When she unexpectedly dies, Mackenzie Bowen lacks the paperwork she needs to pass into The Beyond. To avoid sitting in a waiting room for centuries, Mack is paired with Leon, a miserable Reaper, and hopes to either undo her death or earn her spot be...
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The time for talking was over. Tobias didn't hesitate to sink the tweezers into the wound in search of the errant bullet. For a moment, things were fine. Better than fine, in fact. At least for Tobias. Leon clearly wasn't enjoying himself. As the implement sank deeper, I heard a faint metallic scrape. I could read the relief in Tobias' eyes as he came upon his prize, but it turned to panic when Leon roared in agony. Darkness splintered across his skin as though it was about to shatter under the influence of the dark magic.
Determined, Tobias dug deeper. Leon cried out again, his voice echoing throughout the room as his back arched upward from the couch. Tobias maintained his course for only a few more seconds until he swore under his breath and withdrew from the wound. Leon sagged down into the cushions and released a long breath.
"Well... That's new," Tobias said.
"Does that not usually happen?" I asked.
"No. Hence my observation. It's like it was repelled by the silver."
"So, use something that isn't silver," I said. "You can't just leave it in there."
"All my tools are silver," Tobias shot back. "If I'd thought the Hell Hounds were going to change up their runes to make them totally worthless, I'd have made my collection a little more varied. As it is, I don't have anything I could use instead."
"Well, we need to think of something," I implored. "You can't just let him die! I've barely had time to piss him off! Can't you just, I don't know, pull it out with your fingers?"
Both men stared at me like I'd just kicked a puppy or something monstrous like that. As if the very idea of Tobias digging around inside Leon's body with his unwashed fingers was somehow shocking.
Okay, fair enough.
"Hex bullets don't just hurt when they're on the inside," Tobias said. "Those runes are agony against a Reaper's skin. It'd blister my fingers before I could get it out, and I wouldn't be able to treat the wound."
"What if I got it out?" I asked.
"You keep your fingers out of my body!" Leon ordered.
Tobias wasn't so quick to dismiss the idea. "If you're fast enough to find it, I can finish up and treat your hand after I'm done with him."
"Absolutely not!" Leon reiterated.
I ignored him. "I can be quick. Straight down through the wound, right?"
"It pushed down pretty far, and he's going to try to move. I'll do what I can to keep him still. You ready?"
"Do I get a say in this?" Leon asked. "A vote?"
"It'll be two against one if we waste time voting," Tobias pointed out. "Don't move. It'll make this faster."
Clearly, Tobias didn't trust Leon to do as he was told. Once I was in position, Tobias loomed over me with one hand on Leon's pelvis and the other high on his torso. My tongue was so dry it stuck to the roof of my mouth. I couldn't believe what I'd volunteered to do. I mean, I didn't even like touching raw chicken when Mum asked me to help with dinner, and here I was about to stick my hand into a gaping wound.
