Read Online Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) by Kate Evangelista - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Evangelista
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somewhere along the way.
The bark in his words didn’t stop her. “But why do we have to see Gran…what?”
He sighed. He wasn’t the sighing type, but she brought it out in him. “Granmare Baba.”
“Granmare Baba, right.” She repeated the witch’s name several more times as if committing it to memory. “Why do we have to see her?”
“There are many things out there—” he pointed at the vast land ahead of them “—that feed on residual energy.” He imitated a snarling dog, bringing his teeth closer and closer to her just to see her flinch again. “You reek of residual energy. I need to do something about that before we go deeper into the Underverse. It would save me a lot of trouble.”
Arianne smelled herself. “I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but I don’t think I need a shower yet.”
“Little girl—”
“Arianne,” she interrupted him.
Again he sighed. “Arianne, you’re a soul. You don’t need a shower. Nor will you need to go to the bathroom or eat. I would have thought Tomas would have briefed you about this.”
“He did, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s all so cool.”
“Sure, jail bait.”
“I resent that.”
“Honey, you’re going to resent a lot of things before this trip is over.”
“I hate you already.”
Balthazar laughed. “Good.”
When they reached the invisible barrier, his arm snapped to the side, stopping Arianne’s progress abruptly. She bumped into his arm.
“What gives?” she complained. “You can touch me, but I can’t touch you?”
“Will you keep your trap shut for one second?” He glared at her until she closed her mouth with a decisive snap of her teeth.
When she’d shut up long enough to satisfy him, he closed his fist and summoned his scythe. Her mouth opened. She stared at his scythe before looking up at him. A part of him wanted to gloat, but another part—the smarter part—kept quiet.
“You’re a Reaper too?” she finally asked after the shock wore off.
He snorted. “Shit, no. I’d rather die than be part of the pansy squad.”
Her face told him she took offense. “Niko’s no pansy.”
“He’s the worst of them,” Balthazar said. No mocking in his voice, only fact. She must have heard it because doubt rose in her blue eyes.
“You know him?” She seemed unsure of herself, like she wanted to ask him something else but didn’t have the courage to. So unlike the girl who bravely made a deal with D and the devil himself.
Balthazar pushed away the emotion he had no name for which surfaced in his chest and used the blade of his scythe to rip open the barrier that protected the Crossroads from the rest of the Underverse. He motioned for her to step through. Arianne looked at her boots, then him, then her boots again, until he was ready to push her through himself. Oh he wanted to, but he kept his free hand to himself.
This is going to be a helluva trip .
Chapter 8
TMI
L ORD H ELP M E , I wanna kill him.
They trudged along a barren landscape. Nothing but nothing stretched for miles around. There wasn’t even the heat haze usually caused by rising temperatures. Arianne commended herself for her wardrobe choices. The jacket and leather pants protected her from much of the chill in the air, yet didn’t restrict her movements. She scanned for a light source, but couldn’t see the sun. The sky, gray as could be without clouds, stretched on and on.
She had no way of telling time, but it felt like they’d been walking for a while. She walked behind Balthazar, who seemed to know where they were going and was content not to clue her in. She didn’t bother asking, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. He walked a couple of feet away, and her hand hovered inches from the knife at her thigh. It called to her, begging her to draw it and just stick it between his shoulder blades. No one had ever inspired murder in her the way Balthazar did. Not even years of bullying had driven her to the thoughts running
The bark in his words didn’t stop her. “But why do we have to see Gran…what?”
He sighed. He wasn’t the sighing type, but she brought it out in him. “Granmare Baba.”
“Granmare Baba, right.” She repeated the witch’s name several more times as if committing it to memory. “Why do we have to see her?”
“There are many things out there—” he pointed at the vast land ahead of them “—that feed on residual energy.” He imitated a snarling dog, bringing his teeth closer and closer to her just to see her flinch again. “You reek of residual energy. I need to do something about that before we go deeper into the Underverse. It would save me a lot of trouble.”
Arianne smelled herself. “I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but I don’t think I need a shower yet.”
“Little girl—”
“Arianne,” she interrupted him.
Again he sighed. “Arianne, you’re a soul. You don’t need a shower. Nor will you need to go to the bathroom or eat. I would have thought Tomas would have briefed you about this.”
“He did, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s all so cool.”
“Sure, jail bait.”
“I resent that.”
“Honey, you’re going to resent a lot of things before this trip is over.”
“I hate you already.”
Balthazar laughed. “Good.”
When they reached the invisible barrier, his arm snapped to the side, stopping Arianne’s progress abruptly. She bumped into his arm.
“What gives?” she complained. “You can touch me, but I can’t touch you?”
“Will you keep your trap shut for one second?” He glared at her until she closed her mouth with a decisive snap of her teeth.
When she’d shut up long enough to satisfy him, he closed his fist and summoned his scythe. Her mouth opened. She stared at his scythe before looking up at him. A part of him wanted to gloat, but another part—the smarter part—kept quiet.
“You’re a Reaper too?” she finally asked after the shock wore off.
He snorted. “Shit, no. I’d rather die than be part of the pansy squad.”
Her face told him she took offense. “Niko’s no pansy.”
“He’s the worst of them,” Balthazar said. No mocking in his voice, only fact. She must have heard it because doubt rose in her blue eyes.
“You know him?” She seemed unsure of herself, like she wanted to ask him something else but didn’t have the courage to. So unlike the girl who bravely made a deal with D and the devil himself.
Balthazar pushed away the emotion he had no name for which surfaced in his chest and used the blade of his scythe to rip open the barrier that protected the Crossroads from the rest of the Underverse. He motioned for her to step through. Arianne looked at her boots, then him, then her boots again, until he was ready to push her through himself. Oh he wanted to, but he kept his free hand to himself.
This is going to be a helluva trip .
Chapter 8
TMI
L ORD H ELP M E , I wanna kill him.
They trudged along a barren landscape. Nothing but nothing stretched for miles around. There wasn’t even the heat haze usually caused by rising temperatures. Arianne commended herself for her wardrobe choices. The jacket and leather pants protected her from much of the chill in the air, yet didn’t restrict her movements. She scanned for a light source, but couldn’t see the sun. The sky, gray as could be without clouds, stretched on and on.
She had no way of telling time, but it felt like they’d been walking for a while. She walked behind Balthazar, who seemed to know where they were going and was content not to clue her in. She didn’t bother asking, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. He walked a couple of feet away, and her hand hovered inches from the knife at her thigh. It called to her, begging her to draw it and just stick it between his shoulder blades. No one had ever inspired murder in her the way Balthazar did. Not even years of bullying had driven her to the thoughts running
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