What?
I snap my head toward where he’s pointing and—yep. Sure enough, another scythe is lying there, just… reflecting light where the lady Grim Reaper vanished.
Which is weird.
Because that scythe should’ve disappeared out of existence the moment she moved on. Grim Reapers don’t leave behind souvenirs. It doesn’t make sense. But at this point, neither does my entire afterlife, so I don’t waste time asking questions.
Unfortunately, I also make the worst possible mistake: I take my eyes off the wraith.
The moment I glance at the scythe, she moves—not with the jerky, haunted-house horror movie movements I’ve come to expect. No, this time, she straight-up vanishes.
One second, she’s in front of me, and the next—
Darkness swells. A whisper, so close it slithers down my spine.
“You should have watched your back.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I spin—too late.
Something cold slams into my ribs. My breath locks in my throat, like I just inhaled an entire winter storm. I feel like I’m drowning.
Not in water.
Not in air.
Inher.
The wraith’s grasp sinks deeper, and Ifeelit—her hate, her rage, the twisted, rotten hunger that makes her more than just a lost soul.
She isn’t just trying to kill me.
She’s trying tobecomeme.
No.
No, no, no.
I thrash, but it’s like fighting sleep paralysis with extra steps. The scythe in my hands feels heavier, like it’s being sucked away, likeI’mbeing sucked away.
“I will eat you alive,” she hisses, her voice curling inside my skull.
A second too late, I realize what's happening. I don't just feel like I'm drowning in her hate—I actually am.
She’s pulling me into wherever she’s supposed to be.
And I can’t stop her.
The world around me blurs. The voices of the men—Cassian, Talon, Nathaniel—fade like they’re coming from the other side of the veil.
And then, just when I think it's all over, the wraith wails again.
She drops me. I crash to the ground like a living thing, thudding against the floor. My scythe tumbles out of my grip, clattering against the ground.
I don’t have the time to reach for it.
Because she’s reeling back.
