My Soul to Reap (Archived)

No Lovers Left Alive

My ascent was slow. I found myself dragging my feet, weighed down by what I'd just realized. The gold metal was cool against my skin, even though the air around me was getting uncomfortably hot. The music sounded muffled, distant. It was like a strange place between being awake and asleep, and I couldn't help but be worried. It was hard enough having to say goodbye to Rina, but now feeling like I was about to pass out just made the situation worse.

I looked out over the dance floor, at the sea of swaying people. To say Skylla was in her element would be an understatement, because she looked as at home as anyone could possibly be. She was controlling every single person, and loving it. I couldn't help but stare too, because even I had to admit she looked stunning up there. I'd reached the top of the stairs, and this time it was completely deserted. There was no one to stop me, which somehow felt wrong. Wasn't this place supposed to be really exclusive?

When I walked back in on Jun and Aryan, the latter was at the bar. Seeing he'd mixed himself a drink, I quickly snatched it for myself before downing it considerably faster than I should have. Jun raised an eyebrow and Aryan waved him off, moving to stand beside me and just generally look concerned. Jun walked out soon after, giving us space. I knew I needed to explain what had happened, but I didn't want to. I'd faced it once already, and going over it would just break me down more. I wanted to still know her, to still be Rina's friend. And now that wouldn't happen, no matter how welcome she'd said I was.

"It was Rina," I offered as explanation, only to remember he probably didn't know what that meant. "Uh, the reaper, she's friends with Brie." He nodded in response, guiding me in the general direction of the couch. I must have looked even more shaken up than I felt, if he was this concerned about me. I sat on the side of the room I hadn't yet, where all the seats faced the bar. His hand lingered just a second too long on my shoulder and I couldn't help but feel a little flutter in my stomach, before cursing myself for being stupid. He started pacing, a habit I guessed he did when he was thinking.

"Rina and Abrielle are the reapers?" he asked, and I nodded, even though I wasn't sure why he hadn't picked up on that by now. He'd stopped by the bar, probably to make another of whatever I'd hijacked. I leaned back, because the fuzzy feeling from the stairs was starting to come back. I tried to focus on his movements, realizing that he wouldn't have seen me nod.

"Yeah, that's their..." I stopped. Time stopped. I could hear myself breathing, too clear and too slow. I was silent for a second, thinking over what I had been about to say. That's their names. Their names.

It hit me violently, the realization. What had been the very first thing he'd told me? What had he said about power? About names? Stupid, stupid, stupid. I shook my head violently, embarrassment burning at my eyes. But it was a lot more than that, too. He was leaning against the bar now, raising the glass delicately to his lips and looking at me over it. Studying me.

"I mean to ask," I said, trying to recover. "You never told me who Skylla was." There was a sinking feeling in my heart, because I knew where this was going now. And I'd never felt so used.

"She's our DJ, though I get the feeling that isn't what you were asking. She's a siren." A siren, who would sit on the rocks and make sailors fall in love with them. Lure them to their deaths. Everything fit together so perfectly that I didn't know how I'd missed it.

Skylla had said she knew her way around it, in the alleyway. Around whatever spell kept power at bay. So she could use whatever supernatural abilities she had. A siren at a DJ table- it didn't take a genius to know what she was doing. She was making the dance floor love her. She was making me-

"It really did take you this long, didn't it?" my head snapped up, only it didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to. The way Jun had looked at Aryan before he left, even the way Carter backed down so easily from him. And I'd never seen it. I'd never seen how goddamn scared they all were of him. I opened my mouth to retort, but no sound came out. I started panicking, not wanting to relive that time in Kayin's house. I didn't want to be that powerless ever again.

"Don't feel bad, you couldn't help it. Well, actually, you could have, though you didn't seem overly keen to." He seemed content to continue on his dramatic monologue, and I wanted so badly to be able to say it didn't affect me. But it did. I could feel where this was going, knew exactly what he was going to tell me. And I knew it was all going to be true. I knew that whatever he said, smirking and leaning against that counter, would tear me apart.

"Oh, dear. You actually fell for it, didn't you?" He needed their names. He'd never known Brie's name and I just handed it to him, not even thinking. I couldn't even stand to look at him, because the worst part was he actually looked sorry. There was pity there, but no remorse. He felt sorry for me, the sad little girl who fell for his tricks. I'd wanted to love him and I had, stupidly and blindly. He cocked his head to the side, stepping closer. I could feel my eyes burning.

"Paralysing agent, although I won't insult your intelligence by assuming you hadn't noticed." He knew I'd take the drink. He knew and he spiked it in advance, because he already had what he needed from me. He didn't need me anymore, I'd served my purpose. I felt sick, but more than anything I was scared. This was the man who owned a mansion in the middle of nowhere and who had fully intended to kill me that night. A vampire, pure and simple. A manipulative bastard, but still a monster. And now I couldn't move, and his eyes were pitch black.

"You were so desperate to be in control of something that you truly fell. Terribly sorry, dear." The apology meant nothing. The false sincerity meant nothing. I wanted to retort something about his super villain monologues, but I was frozen. Most of it had nothing to do with the paralysis. I hated him, I'd always hated him. He had played me right from when I killed him, showing me a side he knew I'd fall for. He was walking closer now, trapping me, and I knew what came next. I also knew that I wouldn't wake up with a helpful reaper this time to save me.

"This time, I'm afraid, this might hurt." He was too close, and I'd been a part of this scene before. I found myself praying I'd kept that knife, that I'd just sat down and listened to Brie explain. Oh god, she'd known. I realized it too late, that both the girls had known. They knew what Aryan was going to end up doing and they couldn't stop me. I couldn't help think that now Rina would blame herself, that she'd think she could have saved me since I'd died only minutes after she'd seen me. I would be the reason she'd mourn. Would they? Would they even notice, or would the immortal reapers just forget me? I felt overwhelmingly stupid, and when he gently raised my head up I found I wasn't ready to die. I wanted to fight, train with Brie like I was supposed to. Hell, I'd let Rina do my hair at this point. Those three, Kayin included, were the good guys. I wanted that damn knife back

I wanted to live.

It was pure instinct. When he touched me the paralysis started to wear off, or at least lessened enough that I could move. I pushed against him. He staggered backwards, hitting the bar hard. I took off, running as fast as I could out the door and down the steps. My heart pounded in my ears, echoing the footsteps and the bass line. I was sure I'd fall, but I made it to the ground floor safely. People were staring but I didn't spare my usual apologetic glance, because this was life or death. I glanced behind me, and he was right on my heels. But I was shorter than him, tinier, and it was easy to slip into the crowd. Skylla was still reigning queen here, but I'd woken up by now. She couldn't touch me. I threaded through the crowd effortlessly, a few summers of spending too much time in places my parents wouldn't approve of giving me that skill. I didn't know where I was headed exactly, just that when I was finally able to look around and see him going the wrong way I bolted as fast as I could out of the crowd. It was parallel with the DJ table, in front of the same door that Skylla had made me change in. I ran to the door and yanked it open, slamming it closed and bolting the lock. I leaned back, panting, before the situation caught up to me.

What had just happened? All I knew was that when I was able to move Aryan was pushed off me, but how...

I was holding something. Adrenaline was still pounding, so it took a second to understand. It was a knife. A long, wide golden blade, sharpened at both ends. The hilt was inlaid with a stone that looked like amber, uncut and splattered with interior cracks. I swallowed hard.

It was covered it blood.