For One Last Kiss (3 page)

Mason knelt before the woman and gently touched her. Still holding onto his hand, she felt a tingling energy pass through Mason’s body, but did not understand what he’d just done.

Mason led her down the stairs and away from the commotion as the police got ready to remove the body. “Her name was Martha Tabram; a local prostitute.”

“
Why are you showing me this?” She shook her head, annoyed with Mason. “This life is hard enough without having to witness such violence.”

“
Was it Jack?” Mason’s words hit her like a fist in the gut.

“
You think
Jack
did this? I cannot believe you think him capable of such a thing.” Furious, she tried to pull away from the scene, but he refused to budge or let go of her hand.

“
I’m telling you he was here, Lilly. He’s left his energy, his essence.”

All reapers left behind a trace of themselves, like trails of sand after walking on the beach. All reapers but a select few—like Mason. As chancellor, he’d been granted the ability to leave no trace, allowing him to perform his investigations with no one the wiser.

Lilly sifted through the energies present, and knew Mason was right.

“
Jack may have been here, but he’s not capable of
this
.” Lilly waved her free hand around. “I’m sure it’s no more than him coming here to reap her. It’s what we do, is it not?”

“
It was not her time, Lilly, and yet she lies here dead. The Fates did not send anyone to reap her because she should still be alive.” He shook his head with a sigh, and tried once more to get her to understand. “If a mortal had killed her, she would have been marked by a reaper days ago. Yet she was not marked. And if she was killed without a reaper being sent, then that means a reaper committed the murder. Just before we left—I checked to see if her soul had been released, and it had. A reaper was here to release her soul, yet it was not someone the Fates sent, and it was not her time to die.”

Lilly went numb as Mason’s words sunk in. What he said was true, for when a person was fated to die, naturally, by accident or at the hands of another, the Fates would send a reaper to mark them for death and release their soul. Yet reapers… they were not governed by the same laws the Fates set forth for the living, and as a result, a reaper could kill without ever plucking the cords of that person’s original destiny. No reaper would be sent, because it was not destined.

Though Lilly had no other explanation to offer Mason, she could not believe Jack capable of such a thing.

“
The Elders have summoned Jack, but he’s not answered.” Mason guided her away from the scene and towards his carriage a few blocks away. “The death of someone not yet meant to die could have enormous unforeseen consequences. It alters the future that should have been; like tossing a stone into a lake, the ripples are sent far and wide. If Jack has lost his sanity—for surely no one sane could do such a thing—then we cannot risk him running loose or gods forbid, killing another.”

“
So, why do you need me if you already know it was him?” Lilly let him help her up the carriage steps and into a seat. He sat by her side and with a pound of his fist on the lacquered wood wall to alert the driver, they took off down the road.

“
We need to find him, and I feel he may try to contact you since he has no one else to turn to.”

Mason was right. Jack kept to himself, and his friends this side of the veil were few and far between. It only made agreeing to help all the more difficult for Lilly.

“
I cannot betray him. When the Elders were ready to persecute me, Jack was the only one to defend me. He stood by my side and did all he could so they’d be lenient.”

Mason scoffed. “The only one, was he?”

She looked at him in question, but he said nothing.

“
Please, do not ask this of me.” The thought of what the Elders would do to Jack left her feeling ill.

“
I’ll ask of you whatever is needed, and you’ll comply. You know the Elders won’t think twice about sending a reaper to their eternal death.” Through his stern tone, she could hear his worry and concern. “I’ll always do what I can to keep you safe, but you must cooperate. You cannot protect Jack from something of this magnitude.”

When he took her hand in his, she found her annoyance with him fading, though his words left her all the more worried about Jack.

“
Lilly, you should use this opportunity to smooth things out between yourself and the Elders. It will only make your life easier, aye?”

She looked at their linked hands with a sigh. “I’ll help you, even if it’s to prove you wrong. I owe him that at least.”

His eyes pinned her to the spot, but she held his gaze, refusing to back down or look away. “Let me make myself clear. You’re to tell me immediately if he contacts you. It’s the only way I can keep you safe—not just from Jack, but from the Elders. You owe the man nothing, aye?”

“
It’s doubtful he’ll search me out, anyway. You know our relationship dissolved years ago. Since then, I’ve only ever spoken to him in passing and by chance.” She let out a weary breath, wishing nothing more than to crawl under the covers of her bed and let sleep take her.

“
What happened between the two you?” His tone was conversational, but she knew Mason, and nothing was ever that simple.

“
Frankly, I don’t see how it’s any of your business. Whatever occurred between myself and Jack has no pertinence to your investigation.”

“
As much as I adore you, Lilly, do not forget who I am. If I ask a question, you answer it.”

“
Of course. What was I thinking to deny you?” She could not help her sarcasm, and breathed a sigh of relief when he threw his head back and laughed. He wasn’t someone you wanted to anger, yet she refused to cower or flatter—and perhaps it was why he tolerated her.

“
You’ve always been nothing short of entertaining.” Mason brought her hand to his lips. “So, my dear, how is it he was able to walk away from you, for I’d not leave our bed if you were mine.”

She yanked her hand away. “You take liberties, Mason.”

“
What else are we to do with our time if we cannot take pleasure in each other? Without it, the years would feel like an eternity, and since we’re likely here for just as long, we may as well make use of our time.” He sat back and gave her the space she wanted, but in the end, he perked his eyebrows in question, waiting for her answer.

“
Who’s to say it was he who left?”

He scoffed. “Does it matter? For I do not care about semantics. Now tell me, or you can explain it all to the Elders—for that’s exactly what I’ll be forced to do if I return without the answers they want.”

Her eyes narrowed at the threat. “You’re a right bastard, Mason.”

“
And you’d not have it any other way.” His sultry smile and the spark in his eyes left her unable to deny it.

Looking to distract herself and him before he took advantage of her weakness, she turned back to the issue at hand. “Jack had a family when he died, and he never got over the guilt of leaving them to fend for themselves.”

“
He’s been a reaper for nearly twenty years. Surely he’s adjusted by now.” Mason settled back in his seat, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

“
Maybe he has. I do not know. But you must understand, his family was everything to him. To watch his wife struggle to raise their children without him, while he still walked this world, unable to help—it only added to his guilt.” She settled back in her seat, her shoulder brushing against his. “The darkness that plagued him was too difficult to confront on a daily basis. I tried to help him move past it, but in the end it was too much for me.”

“
I sometimes think you’ve yet to adjust to this life. You always seem so forlorn, when instead you should be enjoying all this life has to offer.” He gave her hand a squeeze, comforting her.

Perhaps he was right. She knew she should make the most of what she had, but her heart and head were still elsewhere. How could she not think of the life she left behind? The husband she’d never have. The child she’d never know.

“
Did you love him, Lilly?”

She turned back to face Mason, knowing it was best to be honest with him. “Jack? As much as he let me, although I cannot say our problems were entirely his fault.” She had hoped she could find a fresh start with Jack, and for a little while, she had found comfort and happiness.

Mason scoffed with a shake of his head. “He didn’t deserve you.”

“
Once again, you’re thinking with your head rather than your heart.” As always the case with Mason.

“
Did he even think about making you his One?” A reaper’s marriage. When she looked away, he said, “I’m telling you, Jack was nothing but a fool, gifted or not.”

She looked at him in question. “I thought that was just a rumor.”

“
No, love. He had the potential to go far, aye? Picked up skills in a fraction of the time it took others. But in the end, he wanted no part of working closely with the Elders.”

She was annoyed Jack had never mentioned it. “Can you blame him? This life is hard enough without constant scrutiny from the Elders.”

“
It has its perks, my dear.”

“
Maybe for you.” She shook her head, the images of the slaying haunting her. “Still, what we saw back there—that poor woman—that cannot be Jack’s doing. He’d been a physician in life, sworn to help people.”

“
Then how do you explain his essence left at the scene? On the woman? I know it’s hard for you to think of him as a murderer, but there are few other explanations. I only wish we’d gotten there sooner—we’d be able to recreate the scene using his energy.”

“
Thank you, but I’d rather not see the actual murder, Mason.” She shuddered to think of it.

“
Of course not, but at the very least, you could see Jack’s role in it and stop questioning the facts.” Mason shifted to face her, their legs brushing as he bent his head towards hers. “Let’s not forget, he’s also gone missing. Only the guilty run.”

“
He was only just summoned. Surely…” A bump in the road landed her in his arms, but when she tried to sit back, he held on to her, desire sparking behind his intelligent eyes. Doing her best to ignore him, she continued, hoping to distract herself from the warmth of his body—a body she knew all too well. “Surely he’ll answer the Elders’ call before long.”

“
Perhaps.” When the carriage pulled to a stop outside her house, Mason helped her down and took her arm in his as he walked her to her door. “For his sake, I hope there’s a logical explanation.”

“
There has to be. For the alternative is unthinkable.”

Chapter Two

“
Will you not invite me in?” Mason stood before Lilly with just inches between them. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, and then kissed her slow and sweet. Memories of their couplings flooded her head and sent a tingling warmth through her body, raising a need in her that refused to be ignored.

She forced herself to pull away from his kiss, her breath shallow as her heart pounded. He made her lightheaded, dizzy, and after such a long and trying day, the last thing she wanted was to be alone. The image of that unfortunate woman was there every time she closed her eyes, and Lilly was desperate for a distraction.

“
I don’t know, Mason. It wouldn’t be terribly appropriate.” Her protests were nothing but a poor attempt, and her defenses weakened further when he brought her hand to his lips. Too often she gave into the physical pleasures he could offer, for Mason was the one man who could make her forget the life she left behind—even if it was for just a few hours.

He tilted his head in question, his gaze soft, luring her into their depths. “You know we no longer abide by society’s norms. But if you’d rather I go, I’ll understand and try not to be too heartbroken.”

A small laugh escaped her, despite everything that had occurred. “I don’t know what it is about you, Mason. You may as well come in for a drink. I know I could certainly use one.”

She let herself in, not wanting to alert Daniel that she had company for the evening, even if he was used to her ways. Her domestic help, all souls who’d passed beyond the veil, were generously cared for even though they were not reapers. To hire the living would be too great a risk.

The moment the door closed behind them, Mason wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. When he spoke, it was between kisses, his voice thick with need. “By the gods, it’s been too long, Lilly. I’ve missed you.”

It had been a couple months since their last encounter, though each time they came together, it was better than the last. She found him irresistible—from his charming good looks and intelligence, to his flirtatious humor and the tenderness he tried to keep hidden.

She needed him tonight more than ever before, and it was clear he understood that when he took her hand and lead her up the stairs to her sleeping chamber. He closed the door behind them, and wrapped her in his arms, his mouth hard on hers. Each kiss pulled her further away from the atrocities she’d witnessed and into the shelter of their passion.

With one kiss leading into another, they made their way to the bed. He tore away her clothing with little care, she no more careful with his. His hands ran over her now naked body, his touch hot against her cool skin. Despite being dead, their hearts still beat and blood still coursed through their veins to fuel their passions and spur them on.