Chapter 5

Hiding my human soulmate from persistent Reapers 

I was eating a dumpling and Ellis was glancing over at me and smiling. I was looking at his black eyelashes and dark brows.

"Why bleach your hair?" He chuckled and said he wanted nothing associated with his father on his body. I nodded and told him he looked nothing like his slimey father and he laughed saying that was the point. I rolled my eyes and giggled. My skin started to tingle, my wards had been disturbed. I looked over at Ellis.

"Do any other students live in this building?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"My father purchased the entire building from the university so I wouldn't be distracted by others," he replied. I nodded and said I needed to check something out and he needed to remain where he was sitting. He raised his dark brows and said,"okay boss lady." I weaved my hands making a stunning charge. I didn't want to kill the reaper or reapers. I just wanted to give everyone a warning to back off. I exited his apartment and changed my appearance to look like a fellow classmate and headed towards the reaper. I stopped suddenly seeing my best friend Jenna looking at the stairs. She glanced my way and waved.

"Hey Thomas are you here to reap Skye's human too. Can you believe that she's claiming it as her soulmate, crazy " she said, twirling her finger around the side of her head. I frowned slightly at what I'd thought was my best friend.

"I have a Jason tripping and falling down the stairs, what's yours?" She looked at her card and said, Ellis Orion, breaks his neck falling down a flight of stairs," she replied and I gritted my teeth at her jubilation. Some friend she turned out to be. I headed back to Ellis's room and walked straight through the door. 

"Ellis, there's a reaper here to collect you, guess you're falling down the stairs and breaking your lovely neck. Stay where you are and let the time pass," I told him with a grin until I started to smell smoke and turned towards his small kitchen to see flames flickering and growing up the walls.

"What in the hell," I growled angrily and held Ellis as I transported us both to the alley downtown. He was looking freaked out and I forgot to tell him to close his eyes.

"The strange feeling will pass. If I ever do that to you again, close your eyes," I said firmly and held his face as I turned his head back and forth checking his eyes. He started chuckling and watched me intently. He grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands to his waist pulling me against himself.

"You're stunning," he said sincerely and cupped my face as his lips pressed softly against mine. I stopped breathing and my eyes widened looking at his closed eyes. My first kiss with my soulmate. My heart beat erratically and I moved my mouth with his as I closed my eyes and just felt the kiss. When he pulled back he was grinning ear to ear.

"Wow, that was amazingly intense for a kiss," he mumbled in shock. I grinned slightly as my cheeks turned pink. I glanced over his shoulder and could see the black smoke billowing up from his burning home through the dusky early evening sky. Ellis turned and frowned.

"Everything I owned was in that tiny place," he said woefully. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug and he squeezed me tightly back. I caught movement and saw the reaper Derrick turning the corner. I furrowed my brow and thought about my great grandfather Adaranth and wondered if he would help me. I looked at Ellis and asked if he wanted to meet my great grandfather.

"He's retired from reaping and is super nice. We need to bring him some goodies if we go. He's particularly fond of human baked goods," I said softly and Ellis smirked as he shrugged. I pulled out my cell and called him. He told me he'd already heard about the human boy as even the reaper news had published a story about how the princess has become smitten with a human. I cringed at hearing that.

"Bring him child I'm interested in meeting the man that got a reaper to snub the angel of death," he chuckled and I swallowed uncomfortably.

"Whoa, who's the angel of death," I questioned.

"Well Rai, of course," he replied and my knees grew weak as I fainted. Ellis was holding me when I came too. 

"We can't go to my grandfather, your protection spell would cease to work in that realm," I said softly and he cocked his brow.

"That cannot be why you fainted." I exhaled harshly and told him that Rai was also the angel of death. 

"I'd only thought he was the original Grim Reaper and king of us all but he's more powerful than I thought. I rubbed my eyes thinking of things I could do. An idea flashed into my mind but I'd need Liam's help. Maybe I could visit the elves mound for a moment to get his help. I looked around for my cell and Ellis handed it to me.

"You dropped it when you fainted and I told your grandpa that you fainted." I thanked him and called my brother.

"If I visit with my human will you help me bind our life forces together?" Liam choked on the other line, "seriously, sis?" I explained that he was my soulmate and I wanted him to remain alive.

"But sharing his life force by binding your soul means if he's reapered your soul goes too!" 

"I'm well aware brother but I need a deterrent for our great cousin Rai because eventually he's going to come for him. Will you help or do I go to the other wizard, Arram?" He exhaled harshly and told me to come quickly. I cheered, thanked him happily and smiled at Ellis. 

"We're going to go see elves. Don't freak out and keep your eyes closed until your feet are touching solid ground," I instructed. I snapped warmer clothes on us both and held Ellis around his narrow waist as I transported us both to the dökkálfar tribe's mound. I opened my eyes to a lovely landscape. Even though the dark elves gave me the creeps, the land their mound was located in was stunning. Thick pines and lovely untouched lands. I headed towards the rocky outcrop where the entrance was located. A tall lanky, gray elf donning a rabbit skin loincloth stepped out from the foliage and grinned as he brushed his long messy black hair from his face. I frowned at Chance and knew instantly my dear brother mentioned to him my arrival.

"Dia duit a bhean álainn," he told me. I narrowed my eyes and looked up at his gray face.

"Hello to you as well, Chance. Could you inform my brother that I have arrived," I mumbled softly and he nodded happily and placed his hand on a protruding stone and entered when the rock shifted open. I glanced at Ellis and he was just wide eyed taking it all in silently. I chuckled softly and he looked over at me.

"That was a real elf, the one your dad said you were betrothed to, wasn't it?" I laughed and nodded at the confusion that clouded his face.

"Glad I stunned you when Rai came before us. He's scary and you probably would have crapped your pants," I giggled. My beautiful brother Liam came out of the mound and he looked so handsome. 

"Your ears are more pronounced but overall you look fabulous, Liam," I said firmly and gave him a big brother hug. He hugged me back and asked if the human eyeing him was the one. I turned to see Ellis looking quizzically at Liam, his mouth open and nodded.

"Ellis, this is my brother Liam, heir to the dark elves kingdom. Liam this is Ellis, my human soulmate," I said firmly and smiled as they shook each other's hands. 

"That's some kick ass leatherwork," Ellis said about Liam's royal elven clothes. Liam nodded and showed off a metal girdle with intricate Celtic patterns. Ellis' eyes were wide, studying it all with an artistic eye. 

"Are you finished fanboying my brother yet?" I smirked at Ellis and he apologized for being so enamored but thought the work was absolutely amazing.

"I'll be sure to let my tailor know that his talents were greatly admired by the reaper princess's soulmate," Liam grinned. I asked if we could get to the spell. Liam nodded and instructed Ellis to sit cross legged in the circle he'd just created. I joined hands with my brother as we encircled Ellis. When he started chanting I felt my soul stretch outwardly towards Ellis. 

"Is that your soul, is that mine!" Ellis gasped loudly and both my brother and I told him to be quiet and still. Ellis' soul rose to greet mine and they each molded together perfectly. I had tears in my eyes at the beauty of it. They joined together into an iridescent twirling substance that connected him and I together by a small iridescent string only he and I could see. Well others could too if they looked for it.

"Well that indeed proves that you two are genuinely soulmates. I've never seen a more perfect joining. You both are now basically one. Congratulations your soul wed," my brother told us both to be careful as either one of us dying would kill the other. 

"Risky business, sis, good luck," he said sincerely and patted both our backs. A reaper I'd never met jumped down between the three of us and I shook my head grabbing Ellis's hand. 

"Not this time reaper," I growled softly and disappeared with my soulmate back to the presently dark downtown. 

"We need to figure out a place to stay, husband," I say seductively, fluttering my lashes at him. 

"Sure thing, Mrs. Orion, looking forward to our wedding night," he winked and we both burst into laughter.