Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

back of the room. He knocked D’s desk over, spilling piles of Death Certificates everywhere. This time, it was D who laughed.
    In the rain of parchment with the names of people supposed to die, Balthazar cursed like a sailor. He picked himself up off the ground, suppressing his groan by spitting out the nastiest words he could think of.
    “Oh, that one’s new,” D said from his seat. “Where’d you pick up that particularly colorful description of someone’s mother? It’s really creative.”
    Balthazar snorted. “Demons know their stuff. Why do you think the possessed have the most colorful vocabulary?” The movie The Exorcist hadn’t messed up that part. Demons, especially those trapped in the Nethers, had the foulest language in all the Underverse.
    “I take it your stay in the Nethers did you some good?”
    “If you think having to survive on a daily basis and having to kill my way through the nastiest things this world we live in could create as having done me some good, then yes. And to that I say, up yours.”
    “Put your finger down, Balthazar. There’s no need to be vulgar with me.”
    He dropped his hand to his side and frowned. “Do you really believe pissing me off is in your best interest right now?”
    “You’re right,” D said.8
    “What?” Balthazar cupped his ear and turned it toward D. “Can you say that again? I don’t think I heard you properly.”
    “Unlike you—” D sighed “—I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. You’re right. I shouldn’t antagonize you more than I already have. My apologies.”
    Damn if that didn’t make Balthazar feel superior. Getting the tough guy to admit he’d been wrong felt better than slicing through a banshee just to get it to shut up. Then he asked the question that had popped up the second D asked for his help.
    “What makes you think I’m your guy for this? I could just as easily stab you in the back. Well—” he pointed at the dagger “—not that you don’t already know how that feels.”
    D snapped his fingers, and Balthazar’s scythe manifested without Balthazar summoning it. Another thing he hated. Since he’d chosen a scythe, it meant D had some power over it. Balthazar had worked hard for centuries to wean his weapon from D’s influence. It seemed he had more work to do. He slanted his gaze at the scythe and mouthed the word “traitor” at it. The thing quivered.
    “You have the Keeper’s Key.”
    “What about it?” He didn’t like the turn this conversation was taking.
    “You’re the only one who can get in and out of the Crossroads right now.”
    “And?”
    “You’re taking Arianne with you,” said someone from the entrance to D’s office.

Chapter 4
    OMG
    T HE L ETTERS W-H-A-T and a giant question mark danced around in Arianne’s head. What Tomas said distracted her enough from the grisly scene in Death’s office, forcing her to look up at the old Reaper.
    “What?” It had to be asked. The word already floated around anyway. “Hold on a sec. What do you mean I’m going with him?” She pointed at the guy standing beside a clearly bleeding-out Death. Like way too much to be a good thing.
    Tomas glanced down at Arianne and gave her a smile that said sorry and please at the same time. “Remember when I said we’ll need your help? Now’s that time.”
    His words flew over Arianne’s head. She stood there slack-jawed like she’d been smacked. Sure she’d help out, but to have them pass her off to…to…she looked back at the guy dressed in all black.
    Besides his floor-length coat and boots, buckles covered almost every part of him over his leather pants and shirt, jingling when he crossed his arms. Her wondering gaze landed on his face. He looked too young to have that silver hair, and in the right light or when he titled his head like he did just that second, it looked like the strands had white highlights. Not possible. But since she found herself in a place called the Crossroads where they