Page 19 of Reapers Don’t Ride

“No. He’d disappear as soon as he caught scent of me. He’s very fast.”

“Cupids are faster than Reapers?”

“Yes.”

“Does he actually shoot arrows of love at people?” And why did I say ‘love?’ It was almost as bad as ‘lovers.’ And why wasn’t I saying, ‘No. Absolutely not’?

“Darts, yes, but they affect a wide range of emotions, not just love. In a fight, I would win, but I’d rather if we could save him from his entanglements with the demon instead.”

“Redemption? You feel partially responsible for his fall. What happened? Did you two fight over a woman?” I was joking. Angels weren’t jealousy or petty about women, like they were objects to be won.

He sighed. “Something like that.”

My dead heart ached for a moment for no rational reason. Hearing that this perfect angel had cared enough about someone else to fight for her was none of my business. “What happened to her?”

I shouldn’t have asked the question. Except that it might be relevant if Song’s Lament was actually this place, and Cupid was his old associate who had fallen away.

“It turned out that neither one of us was right for her. In the end, she married an ogre.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It’s just the thought of two angels fighting over a woman who chose an ogre was so ludicrous. I quickly put a damper on my laughter. “Sorry. That just surprised me. Why would she choose an ogre over angels?”

He shrugged. “She always hated ogres too much. She was so contrary, she couldn’t help loving what she hated.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Mirabel is like that.”

I blinked at him. “Mirabel, you mean Singsong’s Music Master? That’s the girl you fought over? Isn’t she the daughter of the Commander of the HOST’s?” Stories of her music festival battle that ended in heavenly fire had traveled even to my prison. I whistled. “Seems like you were a little out of your league there.”

He gave me a crooked smile. “I’m out of my league wherever I go. That’s why I’m the Reaper, which comes with a lifestyle only suited to the lonely and heartbroken.”

“Oh. Well, it sounds like you’re ripe for a romantic entanglement with a known murderer with that kind of angst. The thing is that I don’t know how to act like I’m in love. I’m not good at lies.” Even when I loved David, I’d been awkward about it.

“You can be using me for your own ends while I’m helplessly drawn to you.”

“But that would require that I act charming at least to you, and I don’t think I’m capable of that. It would end up a bloodbath, and we’d lose the only lead we have.” There. I’d been very clear about how bad an idea this was.

He reached over and took my hand in his. He was so warm, strong, and good. “You’re too humble.”

“Realistic.”

He cocked his head. “I’m an angel. I’m supposed to see the good in people, even vampires. I will call it humility. I will see you as someone who is worth saving, and you will allow me to try to save your soul because you need to use me for your own self-preservation. Like you’re putting up with all of this because you’re driven to end the threat to your own freedom that Tralcon represents.”

I pulled my hands out of his. “I’m not using you. I’d prefer to do this on my own.”

His smile was very smug. “Exactly. You wouldn’t ever own another soul because you have experienced it and wouldn’t ever inflict such agony on anyone else. But you will play the part of someone who is reluctantly tied to an angel who adores her, because he sees the goodness in her that she is blind to.”

“I’m not comfortable with this, but I suppose it is a logical cover that I can probably act out. Can you pretend to be stupidly in love with me to the point that you’d betray your own to protect me?”

“Easily. Everyone knows that Reapers are the most corruptible.”

I hated that he might become corrupt, that I might be the source of his corruption. “And this Cupid will know that you’re a reaper? I thought that was classified information.”

“He’ll know the moment he sees me. And when he does see me, he has to think I’m not a threat, that I’m fallen below his level. It should be very interesting.”

I sighed heavily. “Interesting is one word for it. Do you need to sleep before we continue on?”

“No, but I might as well. I need to arrange for a chase scene, and that will require Richard, who should be here shortly.”