Reaper

Once Charlie’s breathing fell regular, Sawyer stood up.

Two weeks had passed since Charlotte had been attacked, and every night he had shown up at her house once she had gotten off of work or out of class, unwilling to risk retaliation from another member of Isis’ pack of Alphas. Charlotte was more concerned about this that Sawyer was – Sawyer knew that something so small would hardly catch her attention. But Charlie herself certainly would. He stayed with her, talking quietly, until she fell asleep.

Quickly, he picked up his jacket that had been slung over the back of her desk chair. He pulled out a clean napkin from the front pocket, where he always stored a few after he visited Charlie at work, just in case. He scribbled a note down onto the paper, and gently placed it on the nightstand next to her clock – it was now nearly 5 am.

Cursing under his breath, Sawyer opened the window and hastily climbed down the fire escape, shooting Charlie one last glance. He smiled a little at the way her hair fanned out around her head, how she seemed to be tangled in her own limbs as she slept. Wordlessly he made his way down the escape, pushing back thoughts that he didn’t know he could have.

It had been years since Sawyer had been drawn to someone like he was to Charlotte. He remembered, before he had discovered he was a Reaper, a few girlfriends he had had, but none stuck out in his mind. He remembered a few women with whom he had shared a night, but, again, he couldn’t remember any of their names. The way he had felt about them was vastly different than what was developing for Charlotte – and he was confused and irritated about it all at the same time.

He stalked through the streets, peaceful yet beginning to wake up for the daily routine. The sun began to emerge just slightly over the horizon, signaling that Sawyer needed to be back home sooner rather than later. He broke into a jog, avoiding eye contact with the few people still out at this hour.

Sawyer hadn’t fed since the incident three weeks ago.

It didn’t bother him much – his longest space between feeding was about a month. Reapers didn’t need to feed more than once every few weeks, if conditions were relatively good and their last feeding had been fulfilling. But the chaos of the subway incident and with Charlotte had taken a toll on him, and he could feel the fatigue growing in his limbs as he moved, suddenly beginning to feel tired.

Yet he steeled himself, walking up to the door of the warehouse only a few minutes later. He was determined to keep himself from feeding, at least until Charlie was more comfortable with the idea of it.

As he walked up, he overheard the conversation in progress. Quietly, he ducked into the corner, hoping to listen to what Forrest and Saphira were discussing.

“I just don’t understand what’s been going on with him lately,” Forrest whined, tossing a tennis ball up and down on his chest. He looked over at Saphira, irritated, expecting that she could shed light on the situation. When she ignored him, he sighed loudly. “He comes back late every night…”

Saphira flipped the page of her magazine with a scantily-clad model of the front of it. Annoyed, she glanced at him over the top of the page, her dark blue eyes shining. “Perhaps he’s found a girlfriend,” she mused, laughing.

Forrest dropped the ball. “Funny,” he grumbled, leaning over the couch to pick it up. “But really, Saphie, I’m worried about him. Sawyer doesn’t usually disobey Hunter like this – what if he’s in trouble?”

Sawyer froze at the mention of his name. He hadn’t realized they were talking about him. He hadn’t really wanted to know what Saphira thought about his love life, much less that they had been talking about him while he wasn’t around. He ran a hand through his hair, debating whether or not he should go and interrupt their conversation, if only to make them stop.

Saphira rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he has a good reason. And even if he was in trouble-“ she put the magazine down on her lap, he face suddenly serious, “-he would tell us if something important was going on. It’s not your concern.” With that, she became engrossed in her reading once more.

“But, I still don’t think-“

“Forrest, why don’t you go find Simon and Lina? I’m sure they’re hidden out somewhere in need of a pest.”

Sawyer balled his hands at his fists. He hated when someone picked on Forrest – he was still young, new to everything. It was hardly his fault.

Sawyer then began to feel the guilt about keeping his pack in the dark about Charlotte. He knew it was for her safety, and that was his main concern, but he also knew that information about her would be of great importance to Hunter, especially if he knew that Isis had begun to push out her borders on the island. He was torn between the loyalty he had felt for years and that which he felt for someone he’d only just met – and he was still faced with an internal war.

Forrest, irritated, snatched the magazine from Saphira’s hands. She glared daggers at him, offended, and launched herself out of the sofa, claws extended, and clasped onto Forrest’s chest. She threw punches as Forrest yelped in surprise, stumbling backwards from the unexpected attack. Saphira screeched, cursing and spitting and clawing.

Sawyer jumped up to go break apart the fight, but before he took two steps, Hunter was already there, yanking Saphira away and gripping her arms together.

“That’s enough,” Hunter hissed, holding Saphira’s wrists behind her back. She slumped over, breathing heavily, and spat one last time at Forrest, who was crumpled in a ball on the ground. With one last shake, Hunter shoved Saphira away, a low growl building in his throat.

“He started it,” the woman muttered, stomping her foot. Her long, silky black hair swayed with her movement, making her look positively evil. “Hunt, he did it, I swear-“

The look Hunter shot at Saphira was enough to force her to shut up. Without breaking eye contact, Hunter extended a hand to Forrest, who shakily took it and stood up, completely embarrassed and feeling much like the younger sibling who was forced to tattle on their elders.

“What is going on here?” Hunter demanded, his eyes boring holes into Saphira’s head. Sawyer even saw his eyes begin to glow, if only faintly – he was over-the-top angry.

Forrest was the first to offer an explanation. “We were just talking, sir, and I said something out of line. I shouldn’t have. It was my mistake.” He bowed his head sadly, waiting in anticipation for whatever punishment Hunter was going to dole out for him.

Hunter let out a low growl. “Martyrdom does not suit you, Forrest,” he muttered, turning to Saphira. “What did you do?”

Saphira threw up her hands, suddenly defensive. “Nothing! Why is it always my fault?” She put her hands on her hips, not knowing what exactly to do with them. “Maybe you should stop wasting your time on my issues and focus a little on what’s going on with Sawyer. How about that, Chief?”

Hunter, baring his teeth, raised his hand and swung it at her face with massive force, stopping only millimeters from her skin. Saphira jumped back, surprised, but not hurt. The gesture was only a threat, never to be fully carried out, but it was effective enough to shut her up for the second time. Though Saphira often ran her mouth, Hunter was the largest and most intimidating Reaper anyone had ever met, and he didn’t get that way just because he played nice.

Hunter leaned in toward Saphira’s terrified face, eyes now nearly fully lit. “Try that tone again, see what happens.” The girl shook her head slightly, indicating that she wouldn’t be trying it again, and Hunter backed off.

After a few tense moments of silence, Hunter had recovered his regular breathing and his eyes had dimmed. He relaxed his shoulders slightly, once again able to speak calmly. “What is going on with Sawyer?” he asked quietly, his tone serious.

Saphira nervously inspected her long nails, somewhat damaged from the fight. “We think he’s found a… person of interest,” she said finally, choosing her words carefully. “A female person.”

Forrest rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s been sneaking out every night, even after you asked us to keep a low profile. He comes back just before sunrise, and he reeks of lust, and some other things.” Forrest wrinkled his nose. “We think Sawyer has a girlfriend.”

Hunter stared at the two of them for a moment, his gaze flicking between their faces, both of which were anxious. Then, after a few seconds, Hunter’s shoulders began to shake. He doubled over, laughing, something neither of his pack members had ever seen him do. Come to think of it, Sawyer had only seen Hunter laugh a handful of times, as well. Hunter’s loud guffaws echoed throughout the warehouse, making Saphira jump and Forest nervously fix his hair.

Once his laughter had died down a bit, Hunter spoke. “Sawyer is one of the most responsible people I know. He would never jeopardize his safety, or yours, for some mortal girl.” Hunter fixed his jacket, which had been displaced. “I trust him with my life.”

With that, Hunter turned on his heel and headed out the way he had come in, the opposite direction from where Sawyer was still crouched in the corner.

“Hunter, there are rumors going around about her,” Saphira said quietly, so quietly that Sawyer could barely hear her.

Hunter froze in his tracks. Slowly, he turned his head, staring at Saphira with an icy glare. She looked everywhere at him but his scar. “Rumors?”

Saphira nervously exchanged glanced with Forrest, who refused to raise his head. “Apparently, some girl was attacked on our land by one of Isis’ cronies a few weeks back,” she muttered, still playing with the strand of hair. “Thing is, instead of killing her, the guy was just ripped apart from her. Couldn’t feed from her.”

Saphira stared at one spot on the floor, thinking. “I think I saw this girl that night we took the subway, Hunter,” she breathed, suddenly slightly frightened. “I grabbed her wrist, trying to help Sawyer feed from her, but…” Saphira held up her hand, as if remembering what happened. “It was like she stung me. It hurt to try to feed from her, and even if Sawyer hadn’t pulled me out of Trance, I don’t think I would’ve been able to.”

Hunter’s eyes locked with the girl’s crystal blue ones, unsure of what to think. When Reapers feed, or sense an emotion upon which they can feed, they are sent into Trance. In this state, the Reaper’s soul is very vulnerable, but they are also at their strongest, most willing to give themselves over to their animalistic instinct. It was unprecedented, a human being able to have this effect on a Reaper in Trance.

It shook Hunter to the core.

“Tell no one of this,” he growled.

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Saphira, Forrest, and Sawyer behind him, anxious for his return.