Dark Kiss Of The Reaper Read Online Free PDF Page A

are.”
    A tinny squeak accompanied the door opening. Manda stuck her head in. “Your head hurting you again?”
    “No, not exactly...” Didn’t Manda see him?
    “Then why you hanging out in the dark?”
    Sara looked past the silky curve of one wing. Nothing about Manda’s expression indicated she saw anything unusual. “No reason. Do you...see anything...odd about this room?”
    “Other than my unit secretary looking like she’s about to karate chop someone, no.” Manda’s pursed lips did little to hide the laughter in her eyes.
    Sara dropped her hands. “I’ll be there in a minute. I was just getting some water.”
    “Sure you were.” Manda snorted. “See you later, Bruce Lee.” She closed the door, humming Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting as she went.
    Holy crap on an invisible biscuit. Manda hadn’t seen him. “She didn’t see you.”
    Looking rather vindicated, he smirked. “As I said, it’s only you.”
    She rubbed her forehead. “I’m seeing ghosts. I’ve lost my mind and I’m seeing ghosts.”
    He laughed softly, putting music in the air. “I’m not a ghost, I am the Angel of Death.”
    She stared at him from beneath her lashes. “And that’s different how?” She shook her head. Having a headache was better than this. “I don’t believe you, you know. I think you’re insane and you need help. Which is unfortunate because a guy that looks like you really, really ought to be sane.”
    A single dark brow lifted to punctuate his stony face. “Shall I prove it to you?”
    “What? That you’re not crazy?”
    “That I am the Angel of Death.”
    New fear flooded her mind in a cold rush. Was that a threat? “What do you mean? What are you going to do?”
    He held out his hand. “Take you with me.”
    “What? No way. Where?” She shook her head. His hand stretched out before her, tempting her to reach for him. Thick, uncalloused fingers and a broad, lined palm. Half of her thought going with a man this gorgeous couldn’t be a bad thing – why not call his bluff? – and the other half thought her first half needed to be institutionalized.
    “Don’t touch me. I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re not even really here.” That had to be it. She was hallucinating. Why, she had no idea, but it was better than believing a real live grim reaper was trying to abduct her.
    “Sara.”
    He whispered her name so softly she wasn’t sure she’d heard it at all. She looked into his eyes and the edges of her peripheral vision blurred away. Such a kind face. Such a comforting smile...
    His hand tightened over hers. She startled, unaware she’d put her hand in his until the feel of his warm grasp woke her from whatever fugue state she’d slipped into. She’d been right about no calluses, but his skin held a pleasant roughness—what was she doing? She yanked her hand back, surprised when he let it go without a fight. “This is crazy.”
    “Sara.” Again, that same soft, sexy whisper. “How else will you know the truth?”
    “There’s got to be another way.”
    “No harm will come to you, I swear it.” He extended his hand.
    Trust me. The words sighed through her. She nodded, unable to squelch the trepidation in her belly, but also unable to deny the magnetic pull to discover more about this man.
    The edges of her vision blurred further, obscuring what was real and what wasn’t. He led her into the hall, or what used to be the hall.
    Her heart skidded against her ribs. Fog spiraled around the pale flanks of an enormous horse. It shook its great head, tossing a cloud-colored mane and snorting hot breath. She jumped behind Azrael. His wing brushed her cheek, soft as kitten fur. Better a crazy man than a flesh-eating horse from hell.
    “What the crap is that?” She stared at the creature. Deep breath, deep breath, this is probably just a dream . She’d rather have the Caribbean back. That didn’t scare the pee out of her. She inhaled his warm, male scent, like vanilla pipe smoke