Chapter 5: Ryker Dare

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"I would, but your dog over there wouldn't really appreciate it," - Dumpy (Death)

~~~~~~~~~~

Jealousy reared its ugly head once more, and I was getting sick and tired of seeing its face.

"Kei," I growled lowly, "who is this man that you seem so close to?" I turned my eyes away from the man and stared down at her. If I wasn't reigning in my temper, I would have taken more notice of her uneasiness. But I knew she could feel my disquiet anger below the surface, and she knew exactly how fierce it was.

"Well?" I say again gruffly, growing more impatient with each second she spent in silence.

"He's kinda Death. It was a given that I would meet him after I died." I felt my heart lurch when she said those words, not wanting to think how she was gone way out of my grasp.

"And she's seeing the dead, pup. That's why I made my appearance," Death spoke with ease, as if he was explaining what was for dinner.

I had no air in my lungs as I processed this information, her distant words filtering through my mind.

***

"Do you love ghost stories, King?" I shrugged.

"I can't say I've heard a good one to give me chills." She leaned closer, a secretive smile on her face.

"The next one is going to knock your socks off. The sixth and final Gift allows you to see the dead."

***

That time seemed so long ago as I recalled her telling me of each Gift, the sixth one echoing through my head.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, the stress a bittersweet experience.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you." I chuckled lowly to myself and stopped to narrow my eyes at the man. "However, I still don't see the point of you making an appearance even if she sees the dead." Even before I could finish my sentence, Kei bent over.

Worried, I placed my hand on her back and asked her what was wrong.

"This is worse than freaking period cramps, and I won't even describe how much they suck." Her breaths were labored as she tried to breathe, huffing out small pants.

I could only stare helplessly as I watched the color in her face drain, and the pain glistened brightly in her eyes.

"And that is why I'm here. If she's seeing the dead, then the pain will be sure to follow." Death smiled without teeth and strode over. I growled lowly, Axel fighting to take over.

"Not yet," I told him. He only cursed and stayed restless.

"I see your struggle with your wolf. It would be much appreciated if you kept him out of the way for the time being, or else he's going to make this whole thing a lot harder than it should be." The man didn't explain anything further as he ripped Kei out of my grasp and before I could take a step forward, he appeared across the room.

Not looking at me, he bent his head down and pressed his lips against Kei's. Everything in me froze as I watched the interaction, seeing the way Kei also froze even in pain. Her eyes widened as she stared at the man, unknowingly causing Axel to go into a frenzy.

A roar ripped through my chest and by the grace of the goddess, managed to handle the single thread of control with sheer willpower. But that didn't stop me from sprinting so quick it would have seemed I had teleported to a normal human, only to be standing right next to the two in a split second.

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