So Shall I Reap Read Online Free PDF Page B

makes her soul unique. In the Unseen, she is known as a Child-of-Balance. It is written in the scrolls. If an entity can convince her to make a Bond-Rite to their House in exchange for her power, that contract will tip Creation’s control, and make their House stronger. Then they can guard the River Styx and oversee the rest of the Unseen. Do you understand so far?” She glanced at the child again, a worried expression on her face. “If she doesn’t pick a House to serve, she is as good as dead, permanently.”
    Staring at the ceiling, I counted the holes in the tiles and listened to her ramble. All the while, I was trying to convince myself it was only a story. Other entities within the House of Space had conveyed tales about selected child-like Vessels. Whether you believed they were blessed or cursed with specific powers, as the twisted tale explained, they were the only beings that could wield them. Surely, it was just daemon lore… it had to be. I blew a few smoke rings and decided to put the cigarette out of its misery.
    With thoughts drifting I was brought back momentarily and made eye contact with Rae-Lynn. “This is all fascinating, but the sun is coming up, and a different clan of Ashens works this shift during the day. If they start to wonder why I am roaming around on their time, they might think I am rogue and try to dispatch me.”
    When I made a move to get up, Rae-Lynn placed her hand on my shoulder. Blinking, I tried to comprehend how fast she had moved from the other side of the bed, to end up next to me. I had not even heard her approach. My insides gurgled in protest. Overwhelmed with exhaustion and a bit vexed from feeling empty, I glared at her, realizing I had lost the chance for a burger and fries.
    Rae-Lynn frowned as she used her body to stretch up the length of my torso. Her fingers intertwined through some locks of hair, pulling our faces closer together. Cupping the right side of my cheek, she used the other hand to lower my head and ear even closer to her lips. “Don’t you want to know why there’s a connection between you and Alexcia? Why it is she knows you? Can you feel the connection when you see her, touch her? Aren’t you the least bit curious?” She let go of the short locks of hair as her slim frame slid away from me. Shaking in disbelief, I wondered how an angel could get away with that kind of behavior.
    “Okay, I will bite. Why?” The phrase only reminded me of how hungry I really was. The grumbling in my head now mirrored the complaints coming from hunger.
    The half-angel turned with soft grace, but her eyes appeared as cold as steel. Mentally, I heard… “You will pay attention.” She used her arms to embrace me. As an act of comfort, the feeling was unnaturally warm, which made her touch unbearable. I was becoming nauseous.
    Rae-Lynn’s voice became soft and alluring. “Alexcia sees you in her dreams. She knew you would be coming for her someday but only as someone she could trust. In her mind, she remembers you as a daemon of shadow, but she is still too young to know what that entails.” The woman’s nose scrunched slightly. “I suggest we keep what you really are to ourselves, at least until she is old enough to comprehend your real job. Alexcia is ours to raise. My husband and I have that responsibility, but your role in her life is much more complex. Children born of Balance share a bond far more complicated than with another entity or Vessel. And only your unique ability to love can mold her into what she will become… if you agree.”
    “I do not understand what you mean by love .” I spit the word out quickly so I could continue with the rest and get out of there. “But more importantly, why me? I do not have time to reap souls and read bedtime stories to an angel-child… daemon… Vessel. Whatever she is. You still have not been clear about how and why she knows me.”
    Rae-Lynn stepped back and put her hands on her hips. Her smile became peaceful.