Page 102 of Souls We Rip

“To make us desperate,” she whispered. Her eyes moved to Eugen. “You should have brought at least some bread with you, sweetheart.” A warm smile spread over her lips, and love for the boy was written in her eyes.

“That is what Tiberius said too, but it was not done yet.” Eugen shrugged, shoving the last piece of fat in his mouth.

“Sure, but if your stomach hurts, we need to call for that old woman from my village.” Ana winked, knowing that Eugen did not like the old crone.

“It’s time to return,” I said, holding both in my arms.

Ana looked me in the eyes as she wrapped her hand around my waist, a single tear falling on her cheek. With her free hand, she grabbed the boy’s shoulder.

Once we arrived at the lair, the smell of fresh bread reached my nostrils, pulling Eugen towards the kitchen, his hunger not satiated.

I followed Ana to her room. In the past weeks, she slept in my bed, leaving her old chamber for Eugen.

“Why were you worried this morning?” I asked, taking off my coat.

She turned to me, her ie dampened from sweat. “About happenings like this,” Ana sighed, and braided her hair in quick moves. “I have the feeling that the next soul I choose will be either hard to take or the Elk will pull a stunt like today.”

“Are you afraid that you cannot take it?”

“Yes. But mostly, I would like to delay it,” she whispered. At my raised eyebrows, she stepped closer to me. “If I take the remaining soul, we won’t have time to spend together. We will need to act fast.”

I tilted my head. “Ana, I assume we can sleep before our impending death,” I joked, but there was no humour left in my voice.

Turning around, her eyes were shimmering. “Promise me that we won’t die, Tiberius! Now that I have my own family, I would like to raise it.”

“I promise, inimă. I will stand before all of you and shelter you from my brother's wrath.”

“I found him,” Ana gasped, the steam from the bath I drew her diminished my vision of the Mirror.

“Who is it?” I asked, wiping her back with a cloth.

Heavy silence fell between us. Her head moved closer to the Mirror, its gold frame shining from the candlelight.

Taking a deep breath, she finally whispered her answer. “My father…” Her head turned to me, questions in her eyes.

I took the Mirror from her hands, seeing the man I was supposed to rip. In the image, he was using his remaining hand to beat Ana’s mother, ripping her clothes off.

Ana darted out of the bath, water dripping in her wake, running to her chamber.

Once I reached her room, she was already gone.

Besides her gold embroidered cloak, her skull was missing, too. Her scythe was nowhere to be seen either.

“What is happening, Tibi?” the child asked, rubbing his eyes from sleep.

His izmene were too baggy for him, and his shirt was making him look like a stuffed sack with feet.

“Go back to sleep, child!” I demanded, taking my skull with me and leaving through my chamber’s hole.

“Tibi!” he yelled after me, halting from mounting my stallion.

I turned to both the ghost and Eugen, watching me with worry, their faces pulled in similar frowns.

“Will she return to us?” the child asked, his voice small.

“I don’t know,” I said back, a lump in my neck.

I saw no light at the end of this tunnel for Ana.