He nodded stiffly, color flushing the tops of his cheekbones. “I’ll need to focus on my work with Loretta. You should continue training with Grim and Maya this week.”
Elysia dipped her chin, still confused, but also embarrassed she had clearly overstepped a line she hadn’t known existed.
Aidan stopped with his hand on the doorframe as he was leaving. “Odds are only odds, Elysia. Humans are too interesting to be beholden to calculations. Even magical calculations like mine that go beyond the math.”
She twisted to see him looking at her with a sad, contemplative expression.
“I am the god of the dead. My magic is of death and renewal. My shadows are the soot of decomposing magic that will be reborn—raw magic as you know it. I am well-acquainted with the difference between the soul of a mortal with a well-lived life and one who never knew the satisfaction of purpose. I would becruelto steal his volition and purpose from him. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a man.” He paused, his shadows gently brushing against her cheek. “The odds can and will change as the gods become involved.”
Aidan walked away, leaving her with more questions than answers, and her magic rolled within her, seeking release to chase him down and give her what she wanted, but she held it. If Aidan could respect her sky-high walls, then she could back off…for now.
Chapter 32
“I thoughtyou were going totrainme.” Elysia grumbled as she studied the organizational flowchart of the different types of reapers and their roles within the volt.
Grim gave her an unamused look. “You’re going to need to know these things.”
He was right, but it had been a month of this, meeting with Grim and being restricted to physical training and flowcharts. She had thought they were going to be working on mastering her magic, and instead, she was learning about how reapers could shoot acid to incapacitate anyone who stood in the way of their duties. Maya had said she wanted an apprentice and then continually disappeared whenever she was needed. Which meant Elysia’s magical training had come to an abrupt and unfortunate halt given that neither Grim nor Aidan knew how to train someone with magic like hers. The extent of Aidan’s knowledge had been what he taught her, and he had no idea how to proceed from there.
She eyed Grim and fought back a grimace. Death by unnatural stomach acid was not on her to-do list. Pushing away the paper, she raised her eyebrows hopefully. “Or you could show meyour wings. That could be educational.” She hadn’t even known the reapers had wings.
Grim ran a hand over his short dark hair before shaking his head and tapping a finger on the paper. “Memorize this and I’ll consider it.”
An hour later they had moved onto the rules of reaping, and her innate curiosity had taken over. She’d scribbled page after page of notes, constantly interrupting Grim to ask questions and understand the function and limitations of his reapers. They were neck-deep in a discussion on which mortals were considered theirs to reap when Grim’s office door flung open with a bang.
Maya stood in the doorway wearing a tiered lilac dress that floated around her body and made her gray eyes and freckles pop. She flounced into the room, the woven basket on her arm swinging. “Sorry I’m late, I knew this was going to be boring.” She glanced around. “Gods, are you ever going to decorate in here?”
Elysia clamped her mouth shut. His officewasextremely plain. It was like he had sucked out all the charm found in the rest of the house and then hung up two plaques for his reaping accomplishments as if that fixed things.
Grim’s over-muscled shoulders hiked up as he scowled. “Foundational knowledge comes before practice.” His fitted shirt bunched against his enormous biceps as he folded his arms.
Maya leaned against the wall and crossed her ankles delicately and smiled. “Well, it’s my turn now. Come along, then.” She nodded at Elysia and pushed off the wall expectantly.
“We aren’t done yet. I haven’t even taken her on a reaping,” Grim growled.
Elysia perked up. “You were going to take me on a reaping?” She really wanted to see a reaping in action.
“Liar. You wouldn’t have taken her on a reaping for weeks. I know how many lectures you have stored away in that terrifyingly dull brain of yours.”
Grim heated. “You didn’t get to go on a reaping because you were the worst student I’ve ever had.”
Maya lifted one shoulder lightly. “I’ve met your reapers, so I find that hard to believe.” She glanced at Elysia. “Dumber than rocks, some of them. Very strong, though. Great at lifting things and putting them down.”
Elysia’s hand went over her mouth as she pointedly looked away from Grim. Once she’d collected herself, she reached across the desk to touch Grim’s arm. “Tomorrow, same time? I appreciate you teaching me. I learned a lot today, and I’d really like to go on a reaping.”
Embarrassed, he flushed, clearing his throat and tidying the papers strewn across the desk. “Glad you found it helpful.”
Maya made for the door. “He’ll live on that compliment for weeks. Let’sgoalready.”
Grim pushed away from his desk, his chest puffing. “I’m monitoring.”
Maya halted and slowly spun back around, a strange white light cracking through her eyes. Elysia barely held back her flinch, her gaze darting to Grim, who was now pressing his hands against the top of the desk and leaning over it as if daring her to cross him.
Her eyes flashed back to their usual gray, and Maya gave a tight smile. “I thought we’d moved past this.”
His thick jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer, and Maya’s mouth thinned in response. “You want to waste your day watching me teach her what she should have been taught since infancy? Fine by me.”
She stormed out of the office, her boots striking heavily as she disappeared down the hall. Elysia raised a brow as she looked at Grim, waiting for him to explain, but as a man of few words he remained true to form, simply rolling his shoulders and staring after Maya like he wished there could be more eliminating and less monitoring.
