I walked past my room, into Wraith’s. He was the Horsemen’s tattoo man, and kept a tattoo gun in his closet. I took the gun back to my room and propped it up on my bathroom sink.
In the mirror, Gemma’s scratch marks reflected bloody on my chest.
I dug the needle into them.
She would do it again, she would try to kill herself again. I saw it in her defiance.
That sealed it for me. Gemma Crowne was always going to be with someone else. She was fucking engaged tonight.
So I would be her reaper. I would keep her life safe. She would live in my soul. Entwined.
THIRTY-FIVE
GEMMA
Present
They say never take a contract with a Horseman. They didn’t take your money, they took your soul. So what did it mean when you belonged to one?
Tomorrow, you’re the Reaper’s girl.
The morning came and went. Afternoon disappeared into red sunset. And then I was supposed to get ready for a party.
Like nothing happened.
Like I hadn’t inked the Reaper on my neck.
My image reflected back at me from my floor-length mirror. The girl in the mirror looked exactly the same. Same rose gold bob, perfectly applied makeup, and couture dress.
Maybe nothing had changed.
“You look nice.”
I froze at my mom’s voice. Swiveling my head, I foundmy mother in the doorway. A sense of relief washed over me. Like me, she was the same.
Same icy countenance and effortless, regal air.
“Um…” I tugged at the silk of my dress. My mother and I always threw up mirrors and smoke to avoid anything real. Grim’s brand was still raw on my flesh, impossible to hide or ignore.
This was uncharted territory.
She took a seat on my chaise. “Did I ever tell you the story of my first love?”
I nearly choked on my own spit. First love? Since when did Tansy Crownelove?
“Years ago, when your sister fell for…that boy, I told her the story. I tried to warn her. Get her to see reason.”
“Abigail is happy now,” I whispered.
“Maybe,” she said, though her nostrils flared, almost imperceptibly. “There was a time not too long ago where I would have warned you that you don’t get both,” she continued. “You don’t get to live this life and love whoever you want. But after giving the same speech to both your brother and sister…”
She trailed off into silence, the only sounds the beach below, a soft hum of the heater.
It was a moment before she spoke again. “My first love worked for my father. I never thought we would be together, but I didn’t dissuade the fantasy. He died shortly after I married.”
Another silence. I stared at her. She stared into the distance, into some memory. In the low light, my mom seemed younger. Naive.
“Maybe your siblings did get a happily ever after.” She stood up, like that was where she was going to end it.
