“In the blood,”Thunder whispered, knowing how I made the connection to Diesel and other memories of the past.
The Reaper held out the rope.“Take it, Thunder. Hold it tight.”
The link we needed to reach him.
“Tell Dio I love him.”Thunder reached out and grasped the rope . . .
My body jolted as my eyes opened, staring into the faces of my brothers. Diesel stood next to Grim, his expression guarded.
“I know where Thunder is,” I exclaimed, rising on unsteady feet. “We need to leave! Now!”
Diesel didn’t understand. Not yet. “What do you mean, you know where he is? Thefuck?”
“The Reaper connected to Thunder,” I replied, letting him rise to the surface of my skin.
Grin mumbled a low curse. “Shit.”
Every brother in the Tonopah chapter allowed their Reapers to surface. Not enough to reap souls. No, this was different—a merging of man and demon, of soulless Reaper to dark human soul. The faces of the Reapers, skeletal and wicked, dominated our features.
Diesel’s hand slapped his chest. “Fuck.”
“This is what we are,” Grim announced. “Reapers. You know our secret now.”
Diesel nodded, swallowing hard. “And I’ll keep it.”
Grim reached out, extending his hand in friendship and trust. Diesel immediately clasped arms, reciprocating.
“You’ll find Thunder?”
“Yes,” I promised fiercely. My Reaper’s deep voice had taken over. “And I’ll reap the souls of those who harm him.”
“I believe you will,” Diesel answered, trusting in Grim, me, and the club.
The following hours on the road moved us closer to Ani and Thunder. With every mile, I grew more anxious. I had to believe I would make it in time and stay focused, keeping the link with my Reaper open.
We nearly reached North Carolina when I felt a sudden punch to the gut, swerving my bike and almost crashing. I had to pull over and stop, clutching at my stomach.
“No,” I cried out, shocked to feel the sudden loss. The emptiness that proved my ol’ lady was gone. Dead. Murdered. “Noooooooo!” I shouted, dragging out the word as I slid off the seat of my bike, tugging at my hair. “Fuck!”
A wild, terrible cry launched from my chest.
A small, terrified, heartbroken voice filled my head. “I love you, Dio.”
And then that beautiful, strong, everlasting tie that bound me and Thunder and the Reaper . . . it snapped.
Severed. Gone forever.
My heart threatened to explode. My fist lifted as I hit my chest. Fuck! It hurt. It hurt so fucking much!
A howl of agony pierced the night, breaking the final link, the only connection I had to find Thunder.
My boy. Lost to me.
“My Thunder.”
The rage. The sorrow. The unyielding pain. They filled my head until I couldn’t breathe.
My Reaper, on the side of the highway, unleashed.