Dark Kiss Of The Reaper by Kristen Painter Read Free Book Online

She made a joke of it, but the answer hung between them like a hangman’s noose waiting to be tightened.
    “No.” His whispered acknowledgement didn’t frighten her. What was to be, would be.
    “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not afraid.”
    “Nor should you be. You’re in no danger, I swear it.” His free hand came to rest on her other hip, tripping sparks over her skin. “You are a most unusual woman.”
    She tipped her head to look at him. “You’re the most interesting man I’ve met in a long time.” She laughed, catching what she’d just said. “You’re not really a man, though, are you?”
    His grin held a hint of wickedness that spun heat deeper into her bones. “Oh, I am a man, Sara Donovan. Be very sure of that.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Never had Azrael wanted to harm Kol more than he did now. Sara had come through Kol’s “testing” without injury, but that didn’t lessen Azrael’s need to punish his brother. Somehow, somewhere, Kol would be made to understand his indiscretion.
    Azrael moved his head a few inches, burying his nose in her hair, and inhaled. She was perfection. Sweet, opinionated, unafraid.
    He no longer cared why the Fates allowed her to see him. All that mattered was that she did. And she wasn’t afraid of him.
    Not so far anyway.
    Pallidus descended. Azrael wrapped his arms tighter around Sara, knowing what lay below would not be pleasant.
    Puffs of black smoke drifted past. The faint tang of sulfur tinged the air. A sharp whistle to their left, then a bright flare of light and sound.
    The smoke cleared in patches, revealing the battlefield it hid. Rubble littered the streets. Bombed and blackened vehicles. Broken glass. A child’s shoe.
    Sara stiffened, but kept silent, pressing deeper into his embrace.
    Pallidus came to rest on a patch of unbroken street, his hooves clipping against the pavement.
    Sara’s fingers dug into his arm. “Why are we stopping here?”
    “To reap a soul.” He dismounted, then offered her his hand.
    She hesitated.
    “Are you afraid?”
    “No.”
    He cocked an eyebrow.
    Gunfire popped in the distance. She flinched. “Yes, I’m afraid. This is a war zone. I can tell that much.” A quick glance around and her gaze returned to him. Tentatively, she took his hand. “Nothing can happen to me, right?”
    He nodded, absorbed in the pleasure of her willing hand in his. “I promise.”
    She slid to the ground beside him, staying very close.
    A dark, fast-moving shadow swooped over them. She ducked, hugging tight against him. More hooves clattered on the pavement. “You said your brother was going to leave me alone.”
    “That isn’t Kol. See?” He gestured toward the smoky gray stallion. “His horse isn’t black.”
    She pulled back to look for herself. “Great. A new one. How many brothers do you have?”
    “Only two. Chronos is a Timekeeper.”
    “And that means?”
    “He reaps the souls of those who’ve reached their allotted end but have earned no special consideration or condemnation.”
    Ahead of them, Chronos dismounted and turned toward them. Sara sucked in a ragged breath, proof to Azrael that he wasn’t the only Reaper she could see in true form. At work, Chronos most resembled the human idea of a Reaper, a skeleton cloaked in dark robes. Beneath his voluminous hood, shadows concealed all but the bottom half of a skull. Neither Azrael nor Kol were capable of assuming that form, just as Chronos couldn’t assume the visceral forms unique to either of them.
    Her body became one solid line pressed to his. He eased an arm around her waist, hoping to soothe her fright. She rewarded him with an almost imperceptible softening.
    “Azrael.” Chronos moved in their direction.
    “Brother...” Azrael nodded to his brother then tipped his head at Sara, hoping to make Chronos understand the affect of his appearance.
    “Ah.” Flesh filled in over the bone. As he approached, he reached up and brushed his hood back, revealing his