Page 18 of Reaper
Chapter Six
Ara
Ara had savored Reaper’s heated glances as they sat through dinner with his friends.Although she should have been intimidated by his intimate gaze that promised heaven, she felt her blood heat at the possibilities for the night.Anytime he pulled her close, there had been no hesitation on her part.She found that she craved his touch.As the night wore on, she found that her gaze was drawn back to him as he enjoyed her getting to know his friends.As they said their last good-byes, her mind drifted as they walked toward his SUV.
Although she thought it impossible, she found herself relaxing around the close-knit group as the night went on.Reaper’s friends were welcoming and although they were curious about her, treated her as though they’d seen her abilities before.She’d never shown anyone what she could do, afraid of what people would think, but here, she was accepted.
Her parents were both selfish creatures, and if her mother hadn’t gotten pregnant with Ara, their connection would’ve been severed long before she became a possibility.Even with the responsibility of a child, they were never present, seeking oblivion instead.Their behavior and unpredictable nature had turned her into a loner, someone who had been afraid to form relationships.Her parents had taught her that relying on others was a detriment, and she learned that lesson the hard way.
Long before she had been captured, she had kept to herself while she worked her way through getting her GED, and later her bachelor’s in accounting.She had a job in which she excelled, but from time to time, the loneliness crept in and she wished for a different life.One in which she could trust those around her.But those wistful times were short-lived.Although she didn’t understand why she had been captured, she now appreciated her time with Reaper more because of it.
Reaper slid his hands around her waist, and she shivered at his warm touch.She bit her lip to keep the groan of need from pushing past where it stuck in her throat, but when she glanced up to see the passion reflected in his eyes, the sound escaped.In a fraction of a second, he pressed her against the closed door of the SUV and kissed her.
She lifted her arms around his shoulders and returned the kiss with equal fervor, loving the taste of him and his scent surrounding her.Everything but Reaper and his touch fell away.Another sound of need let him know how much she wanted him.
Breathing hard, he ripped his mouth from hers and studied her face.She had no idea what he searched for, but he must’ve been satisfied by what he’d seen.He kept her pressed close to his body and stepped back in order to open the door.She laughed as he lifted her and settled her on the passenger seat, taking the time to put on her seat belt.He cupped her chin and bent for a kiss, growling when she moaned in anticipation, but changed his mind and pressed his lips against her forehead.Before she could understand his actions, he stepped back and shut the door.
Tilting her head, she smiled at Reaper as he strode around the hood of the SUV.He caught her gaze and winked.The hot flush to her cheeks was becoming a normal routine whenever he glanced at her, and she enjoyed that she could show him how much he affected her.
Before he could reach the door, she watched his right shoulder jerk back and something wet hit the windshield.
It took a long moment for her to understand.
When the situation became clear, she could do nothing but watch in horror as a barrage of bullets pierced Reaper’s sweater and embedded in his chest.As if in slow motion, she watched each hit; his blood sprayed as each bullet exited his back.Her body sat frozen as she watched Reaper disappear out of view, dropping onto the ground the moment the gunfire ceased.
Without a thought to anything but her urgency to get to Reaper, she wrenched the passenger door open and stepped out into the darkness.She didn’t feel the cold or hear the wind, but the movement from her periphery broke into her shock.
The man who had fired at Reaper stood ten yards from the SUV near the pines that surrounded the property.It took her a long moment before she realized why he didn’t continue firing; the gun had jammed.
The gunman glanced up at her and met her eyes.“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
His frantic movements increased, and with brute force, the empty casing exited the gun before the next one slid into place.His relief was palpable the moment he raised the gun and pointed it at her.
Rage and hatred surrounded her, pulsed in her veins as it coursed through her, and she welcomed the alien feelings.She didn’t care that this man wanted to kill her.This stranger had shot and killed Reaper, because of her.
The guilt mixed with her other swirling emotions, until revenge and resentment took precedence.She wanted more time with Reaper, to truly get to know him without her problems coming between them, but life had played the cruelest trick on her.The one time she found a place where she fit—a person who accepted her—all of her, and it had been taken away from her.Pain and death.That was all she brought.
Footsteps and shouts came from the direction of the house, but her glare never left the one man who would suffer because of her mistakes.The voices came closer, and she knew that she had to keep them from the fight.Not wanting to take a chance that his friends might be hurt because of her, she pushed them back onto the wrap-around porch and erected an invisible barrier to keep them from interfering and becoming targets.
When the gunman had thought her attention was diverted, he lifted his weapon, finger on the trigger and a sneer of hatred disfiguring his face.
The rage had taken hold.Without knowing what her actions would cause, she waved her free hand at the gunman and a sense of satisfaction washed through her when he dropped to his knees and a scream of pain tore through the quiet of the night.She watched in calm detachment as his fingers gouged deep, prolonged gashes in his skin, moving from his arms to his face.Wanting him to suffer more because of what he had taken from her, she clenched her hand into a fist and squeezed.A strangled cry erupted from his throat, but instead of any prolonged effect, his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell over, dead.
The moment she had killed the man, reality came back to her in a rush.
“Reaper.”
Rushing to his side, her eyes scanned his chest for movement and a desperate cry escaped her throat.She pressed her fingers to the side of his neck to check for a pulse and found none.
“You can’t leave me,” she choked.“I’m a freak, but you searched for me.You took me in and made me feel whole for the first time in my life.You have to live, Reaper.You have friends; they can’t lose you either.I am so sorry.I don’t know how to make this right.”
When the last words left her mouth, a warmth surged into her hands where they rested on his chest.Glancing down, her eyes widened at the scene before her.Light and heat radiated from her palms into his chest.Unable to understand, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the heat that traveled between them, and let out a gasp of surprise.Although she had thought him dead, she could sense his response to her touch and knew that Reaper was alive.
She concentrated on healing his injuries, not caring when she had acquired this specific power, only grateful that she had.Within minutes, she could feel him growing stronger, but with that strength came the realization that he was trying to shift into his wolf form.Acting on instinct, she bound him and prevented the shift.She remembered that Reaper had told her that shifters were stronger in animal form, but she held fast despite the vehement growls that ripped from his throat.Tears sprung to her eyes because she knew she prevented him from a natural act, but something inside loudly protested and she listened to her intuition.
“Ara.”Liv’s voice broke through her concentration.
She glanced at the woman she considered a friend, but turned back to Reaper when he started to fight harder against her hold.
“A few more seconds,” Ara said through clenched teeth.
As if her words triggered the end of the healing process, the luminosity from her hands dimmed and the heat slowly faded.She sent up a silent prayer that Reaper would survive and thrive, and find someone who made him happy.She had made a mistake.She believed that Reaper and the assassins would be safe from those who chased her, but tonight had shown her that she risked more than her life by being near them.Blackness pulled at her vision, and with one last look at Reaper’s face, she slid into oblivion.
