A Shadow in the Reaping (The Shadow Realm, #1)

by Brynne Weaver

“We are bound together, vampire. There is nowhere you can run where I won't find you.”

Be careful, Reaper. You're in danger of convincing yourself you know what to do with a woman like me.

There is no door. There's no escape hatch. The cauldron is the path to the Shadow Realm. This parachute is a backpack and the backpack is on fucking fire.

“I won't let anything hurt you, Lu,” he says. His voice sounds like a promise. He sounds like a warrior. He sounds like he will burn the world to keep his word.

The heat of his breath warms my neck. I open my eyes as he pulls away to meet my gaze. There is enough fury there to destroy every realm. Somehow, I think I would be the only one spared.

I can tell he realizes that wherever my panic came from, it was from no accident. That life can be callous and cruel. His gaze drops to my lips and his jaw tightens. “The ones who did this to you. Did you kill them?” I nod. “Good.”

Ashen gives a half smile as his eyes fuse with mine. It feels like a key that fits a lock that hasn't been turned in a long time.

Ashen laughs. Properly laughs. It's maybe the greatest sound I've ever heard. It's so warm. It's so rare. I would steer my ship onto the rocks just to hear it again, to see his face vibrant with its afterglow.

And I don't care who you are or what realm you're from, I owe you no name to put on this list of future souls ripe for stealing. Let me be a shadow in your reaping and we will call your debt fulfilled.

I am a reckless, silly creature, thinking of embraces and endearments and emotions. I’ve been afraid of what I feel about him. Now I can’t seem to stop it, and I fear that too.

“You should know by now, boy. Fear is like the wind and ancient creatures are always ready with a sail to catch it.

“Convincing yourself you can't choose differently now because of the choices you made in the past. Convincing yourself you can never do better today than you did yesterday. Convincing yourself that better means letting go, not holding on.”

“If you're trapped in the Realm of Light, I will still find you,” Ashen says.

You were not what I expected. That you might fall in the fight, in some dirty alley of such a ridiculous little town, it didn't just seem like a waste. It felt... wrong. It felt like something irreplaceable was about to be lost. Like I had just found something worth saving, even though I didn't understand why.”

“You are like the wind or the sea, like an elemental force of nature. You feared me and yet I'm the one who is left defenseless as you dismantle my walls, stone by stone.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Ashen says as he turns around. Within three strides he's there, right in front of me. His palms are warm on my face. His lips are pressed to mine. In five thousand years, there's never been a kiss like it.

His lips sweep across mine until I'm sure that Ashen is the only real thing in this Realm.

“Libbu isriq, ekimmu,” he whispers into my skin. You have stolen my heart, vampire.

Ashen trails his fingers across my cheek and locks his eyes to mine. “I already knew who you were. That I would break any rule, that I would do anything for you.”

Every touch still feels stolen. So, I'll be the greatest thief of all time. I will take every last one that I have a chance to steal.

“Try not to kill any witches until we have answers,” Ashen says, bending his head to keep his unwavering stare locked to mine. It etches an indelible mark right onto my soul. “Once we're done, take them all.”

“No. You belong to you, vampire. But I will cherish any part you're willing to share with me.”

“I'll share every part that you're willing to take, and I'll take any part that you're willing to give,”

“Promises are for mortals.” “Not when they are made between you and me.”