Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

42 - End

Sing me to sleep 

And then leave me alone

Don't try to wake me in the morning 'cause I will be gone

Don't feel bad for me I want you to know

Deep in the cell of my heart

I will feel so glad to go  

42 - End

"Aramis! Talk to me!"

Alexis lifted my eyelids one after the other, shining a light on them as he did.

"You're overreacting, Alex," I moaned. For once, the damp ground felt cozy against my back that I just wanted to lie there and sleep. "I'm just resting my eyes."

"I said, not more than three times!" he told me off. "Do you even know how to count?"

Vincent nudged Alex out of my view. "Why're you yellin' at her? Don't yell at her!"

"Why? You yell at her all the time!"

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly. It was maybe the one time I saw Alex this aggravated.

"Exactly!" Vincent retorted. Carefully, he pushed aside the lock of hair covering my face. "How're you feeling, A? Does it hurt anywhere? Can anybody tell me what the hell happened here?!"

"You, Vincent," Alex answered. "You happened. Don't you remember anything?!"

Vincent's jaws tensed alternately. "Oh, let me think, Alex. Will I be askin' you if I remember anything?"

Belial suddenly appeared between them. Rolling her eyes, she placed each of her hand over Vincent's and Alex's foreheads to push them away from each other. Just one "Ssshh!" from her and the brothers immediately stopped arguing.

"How are you, Hun?" she asked me.

"I..." Forcibly, I opened my eyes. Past Belial's face, I could see the still dark sky, the black moon. And I kept asking myself if that meant we hadn't won just yet. If that meant I failed. "I can't move."

My voice came out thin, gravelly.

Alex's face came into view again. "Her soul... i-is at its limit, Belial. A-as long as Legion is inside of her, it will keep trying to takeover her body until it gets full control."

"W-what?" Vincent blurted out, the worry on his face was palpable. Without warning, he grabbed Alex's collar and pulled. "What do you mean? What the hell's goin' on?!"

Alex didn't fight back, but his usually shifty eyes betrayed anger.

"Her life is in danger because she saved you." His words were low, deliberate, but merciless.

Vincent's eyes widened. For anger or fear, I couldn't tell now. But his hands were shaking after he let go of his brother and let his arms fall limply to his side.

"No... no," I told him. "It's not his fault."

Vincent dropped his gaze, deep in thought as if finally connecting the dots in his head about what had transpired during the last few hours.

To be honest, I didn't want him to remember anything. I had no idea who got hurt, who died, who survived. Not that I wasn't sorry for all the damage, all the loss and the casualties, but Vincent didn't deserve to carry all that burden with him.

So I was biased. So sue me.

Before he could begin inwardly berating himself, I coerced my hand to close around his.