Life After Death

Chapter 30

"You should eat. You're too skinny," someone said, entering my bedroom.

I had been alone for what felt like weeks; left to contemplate on what my decision would be—would I give up my soul power to Lucifer and live again? BTW, I still didn't have an answer—and I was sure whoever was in my bedroom was there to find out my answer.

I didn't want to give up a power that I didn't know I had—even though I didn't necessarily want it. I didn't want to give it to someone evil, e.g. Satan, who would use it for evil. I wanted to make the right decision. But I felt as though before I could do that I had to discover what Roman had seen in my future. I needed to know. The curiosity was killing me.

I looked up from where I lay, in the spacious bed, and saw a lanky frame at the buffet table. He had a mop of dark hair and dark eyes with deep dimples. He was cute.

"Says the random guy that's..." I trailed off after I saw him emerge from behind the table. He plucked a chicken wing and devoured it, chucking the bones somewhere on the table. He was lean, rather than lanky. There was some muscles under the dark sweatshirt from what I could see.

"Like I said before, you should eat." He said, smiling, causing that same dimples to appear.

"I'm not hungry," I snapped, sitting up in the bed. "Who are you anyway?"

He looked sort of offended when I asked the question. He moved around the table toward me in a fluid motion. "I cannot believe you don't know who I am. I'm the one who brought you here after all." He said, a smile forming on his mouth. He had a pretty mouth. Cupid's bow lips, full and pink. Probably because of all the soul sucking. I heard that it makes your lips pout-y.

"Alex?" I said, letting out a short bark of laughter.

"Its Alexandru," he grumbled. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"So, Alex, what you doing here?"

He rolled his eyes and suddenly made himself comfortable on my bed. He crossed his legs on the bed. "Well, the big man went to Limbo—some idiot got stuck." Alex laughed out loud and sighed. "Anyway, I'm on guard. To watch out that you don't... escape."

"And how would I do that?" I asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Mirrors?"

"You can use a mirror to get out of the Underworld?"

"Not the point."

"Then why'd you come here?"

"You wanted to see how I looked," he said. "I'm not 'butt ugly' now am I?"

"You're okay," I lied.

He smiled widely and that same dimples popped out causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. Did he always do this to prisoners? Make them swoon?

"Okay? That's preposterous!" He said exaggeratedly. "I know you think I'm hot."

"You know who's hot?" I said. "Lucifer. Now that guy...." I fanned myself as though I was getting hot. "He is something other worldly. He is unbelievably sexy... I just want to peel that suit jacket off him, lay him on this bed, and... well, fuck the shit out of him."

Alex laughed. "Says the virgin. Also the girl that's never even kissed someone."

"Er, a virgin can dream, can't she?" I arched a brow at him.

Alex gave me this look that I couldn't decipher, and then, after a long while of deep silence he said, in a serious tone, "So have you practiced controlling your power?"

"Why would I want to learn controlling it? It's not like I'm going to keep it very long any way."

"And if you do intend to keep it?"

"Then won't you people kill me?"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

I looked at Alex at this. His dark eyes looked so familiar. I had definitely seen them somewhere before. And then, when the gold fluttered across the dark irises, I gasped. Those were Roman's eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked, confusion laced in my voice.

"I am Alexandru," he said. "But," there was an excruciatingly long pause, "I am Roman's father."

"What?"

"Say it any louder won't you? The other people in the castle can't hear you," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry. You just dropped a bombshell on me."

"Everyone in the Underworld that works alongside me, including Lucifer, thinks I have lost my memory—because that's what happens when you work in the Underworld so that you're not tethered to your family and friends—but I'm clairvoyant and well, I didn't forget a thing. And then, I heard that Roman was a Reaper. I never even got to know him because I died before he was born..."

"In what time was this?"

"I died in 1920," he said. "But I've lived on earth for centuries sucking souls. I went back to the Underworld and sort of just became Lucifer's right hand man. I was different. I wasn't a ghost. I was something else. I was a soul eater. And the more souls I eat the more powerful I get."

Alex snapped his fingers and a beautiful red rose was in his palm. Using his other hand and waving it over his palm, the rose petals turned black. Alex handed it to me. I plucked it from his fingers. "I know how you don't like normal things," he said.

"Thanks."

"Meredith, I want to help you out this place. I may not be as powerful as Lucifer but I'm powerful enough to get out to Roman. Don't tell him about me. Please." Alex was going to help me? Okay. I was confused. "Don't tell anyone I was here. According to everyone in this castle I'm in the library doing research for Lucifer."

I nodded reluctantly. "What do I have to do for you in return?"

"What?"

"I atleast owe you."

"Oh, yeah, you owe me." He said with that same smile that caused butterflies to erupt in my stomach. He was leaning toward me and somehow, I was leaning forward, too. He smelt like sandalwood. He smelt good. His face was inches from mine, and just when our lips were about to meet, he said, "Kiss me."

When our lips connected a spark ignited and I felt like the life was being sucked out of me. I felt like I was drowning in endless pain. I could feel all the pain he caused when eating on souls.

I ripped myself from Alex who was smiling. "And get me a Bieber CD," he said.

"You almost killed me!" I snapped.

"I was hungry. I'm sorry. But you can go now. Here," he said, handing me a blue marble. It looked familiar but I couldn't place where I had seen it before. "Just picture the person or place you want to be with or in, stamp on the marble and you'll be there."

I snatched the marble from Alex and glared at him. "If this doesn't work..." I trailed off.

"Then what are going to do?"

"I'll tell them you're Roman's father," I said. "All they have to do is look into it to see the truth and you'll be killed."

"Or I'll be praised even more..." he said with a cruel smile.

"How did you end up in here?" I asked him, twirling the marble in my fingers.

"I did some bad things." He looked down. "You should leave. Before they come checking on you. Also, hug Roman for me." There was something sad in his eyes. My heart went out for Alex. No matter how cruel he could be.

"Goodbye, Alex."

"It's Alexandru!"

I stomped on the marble. Pictured Roman, and just like that, swirls of blue smoke enveloped around me and carried me away. The last thing I saw was Alex smiling sadly at me, waving a hand, before he too teleported away.

Next thing I knew I was in a small bedroom. I turned around and saw a stirring sleeping figure in the single bed pushed up against the black wall.

I smiled. "Roman..."