me. Finn makes a noise as his breath is knocked from him.
" You’re not funny," he growls, leaving his hand on Finn’s chest.
" Alek, stop being such a dick," I retort.
"Yeah, Alek ."
Alek looks between the two of us, tensed. "He just touched you. What did it feel like?"
"Okay..." He looks at me. "Is this a jealousy thing? Have you guys got together?"
The red creeping across my face answers his question. "No. Not really."
A moment in time halts as Alek’s deep-brown eyes fix on mine in a way that delves into my soul. "We just kissed." He tips his head at Finn. "What do you think about that?"
"Whatever, kiss who you like. She’s not my girlfriend." Finn grabs Alek’s wrist and pulls his arm away from his chest. "You have some major issues. I'm not surprised she wants to get away."
"What does it feel like when Finn touches you, Rose? Cold? Numb?" His attention remains fixed on Finn. "Are you dizzy now?"
"I’m not listening to this!" I place my hands over my ears and close my eyes, focusing on pushing away the fog. Disconnected voices filter thorough my fingers, and I open an eye to see them practically nose to nose.
"Get out of my fucking house ," he says in a low voice.
"Not without Rose."
Alek grabs Finn around the throat and I drop my hands from my head, wondering if I should intervene. "Get your hands off me, demon," growls Finn, "Or I’ll end you."
Demon?
"End me?" Alek squeezes Finn’s throat. "See! He’s a Reaper. He wants to kill you, and then he'll try to kill me! I think he's killing other people, too, at the hospital."
"What do you mean?" I yell at Alek, "What’s a Reaper?"
Finn claws at Alek’s hand, trying to free himself. His wide eyes meet mine and he shakes his head, unable to speak.
" Alek! Let him go!" I yell. My vision greys; I feel like I'm watching through fog.
Alek considers for a moment, and then drops his hand.
Finn shoves Alek with both hands and steps away. "Forget it. I’m not fighting you. It’s pointless anyway. But I don't want to kill her any more than you do you," says Finn. "And I am not killing people, you lunatic."
Their voices grow distant, alerting me to my incoming faint. My stupid, useless body collapses to the floor.
"Rose? Are you okay?" I struggle to open my eyes as Finn’s words travel through the fog. His voice and the presence hit the subconscious part of my mind, where the night of the accident lives. This is him. Finn was the one who let me live. How can that be true? Nothing makes sense.
"I think she's unconscious ; we need to help her," says Finn.
"Get the fuck away from her!" shouts Alek, grabbing his arm again.
I open an eye and watch as Finn stands back, hands held out in self-defence. " Alek. There is something going on at the hospital. There are people dying, but it's nothing to do with me. Your housemate is involved."
"Bullshit," snaps back Alek. "You're the fucking Reaper; it's your job, of course it's you."
"I’m here because of Rose. That's it."
"You’re lying! Lizzie is with me, here. She's helped me for years and she'll help Rose. "
"Rose knows then?" I snap my eyes shut so they don't know I'm listening.
"Some of it."
"Then you need to tell her everything. You also need to be prepared to move on, and without Lizzie, because I’ve seen her with demons at the hospital."
Alek freezes. "Here? Why are they here?"
"You know why , and I know you're hiding from them. I’m trying to protect Rose, and her staying with you isn’t safe. You need to let her leave."
Their conversation sounds as if I'm listening from the bottom of a swimming pool, words making less sense than usual. Again, the confusion over whether this is reality or a dream crawls across my mind.
"I don't believe you. Just go," snarls Alek.
"You can't fight this on your own . You’ve run for too long. They know where you are now."
"Go," repeats Alek.
Voices clamour in my head the way they did last time I gave into the fog, voices trying to pull me into a
" You’re not funny," he growls, leaving his hand on Finn’s chest.
" Alek, stop being such a dick," I retort.
"Yeah, Alek ."
Alek looks between the two of us, tensed. "He just touched you. What did it feel like?"
"Okay..." He looks at me. "Is this a jealousy thing? Have you guys got together?"
The red creeping across my face answers his question. "No. Not really."
A moment in time halts as Alek’s deep-brown eyes fix on mine in a way that delves into my soul. "We just kissed." He tips his head at Finn. "What do you think about that?"
"Whatever, kiss who you like. She’s not my girlfriend." Finn grabs Alek’s wrist and pulls his arm away from his chest. "You have some major issues. I'm not surprised she wants to get away."
"What does it feel like when Finn touches you, Rose? Cold? Numb?" His attention remains fixed on Finn. "Are you dizzy now?"
"I’m not listening to this!" I place my hands over my ears and close my eyes, focusing on pushing away the fog. Disconnected voices filter thorough my fingers, and I open an eye to see them practically nose to nose.
"Get out of my fucking house ," he says in a low voice.
"Not without Rose."
Alek grabs Finn around the throat and I drop my hands from my head, wondering if I should intervene. "Get your hands off me, demon," growls Finn, "Or I’ll end you."
Demon?
"End me?" Alek squeezes Finn’s throat. "See! He’s a Reaper. He wants to kill you, and then he'll try to kill me! I think he's killing other people, too, at the hospital."
"What do you mean?" I yell at Alek, "What’s a Reaper?"
Finn claws at Alek’s hand, trying to free himself. His wide eyes meet mine and he shakes his head, unable to speak.
" Alek! Let him go!" I yell. My vision greys; I feel like I'm watching through fog.
Alek considers for a moment, and then drops his hand.
Finn shoves Alek with both hands and steps away. "Forget it. I’m not fighting you. It’s pointless anyway. But I don't want to kill her any more than you do you," says Finn. "And I am not killing people, you lunatic."
Their voices grow distant, alerting me to my incoming faint. My stupid, useless body collapses to the floor.
"Rose? Are you okay?" I struggle to open my eyes as Finn’s words travel through the fog. His voice and the presence hit the subconscious part of my mind, where the night of the accident lives. This is him. Finn was the one who let me live. How can that be true? Nothing makes sense.
"I think she's unconscious ; we need to help her," says Finn.
"Get the fuck away from her!" shouts Alek, grabbing his arm again.
I open an eye and watch as Finn stands back, hands held out in self-defence. " Alek. There is something going on at the hospital. There are people dying, but it's nothing to do with me. Your housemate is involved."
"Bullshit," snaps back Alek. "You're the fucking Reaper; it's your job, of course it's you."
"I’m here because of Rose. That's it."
"You’re lying! Lizzie is with me, here. She's helped me for years and she'll help Rose. "
"Rose knows then?" I snap my eyes shut so they don't know I'm listening.
"Some of it."
"Then you need to tell her everything. You also need to be prepared to move on, and without Lizzie, because I’ve seen her with demons at the hospital."
Alek freezes. "Here? Why are they here?"
"You know why , and I know you're hiding from them. I’m trying to protect Rose, and her staying with you isn’t safe. You need to let her leave."
Their conversation sounds as if I'm listening from the bottom of a swimming pool, words making less sense than usual. Again, the confusion over whether this is reality or a dream crawls across my mind.
"I don't believe you. Just go," snarls Alek.
"You can't fight this on your own . You’ve run for too long. They know where you are now."
"Go," repeats Alek.
Voices clamour in my head the way they did last time I gave into the fog, voices trying to pull me into a
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