her mouth and her tongue swirled over my skin. Her eyes glittered and her fingers brushed featherlight along my pants, making sure I knew what other part of my body she was imagining was in her mouth.
She was chaos on a level I hadn’t encountered before, an anomaly that didn’t fit in with anyone, but stood out as her own unique being. How would I do my work as a reaper and keep her out of mischief? Perhaps I could lock her inside a room filled with books and that rodent she spoke to as though it were a friend. Yes, that plan had potential.
A bartender walked up and held out a tray with a drink on it. “Miss, this is for you, from the gentleman in black at the end of the bar.”
“She doesn’t drink anything unless I buy it and watch you make it.” I waved him away, scowling at the man who dared to make a move on my woman.
Couldn’t the fool see she was sitting on my lap? I didn’t recognize his face, but power leaked from him despite his efforts to hide it. He was powerful by paranormal standards, but if he decided to make a move on Axelle, he’d find himself seriously outmatched.
“I can answer for myself, Saul. And I can buy my own drinks.” She looked up at the waiter and with a sweet smile. “Tell the gentleman I said thank you, but I’m not interested.”
“Yes, miss.” The waiter’s face had taken on a starstruck look and he grinned goofily back at her.
He had five seconds to walk away, or I was going to make it so he couldn’t walk away without help. Finally, the server made his way back to the bar, carrying the drink back with him.
“Stop acting like an insecure manbaby. Imagine if your face gets stuck like that.” Axelle rearranged her face, trying to mimic me. It didn’t last long before she burst into laughter.
“Saul! We are trying to work here. If your hooker is going to keep getting gifts from her clients and interrupting us, maybe she needs to leave until we’re finished.” Zacharias glared at her back with far more anger than the situation warranted.
Axelle bristled, and before I could stop her, she shot back, “So what if he is a client? It sounds like you’re just jealous no one likes your bedside manner enough to use your services a second time.”
“I’m a reaper! People only die once, so they can’t use me again!” Zacharias snapped. “First a drunk one, now a stupid one. I’m going to help you pick your next date.”
Axelle wasn’t stupid, and a satisfied smirk spread across her face at getting him riled up and defensive.
“Insult my date again, and you won’t have a place to sleep tonight, Zacharias.” It was a far cry from snapping his neck and tossing him around the bar like my every instinct told me to, but it was a blow meant to hurt him.
The sprawling mansion was owned by me, but Philetus and Zacharias had lived in it since the day I’d purchased it. It had been just as much their home as it was mine. And I’d threatened to kick him out.
“You wouldn’t!” Zacharias’ jaw dropped.
“Don’t test me. Let’s finish the business so I can leave.” The pulsing beat of the bass and drunken shouts were getting on my nerves.
When Zacharias resumed his negotiations with the warlock, I caught Axelle’s chin and brought her lips to mine. “Don’t contradict me, pet. What I say goes when we’re in public. In private, you can enjoy your games, but outside the safety of our home, you have to trust me to protect you.”
“Mr. Grim, with all due respect, I’m a woman. Not all men are douches, but being harassed or disrespected by pushy men is a common occurrence in every woman’s life. Tonight has been a pretty chill night, actually.”
“My name isn’t Grim,” I growled, irritated at how blase she was acting about men being creeps.
If she was correct, and this happened every time we went out, I was going to end up leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake.
“If the name fits.” She shrugged. “You’ve been grumpy all night.”
“Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact you’re the hottest woman who has ever walked through those doors. The men in here haven’t stopped staring in this direction and salivating like rabid dogs.”
Axelle dropped her sex kitten persona and blushed. There was no denying she was gorgeous in her slinky red dress, crimson lips, smoky just-had-sex eyes, and the sexy heels that practically screamed she wanted to be taken to bed and ride her man all night long. She pulled off the look with a seductive classiness that set her apart from every other woman.
But I’d loved seeing that flash of the woman I’d fallen in love with. The one who wore orc-sized shirts that swallowed her body, ridiculous fuzzy socks, and her hair in a precarious pile on her head. The woman who trusted books more than people because they’d never let her down, and used a ridiculous amount of energy protecting the creature most of the world looked at with disgust.
I worshiped the female who’d attacked a reaper to save those she loved and who’d done what no one had dared to before by showing up uninvited inside my house, but had been too embarrassed by her body’s reaction to me to maintain eye contact.
That was the Axelle I wanted to hold in my arms as she slept each night. Fierce and loyal, but also sensitive and sassy.
“They can only see my back, right?” Axelle asked, the mischief in her eyes making my pulse quicken.
“Yes.” I narrowed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever new torture she’d thought up for me.
“So they can’t see me do this?” she whispered so low only I could hear.
Axelle slid the front of her dress against her waist, and rolled her hips slightly, giving me a glimpse of the black thong she wore.
I tried to breathe, but I’d forgotten how.
“Only you can see me do this, right?” She slid a finger under the edge of the fabric.
I couldn’t have answered even if I wanted to.
“Is it better if I do it this way so you can see?” she asked, keeping her voice too low for anyone else to hear.
Using her right hand, she pulled the scrap of fabric to the side, allowing me to drink in the sight of her.
I was in serious trouble.
Axelle sounded confident as she did her best to seduce me, but I caught the slight tremble in her fingers as she moved the fabric, and the light flickered overhead.
She was being naughty and pushing for me to react. But she was also being incredibly vulnerable with me. Axelle wanted to win this round, but it was written all over her face that she was trying to please me—even if that pushed her outside of her comfort zone.
With her right fingers still holding the thong, she used her left pointer finger to trace her entrance.
My erection jerked, sending a spasm of pain rippling through me. I was too engorged, but I hadn’t been able to get it to go down no matter what technique I tried.
She slipped a finger inside herself and began to stroke. Her movements were tiny, and she was careful not to call attention to what she was doing. Biting her lip, she slipped a second finger into her tight heat.
She closed her eyes and mouthed my name. “Saul.”
My soulmate was wet with need, and imagining my touch. I was still trying to listen to Tiny Tank describe the properties of the various potions, but it was a battle I was quickly losing.
Remembering how her body had reacted to my commands, I leaned in and kissed her. “Let me taste you,” I whispered against her mouth.
Axelle’s eyes widened, and she froze.
“Why are you wet?” I purred against her throat, loving the way her body responded to even the pitch of my voice.
“That’s your fault, not mine!” she hissed, summoning a bit of defiance.
“If I caused you to be aroused, then the sweetness between your thighs belongs to me. Bring your finger to my mouth and let me taste you.” I kept my voice low and spoke against her neck so only she would hear.
It wouldn’t have bothered me the slightest for the world to know she was mine and I was obsessed with everything about her. But for all her bravado, I knew Axelle would be horrified to have attention on her during such an intimate moment.
Her finger trembled as she discreetly brought it to my lips, but didn’t touch me. My eyes met hers, daring her to look away as I curled my tongue around the slick finger and sucked it into my mouth to continue licking away every drop of my prize.
Her eyelids grew heavy with lust, then she whimpered, “Oh no.”
I couldn’t speak with her finger in my mouth, so I raised an eyebrow.
“Saul, I think I just soaked my thong. I need to move before I get your pants wet again—if it’s not too late.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears and her playfulness vanished. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through, and you have to wear these pants until you get home. It’s just… I want you so much it hurts.”
She was hurting and upset, and it was my fault.
Change of plans. I was going to show her she had nothing to apologize for and then I would make sure the world knew she was mine and they needed to think twice before they crossed Death. Now and until the end of time. If this meant my plans to avenge my brother’s death were blown, so be it.
I loved my brother, but he was gone. He would have been proud to meet a spitfire like my soulmate.
Axelle had shown me affection, and I’d been cold and had told her to behave.
Never again.