I did wonder if the bare cabinets would give him enough information. When he opened the refrigerator and saw that it was empty, he turned to me with a frown. “You know, I don’t know a lot about what’s going on with me, but I think I probably still need to feed myself.”
“I can get you food.” The thought made something in my chest hum in satisfaction.
“I can order something.Canyou eat?” He was already pulling his phone out and using his thumb to swipe across the screen.
“I can. I just… never saw the point to it.” Until the Ardor, it was another useless mechanic that kept humans alive until they no longer needed it. It wasn’t something I’d considered, though I knew our bodies were designed to function in the exact same fashion as a human. Anything they could do, a Reaper could do. We were made based on their mold, from their souls. It was just the essence of Death that trailed through our veins instead of blood—his power and strength in our chests that made us breathe and function instead of a mortal heart.
Except… I could feel Cole’s heartbeat still thrumming in my chest, slow and steady now that we were safely behind locked doors.
“Okay, you freak. Let me try this again… Do youwantme to order enough food for you to have some too?” And then, after a beat, he added, “How do you pay for this place anyway? Does your boss have you on some spooky payroll?” I wondered if he realized he was sounding more curious than angry with his questions. Had seeing the hounds finally shocked him into believing this was really happening?
The warmth in his tone made me drift forward, close enough I could see that he had a page open on his phone and he was ordering delivery.
“I… it’s not hard to acquire funds when the people I work with aren’t there to contest it.” It had taken me a few months tofigure out exactly who was and wasn’t safe to take money from, and about as long to realize humans were so corrupt, so keen on hiding things from one another that it was far easier than it should have been to figure out ways to take a little for myself every now and then.
One rich woman dying while estranged from her children left me with enough to buy the apartment I was living in. I’d had to barter a few more favors to have it explained to me, but the witch who’d helped had called in her boon almost immediately. She’d wanted to be there when her lover passed—not to save them, but to relish the moment.
It seemed a petty favor.
At least Wren had called me to save his soulmate—I could have told him then that it wasn’t Theo’s time. The hounds hadn’t come after them. I’d simply pressed all that darkness back into Theo’s chest and used the smallest burst of Vitality to seal it away.
Cole, though… his soul had left his body more than once.
What I was doing wasn’t following the natural order of anything.
“Do you want to try pizza?” The innocent question was so out of place in the shroud of my dark thoughts, and I couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled from my chest in response. The sound seemed to take him by surprise.
“I’ll try whatever you want me to.”
Cole’s brows came together like my answer frustrated him, but he still punched some information onto the phone screen before he pocketed it. “You’re like a moody golden retriever.” When I arched a brow in curiosity, he shook his head and turned his back on me, drifting into the living room so he could start going through the bookshelves I had there. “It’s not a good thing.”
Cole watchedme with curious and half-expectant eyes as I picked up the food he’d dropped onto the table in front of me. I’d never bothered trying to eat… but this was exactly why I’d gotten this apartment, wasn’t it? For the furthest reaching dreams of a moment like this.
I took a bite of it, and he leaned in closer.
“Well?”
I wasn’t sure what he wanted.
“It’s… adequate?” It was warm on my tongue. It had what I had to assume was a nice flavor.
Cole frowned like I’d just kicked him.
“You’re a robot.” He sat back in his chair without saying anything else and started to eat. After a few seconds of silence, I followed suit. I could see why humans enjoyed this—not the food, but the act of eating together. It was nice, and there wasn’t any need to fill the silence.
Except Cole swallowed the mouthful he had and leaned in again. “What’s the point of you even having a place like this if you aren’t going to fill it with shit you actually care about?”
At least the pizza in my mouth gave me an excuse not to answer on instinct—it was full of the only thing I cared about now that he was here. Instead, I carefully chewed and came up with a response that wouldn’t overwhelm him.
“Most of the time when Reapers aren’t at work, we rest by the Lake, or in the forest surrounding Death’s domain. We don’t have to sleep or eat… we don’t have to follow any human needs.But I…” I paused, unsure if the answer I’d come up with was any better than confessing my feelings again.
“You?” He obviously wasn’t going to let it go.
“After I met… Caiden. After I found you…” His expression instantly shuttered at the mention of his brother, but it was too late for me to stop now. “I couldn’t stand to stay there. I couldn’t stand to stay away from your world for long. I wanted… more.”
The wordmorehung between us, the weight of it heavy enough to fill the air. Cole’s tongue darted out to lick his lips before he finally smoothed his expression and settled back in his chair.
“Okay. So… why do Reapers exist at all? You talk about Death like it’s a person. Why don’t they do their own dirty work?”
