Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

8-Pain (2 of 2)

NP: Forgiven by Skillet

Vincent's jaws tensed alternately. "Let. Her. Go!"

With a simple tilt of her head, she sent Vincent crashing against the rows of tables and chairs.

Slowly, he untangled himself from the pile of broken furniture and got to his feet. He approached Adrianna, one heavy step after the other, staring intently, noting every detail of her.

"W-who are you?" he rasped.

She smiled. "Adrianna."

"What? D'you think I've crap for brains?!" he growled, his skin beginning to smoke again. "Drag her name in this again and I'd sure as hell rip your heart out!"

She lifted her eyebrows and looked down at herself. "If we have one. But we don't. This form we occupy isn't even human. Very handy. Sturdy too. This way, we can go wherever we want without easily getting spotted."

Vincent was more than distraught. She was messing with his head and she had him right where she wanted.

Laughing quietly, she nodded. "It's a Swarth, like your outstandingly faithful familiar was telling you." She clicked her tongue at the roof of her mouth. "But you didn't believe her. You wanted to believe that you're precious Adrianna came back... for you."

She loosened the grip on my neck and threw me a pitiful look as I caught my breath.

"What do you think, poor little girl?" she cooed. "Let's hear it."

"Go die in a hole!" I choked out.

"We already did," she scoffed "For millennia, actually. We've been waiting to"—she quoted with her fingers—"die. But we didn't... Because Death? Instead of doing his job of 'saving us from the fires of hell and leading all souls to heaven' was just so busy fooling around making babies. So, he dumped us in a stinking pit and let us rot in there for uh... forever." She rolled her eyes. "But let's not talk about us. Let's talk about you, Aramis Rayne. Puppy Love goes back to town and just like that, Mister Antsy Pants here's already kicking you out of the big picture. How does that make you feel?"

"Shut it!" Vincent yelled, his whole body trembling with anger.

His eyes were beginning to turn red. If he lost control again, I didn't think any form of talk would bring him back.

"V-vincent!" I shook my head as much as Adrianna's hold would allow me. "D-don't!"

Feigning surprise, Adrianna let laughter roll out of her throat. "Aww... Look at you, Aramis. Still pining for this pathetic excuse of a master. After he dumped you for a dead girl too. We would slow clap for you, but as you can see, our hands are full."

Through the mist in my eyes, I saw Pilgrim's head droop.

"Adrianna," Vincent called, his voice fragile. "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

"Still hopeful, are we?" she warbled, shaking her head. "Sorry, but Adrianna has left the building."

Adrianna's face began to morph, twitching every which way. Something seemed to be moving from under the skin of her cheek, stretching it to impossible lengths until it formed what looked to me as another face without eyes or a mouth. Then it stretched again. And this time, a hand formed. It grabbed the face and pulled it back inwards.

As if that wasn't grotesque enough, more faces formed and protruded from under her skin, clawing at each other as if wanting to get out.

"Stay inside," she ordered and her skin sprung back into place.