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  Connor simply grinned. “She was a chef when she was still alive, babe. She was so excited when she heard you would be coming on board the ship. This is a special vessel for the angels and their guests, but she hasn’t served a living, breathing guest for nearly eight hundred years now.”

  Harley almost choked as he darted his eyes between the cake and Connor’s face. “Really?”

  “She died almost eight centuries ago.”

  Harley gulped. “Uh, okay. Are you sure the food is edible and safe?”

  Connor chortled. “Yes. I promise. She got the ingredients from another soul collector, who purchased them from the mortal realm.”

  Harley was relieved. “Okay. Why is she still here, though? I mean, shouldn’t she have reincarnated or something?”

  “It’s not her time yet, and she chooses to continue to work as a chef in the underworld.”

  Harley couldn’t wrap his head around that. “Who needs to eat in the underworld?”

  Connor raised his hand. “I mean, I don’t actually need to, as you know. Neither do the other soul collectors nor the other angels who reside in the underworld.”

  “But?”

  “We eat because it’s fun. Plus, some food can be yummy. Then you have the werewolves, the hellhounds, and all of the dark creatures.”

  That stunned Harley. “Dark creatures are real?”

  “Of course. They still need to eat. The dark creatures aren’t dead. They reside in the underworld because they feel more comfortable there and act as warriors.”

  Harley leaned back. “I think I’ve heard enough. Too much information. My head is getting a little dizzy.”

  Connor chuckled. “Fine. Let’s change the topic and continue with our date.”

  Harley couldn’t ignore the fact that he sat on a ship, cruising along the river of the dead, while being served by the spirit of a deceased chef. He also realized that the violinist must be another spirit, but he didn’t want to think about that. He had enough to deal with.

  Instead, he concentrated on Connor as they also enjoyed a bottle of wine. Soon, they lay next to each other on the deck and admired the thousands of stars in the dark evening sky. Harley moaned in delight when Connor tugged him closer. They cuddled for the next several moments. It was absolutely the most surreal date Harley had ever been on, but he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.

  He felt almost sad when he and Connor had to leave the ship, but at least he had the memories that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He bade farewell to the violinist and the chef before he grabbed Connor’s hand. Then they stepped into a portal that Connor had created just for the two of them. It was time to return home and back into reality.

  Chapter 13

  Connor was bored. He and Harley had been invited to one of Gina’s parties several days after their date in the underworld. They had to attend because Gina was one of Harley’s most generous and most regular customers. Moreover, Harley still had to hand over the blade to Gina. Most importantly, the party would be a great opportunity for him to network with many potential clients.

  Connor never liked parties, though. There were too many people around. Other than the blissful pleasure of Harley’s company, he would rather be alone.

  “I’m going to talk to Gina. Do you want to come along?” Harley asked a moment later.

  Connor shook his head while raising his glass of champagne and gesturing at the sea of guests, chatting with one another and putting on disgustingly fake smiles. “Nah. I think I’ll pass. I’ll enjoy the free flow of champagne while you smooch your way through all these pretentious bastards and bitches.”

  Harley bit his lower lip as he tried to, obviously, stop himself from laughing and drawing attention to them. Then he glared at Connor. However, he looked far too amused to be really angry. “Behave, babe.”

  “Only if you promise to have sex with me when we get home.”

  Harley blushed and rolled his eyes. “We have sex almost every day, and multiple times at that.”

  “I can’t help it. I’m horny all the time. As I keep saying, it’s all your fault for being born so sexy, gorgeous, and—”

  Harley pressed a brief, gentle kiss on Connor’s lips to silence him. “I get the idea. Thanks for the compliment. Now, can you please be on your best—”

  “Yes. Go now. Talk to Gina and some of her guests. I’ll be right here waiting for you. Or I may just stand next to the table with all the delicious-looking food. I’ll stuff my mouth to make sure I don’t say something to offend these people’s delicate sensibilities.”

  Harley chuckled. “Fine. You do that. I’ll see you later. I love you, babe.”

  “I love you, too.”

  After Harley left, and Connor finished his champagne and heaved a huge sigh, he headed toward the table. He filled a plate with food, then located an empty chair in a secluded corner of the room and started eating—not that he needed it, but it gave him something to do. As he chewed, he watched the guests. He wasn’t astonished to discover that all of their auras were tainted with negative energies. There were so many horrid people, he didn’t quite know where to begin observing.

  One beautiful woman in a red satin dress was nothing but a lazy gold-digger. The man next to her was married, but he was a serial cheater who couldn’t keep his dick inside his pants around any pretty women. The obese man conversing with them was petty and egotistical, and stealing money from the company he worked for. Unfortunately, he was a damn smart man who covered his tracks well. The skinny woman beside the chubby man was nasty, with the terrible habit of torturing helpless animals for fun. There was a special place in hell for people like her. The fifth person in that particular group was definitely a bodybuilder. His frame was heavily muscled, and he enjoyed having sex with his clients, both men and women. Now, there was nothing wrong with that. Sex was natural. However, the bodybuilder liked to record his sex sessions with the clients, then extort money from them by threatening to put the videos online.

  Connor darted his eyes from one group of guests to another. Almost every person had something in his or her closet. He shuddered in disgust. Most mortals were frightened of the dark entities such as werewolves or vampires, labeling them as evil creatures. Granted, most mortals didn’t know that supernatural beings truly existed, but they were still afraid of them. But in Connor’s opinion, mortals were the worst creatures to inhabit the planet. He really didn’t like most of them, and that was one of the reasons why he preferred to keep his interactions with them to a bare minimum. Harley was a special case, one of those rare mortals whose aura shone brightly with a ton of positive energies. Not that Connor could talk to Harley about that. After all, it was one of those secrets ordinary mortals weren’t supposed to know.

  When Connor grew bored of studying the guests’ auras, he analyzed their red threads of fate. Not all mortals would have the red threads that linked them to their soul mates. Only the lucky ones would be blessed. Connor glanced from one person to the next. He noticed a few who had the faint glow of the red threads. In fact, Gina actually had an almost visible red thread on her right pinky finger. Unfortunately, her thread wasn’t tied to anyone else’s inside the room. Her soul mate must be somewhere else, but if they were in close proximity, the red thread would pull them together and unite them as one. In that instant, Connor envied Gina. Having a soul mate was sacred, and the bond would transcend time and space, and even life and death. It could never be broken.

  “This is boring,” Connor muttered to himself as he placed the empty plate on a nearby table.

  Then he made his way into the garden through one of the side doors. He desperately needed a breath of fresh air. The sun was setting slowly, and it was getting quite dark. Connor didn’t fear the darkness, though. He actually preferred it. He admired the beautiful garden as he walked from one flowering plant to another. Gina must have paid a tidy sum to the gardener to take care of all them. Connor was about to bend and sniff one of the flower
s when he sensed the shift in the atmosphere. It felt slimy and dark. It was almost as if something slippery, wet, and moist was slithering down his neck and back. Seconds later, the electricity went off, and the entire house plunged into total darkness.

  Connor heard the startled gasps of people inside the house, but he was more concerned by the stench of the malevolent spirit nearby. And he recognized the stink—that same spirit who had escaped him weeks ago, the one he’d seen at the auction house. He clenched his fists. He needed to locate the evil spirit before it could inflict harm on anyone. However, before he could take a step toward the house, his surroundings changed into a forest that looked familiar—the one from his dreams. He raised his head when he detected the sensation of something or someone making an appearance in front of him. The thing grew closer and strode out from the darkness, revealing its face. It was that evil spirit.

  “We finally meet again.”

  Connor sneered. “This time around, I’ll kick your ass into the underworld. Judging by the amount of negative energies around you, you’ve been roaming the mortal realm and wreaking havocs all this time.”

  The spirit cackled. “Connor, oh, Connor, what have they done to you?”

  Connor narrowed his eyes. “So, you know who I am.”

  “Of course. I actually knew you back when we were both still alive.”

  That astonished Connor. “Explain yourself.”

  The spirit’s eye sockets might be empty, but Connor could tell the spirit was looking at him. “I’m Bridget.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “Is it?” Bridget retorted in a mocking tone. “I have no idea what they’ve done to your memories, but your heart will certainly never forget.”

  Connor clenched his fists even tighter. “What do you mean?”

  “Magic can erase or suppress memories from the brain, but the soul? The soul is untouchable in that regards. No amount of divine power or magic can remove anything from it. All of your memories will be written into your soul. I’m sure they’re in there somewhere.”

  Connor grew furious. “I don’t know what nonsense you’re babbling about, but you can save it. I’m going to capture you and throw you into hell. You’ll be punished for all the things—”

  “How does it feel to cradle your dead lover in your arms as his life slowly seeps out from his physical body?”

  Connor abruptly choked. He had no clue what Bridget was referring to. He couldn’t recall anything like that ever happening, but he hurt everywhere. The phantom pain coursed through his entire being, and he fell to the ground, landing on both knees as he hugged his arms around himself. He ached from head to toe and tears streamed down his cheeks. Something was off. He struggled to get up, but he couldn’t. Weird flashes of blurry memories fought to come to the surface. He noticed the redness of blood somewhere in them.

  There was also the glint of something sharp. He couldn’t scream even when he realized Bridget was rushing toward him with an athame pointing straight at his heart. His vision became momentarily hazy. Then a bright burst of light appeared in front of him. Everything froze, including Bridget, who remained stationary in mid-air. He watched as Haziel walked toward him. She knelt in front of him and smiled before she placed her palm in the center of his forehead.

  “It’s time to break the seal on your memories,” she whispered, and Connor gasped as memories exploded within him, especially the last one he had before he had been turned into a soul collector.

  * * * *

  Connor ran toward Bridget. He hated her. She might not have killed Hartwell with her own hands, but she was responsible. Connor was going to slaughter all of the men under her command. He was certain she must have used her magic on these men so they had no choice but to do her bidding. He couldn’t care less, though. He would get rid of them in order to get to Bridget. However, he barely started moving when a beautiful woman appeared out of nowhere and cast some sort of magic to stop time.

  He glared at the newcomer in anger. “Let me go.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’ve made a promise.”

  Connor growled at the woman, now standing in front of him. “To whom?”

  “Hartwell.”

  Connor went speechless for a moment. “Hartwell? He’s alive?”

  The woman shook her head. “He’s gone.”

  Connor’s heart ached so badly, the pain was beyond description. “Then why are you stopping me from avenging his death?”

  “Because that was his final request to me before he went into the light.”

  “What? Who are you?”

  “Haziel. I’m the angel of death.”

  “But you’re a woman.”

  Haziel chuckled. “Obviously.”

  Connor took a moment, needing time to gather his thoughts. “What is Hartwell’s final request? Tell me, please.”

  “He wants me to prevent you from murdering these people.”

  “Including Bridget? Why?”

  “Because he knows that act will taint your soul with darkness and negativity. He was a familiar. He knew what he was talking about.”

  Connor choked on his tears. “Release me. Please.”

  Haziel nodded, and Connor heaved a sigh of relief when he could finally move again. He hated Bridget. The feeling still burned deep inside him, but he would honor Hartwell’s final request even if every single part of him was dying to tear Bridget apart with his bare hands. He knelt and pulled the athame from Hartwell’s back, then threw it on the ground before he lifted his dead lover.

  “What are you going to do with his body?”

  “Burn it. He told me to do that should he die before me.”

  Haziel smiled. “Allow me to assist you. Put him onto the ground.”

  Connor obliged. Then he stepped back in surprise when Hartwell’s body was consumed by a flame that appeared out of nowhere.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. What are you going to do for the rest of your life?”

  Connor cried as he continued to stare at Hartwell’s burning body. “Grow old and die.”

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Become a soul collector. You’ll have something to do while you wait for Hartwell to be reincarnated into his next life.”

  Haziel explained what a soul collector was, and Connor was immediately intrigued. However, he was also wary. “What’s the catch?”

  “I need to put a seal on your memories. You can’t perform your job if you have attachments to the mortal realm.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll break the seal when the time is right.” Connor hesitated until Haziel gently squeezed his shoulder. “It may take thousands of years before he can be reborn. You can be reunited with him then.”

  Connor had some reservations, but it sounded like a good deal to him, and he agreed to her request. The moment Hartwell’s body turned into ashes, Connor shed one final tear for his lover before he followed Haziel into the light.

  * * * *

  Connor gasped in shock as he returned to reality. Haziel beamed at him. His arms shook as the missing memories threatened to overwhelm him.

  “Is Harley—”

  “I need to leave now. I’m not supposed to be here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because destiny needs to play itself out all the way until the end.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  Haziel didn’t answer. Instead, she disappeared, and immediately, time resumed. Connor felt the light breeze around him, and Bridget was still aiming her athame in his direction. He was about to dodge her attack when he heard someone coming from behind him.

  “Connor!”

  It was Harley.

  Connor’s eyes widened in fear and astonishment, but his terror couldn’t compare to the moment he realized Bridget was flying toward Harley instead. He leaped toward Harley in the nick of time. Then he
coughed up blood as the length of the athame pierced through his back and over his heart, and he noticed the tip coming out through the front of his chest. He smiled at Harley as his boyfriend stared in horror. He fell to his knees and grasped Harley’s arms.

  “Harley, babe, please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see your tears.”

  Harley was obviously not listening, though. “No, Connor. Please. No!”

  Connor gazed into Harley’s beautiful green eyes one last time before he slumped into his lover’s embrace and saw total darkness.

  * * * *

  Harley couldn’t utter a single word. He could focus only on Connor’s blood. It seemed to be everywhere. At least that was what it felt like to Harley. Then he caught the sight of the gleaming athame, ignoring the cackling spirit a few feet away from him. He pulled out the blade and held it in his right hand. Something about it felt familiar. It wasn’t the fact that he had handled it at the auction house and prior to giving it to Gina. It felt as if he had touched it many years ago. Maybe he was going insane, but he thought it was calling out to him.

  He wiped Connor’s blood off the athame by using his shirt. That was the moment he spotted the stain on the blade itself. It looked like dried blood to him. After that, he couldn’t explain it, but he felt the need to cut the tip of his finger with and place a drop of his blood onto the blade. The instant his fresh blood landed on the steel, his mind swarmed by memories.

  * * * *

  “What’s going on?”

  Harley couldn’t identify those memories. They must belong to someone else, but at the same time, they felt strangely familiar. Then he felt as if his soul was floating before eventually arriving upon a meadow. He gasped in surprise when a man who could almost be his twin appeared in front of him. He stepped back, but he didn’t feel the need to run away. He didn’t detect any malicious intent from this unknown person who smiled at him.

  “Hello, Harley.”

  Harley attempted a couple of times to speak up, but the words died in his throat. However, he succeeded on the third try. “Hi there. Who are you?”

  “Hartwell. I’m a part of your soul. I was alive more than six thousand years ago. Then I was killed.”