I hate her because I have no choice to be here.
This is her debt, and I’m paying it by killing her sorry ass. The queen needs to keep her enemies in check.
“Seems we have similar hiding places. These dresses are a bitch to wear but great for hiding shit,” I remark, taking a step closer. I’ve heard the queen is a brilliant fighter, at least back in her day. It’s been ten years since the war, and I’m hoping she is a little less quick on her feet now.
Her laugh fills the corridor. “You’re going to make my night interesting, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to make your night final, Queen Evelina. This isn’t personal for me, so I’m sorry,” I reply, and before she can talk again, I charge at her. She meets my sword with an expert block, and with incredible strength, she knocks me into the wall. I kick at her feet, and she almost falls but gives me enough time to slam my sword into her arm. She hisses as I cut her, and she hits me with a blast of blue energy. Wow, the queen plays dirty. I like it. I hold in a shriek as I fly down the corridor, rolling out into the ballroom, which is soon filled with screams. I shoot to my feet in the circle of people, and a man I recognise as one of the kings steps forward with fury on his face. Damn, I didn’t want to fight this many and especially not them. Thankfully, the demon overlord king isn’t here tonight, or I would be dead already. I’m not that fucking stupid. Evelina walks right in front of him, not looking away from my eyes as she speaks.
“Don’t even think about helping me. This is the best fight I’ve had in ages, so back the fuck up, babe.”
Ah shit. She thinks like me.
Evelina runs at me with a crazy smile on her face, and I block each of her moves. Our swords clash against each other with every single hit, and I grit my teeth as her sword catches my shoulder. Sweat creeps down my neck as she cuts my dress, and I make the mistake of stepping back. The air is suddenly knocked out of my lungs after I trip and my back hits the floor. In seconds, her sword is at my neck, and she leans over me. Dammit.
I knew fighting in a dress against a trained assassin queen was going to be the death of me. I blame the dress. I hate dresses.
Cocking her head to the side, the cold metal tip presses deeper against my neck, hard enough to make me bleed a tiny bit if she wanted, but she doesn’t push it. “Why were you sent here to kill me?”
“Revenge,” I angrily growl. She laughs as she presses the sword further into my neck, catching me slightly, and I start to bleed. Her three kings stand behind her in a line, like a wall she can fall on if she ever needs it. I hate that she has them. She has family. I have a monkey who has deserted me. Figures.
“Who sent you?” one of the kings demands. “And, Evie, let her up. She is just a kid.”
“But I’m having fun, and she has to be at least eighteen. That’s not a kid, old man,” Queen Evelina says as she pouts, and it pisses me off. I’m twenty, thank you very much. I slam my hand into her sword, knocking it out of her hands, and she jumps back as I crawl to my feet. Panic starts to set in as I realise I can’t win against them all without a weapon.
“She smells like a reaper and something I don’t know,” one of the kings states from Evelina’s side.
“Then she belongs to us.” A man steps out of the crowd, and I don’t know him, but I sure as hell recognise my own kind when I see them. Reapers. I might be from fae, but my father sure as shit wasn’t. It took me all of a year to bump into a reaper in this world, and they told me the truth about who I was and something my mother never mentioned. As fucked up as it is, it gives me some connection to this world even when I crave another. I’ve hid from my own kind my entire life after I soon figured out they are crazy, and I have no interest in being in their world for longer than I need to be. I tug a dagger out of my dress and hold it to my own throat, making the man pause.
The packed ballroom goes silent. No one makes a move.
My plan C sucks. But so does life right about now.
Queen Evelina steps closer as silent tears fall down my cheeks. Screw her. Screw the world. All it’s ever done is hurt me, and my boss told me to kill myself if I ever get caught rather than come back empty-handed. He will kill me, and it won’t be pretty. I have to do this. I will get to see my mother and uncle again. I try to make myself, but my hand shakes, and I feel like I can’t breathe. “Whatever is going on, death won’t let you escape it. Someone fucked you over, sending you to kill me when they knew it was impossible. Let me help you. I vow to help you. I vow on my throne to protect you…but don’t do this. You. Are. Worth. More.”
“Why would you do that for me?” I anxiously ask her, wanting to believe her, but it seems too good to be true. She cautiously steps in front of me. Her hand curls around mine on the dagger.
“Because I know desperation when I see it. I know worthlessness. I know because I’ve been there and I’ve got the T-shirt.” She lowers her voice so only I can hear as I keep my eyes on hers. “Don’t let your inner demons win. They will only drag you to Hell, and I promise I will raise you up. Let me help.”
I let go of the dagger, and so quickly I hardly see the movement, she takes it and slams the hilt into the side of my head. I barely get a chance to scream before I pass out.
Chapter 2
“Wakey, wakey,” Evelina’s voice comes to me, and I blink my eyes open on the chair I’m sat on, and I quickly realise my hands are tied to the chair arms with thick rope that feels like magic. Not a problem, I can escape anything like this easily. I learnt that shit before I was even a teenager. The crunching sound of someone eating makes me sharply turn to the left, my wavy black hair falling around my face from where it escaped the hair grips. The queen has ditched her dress, now in leather pants and a grey T-shirt. She sits on a glass table, eating a bowl of…bacon.
“Did you drug me, or are you really eating bacon right now?” I question, and she just laughs.
“I like you, have I said that?” she replies with a big grin. “The others said we should just kill you, but I think you have guts and spunk. Rare in this world. Plus, I promised to keep you safe.”
“You should kill me. They were right,” I deadpan.
“You don’t mean that, kid,” a reaper I only know from legends states in a low grumble as he storms into the room, the door smacking against the wall behind him. Ah shit. I recognise him from my brief time in his world, and the fact he is here is not good. This reaper is one of the Cherished Five, the council to the queen of the reapers, and extremely trusted in the reaper city. His dark hair is tied back in a braid that hangs down his back and over his thick black cloak that covers his tux. On the wall, I spot his scythe, the weapon of choice for most reapers, and they also use them to travel. This is so not good. Where the fuck is Mossy? “And Queen Evie, for god’s sake, don’t eat bacon when we need to ask her some questions.”
“You might be Connor’s dad’s friend and my ear into the reaper world, but you don’t get to tell me what to do with my bacon,” she warns him, and I think she is deadly serious.
I feel the same way about coffee. I could really use a cup of one right about now. Or five.
“I did warn you. Bacon is the sixth person in our relationship. And I’m certain her love of bacon is above us guys at times,” one of the kings jokes, patting the reaper’s shoulder as he enters from the other door to the room. This must be Connor, if I’m guessing right from my research. This one has blond hair and a playful smile that confuses me.
Evie only grins at her mate as he comes to her side, kissing her cheek. “Have you asked her anything?”
“Nope, sleepyhead just woke up,” she replies, biting into another piece of bacon.
“Then we will begin. What is your name?” the reaper demands as his power surrounds me, smothering me like a blanket of darkness as it tries to figure out a way past my barriers and into my mind. I hate reaper shadow magic. My power instantly reacts, spreading across every inch of my skin in a wave, and the reaper smartly steps back with a confused expression. I cool my powers so I don’t blow up the room as he crosses his arms, shocked I managed to ward off his powers so easily.
I only smile. A creepy smile just to fuck with him.
“Why don’t you two leave us alone?” Evie asks, sliding off the table, sensing something just happened. “We need a girl to girl talk, as clearly your cock power show isn’t working.”
“Will you speak to her about where she came from?” the reaper apprehensively asks, still staring at me, and it is getting weird at this point as I can’t figure out what he is thinking. His eyes almost look like they see an opportunity. I don’t say a word.
“She tried to kill you, Evie,” Connor quietly whispers to Evie, but I hear it. “And we can’t lose you. Neither can the children, and I don’t think you should be alone with her.”
“I will be careful to remember how we met,” she replies, and they kiss as the reaper stares me down before Connor leaves. After a long pause and neither of us breaking eye contact, the reaper walks out of the room, and I finally breathe as I’m left alone with the queen.
“Name?” Evie asks, moving to sit back on her table.
