As the two of us got off the elevator I took note of the chaos pouring through the main lobby. I've never seen so many reapers in one place. All of them were in shadowy robes. I couldn't make out most of their faces. They all were on high alert, surrounding something on the floor. By the sounds of it, someone was in complete agony. The room was buzzing with conversations, everything was muddled. I couldn't make out a single word of it. The atmosphere was bleak and tense. I was instantly put on edge. Something awful happened.

"That's enough, out of the way." A sharp voice called out. The voice sent a chill down my spine. And the crowd of reapers fell completely silent. You could hear a pin dropping in this room now. I could sense urgency now as Emmett entered the room. No doubt he was the one that had called out to the group. With a single glance at him, I could tell he was irritated. Emmett sharply snapped his eyes over towards Edward. The two of them exchanged angry looks. But there was some kind of substance behind those glances. As if they were having a silent conversation. Those brothers struggle to get along most of the time, but it was obvious they were extremely close. They knew each other so well they could read each other's thoughts.

Immediately the crowd began to back away, revealing a man curled up on the floor, screaming out in pain. His body twisted and thrashed violently. His arms swung out in desperation, as if he was fighting off an invisible enemy. It was a pitiful display, I instantly wanted to help him. It was like watching a wounded animal, struggling desperately to continue on. From where I stood, he didn't have any clear injuries. His robes looked to have been ripped off his body, lying in shreds at his sides. His bare chest was exposed, only a pair of black spandex pants were left in place.

Edward lightly placed a hand on my shoulder. "Stay back," He spoke gently, before he slowly walked away from me, following Emmett through the crowd to reach the man. He held his head high, walking into the scene with confidence. He truly looked like a leader. The boss. Someone to respect. I was filled with pride as I watched Edward step into his role.

My heart squeezed tightly in my chest. I couldn't ignore my growing anxiety however. This seemed like a dangerous situation. I don't know what I'd do if Edward would get hurt. I held my breath as both Edward and Emmett reached the man.

"Name and rank," Edward demanded, turning a sharp look to the group of reapers surrounding them. Emmett bent down, placing one hand on the man's forehead with a look of concentration. A dark mist seemed to appear around Emmett's hand that was in contact with the man. This strange mist was incredibly dense in nature; you couldn't see through the it. This must be some kind of ability Emmett has. I've never seen something like this before.

"His name is Felix, he is a new recruit, no ranking yet." One reaper spoke up. She appeared shaken by this. I noticed the strain in her voice and the desperation on her face. Instantly I questioned what her relationship was to this man. She was a pretty blonde, with light brown eyes. Dainty and carried herself with a meek, mousy demeanor. She didn't seem threatening in the least, so I doubt she was the one to cause this man's agony.

Emmett's touch had soothed the man. The pain and torment that had been on his face was slowly disappearing. Once his body went completely still, Emmett turned his sights to the girl that had spoken up.

"He devoured a human soul, what do you know about this?"

So this is the result of a reaper eating a human soul? It was more horrendous than I had imagined. I felt bad for this guy. No one deserved to suffer like that. What would drive him to do it?

The girl visibly swallowed, her arms trembled at her sides as he looked between Emmett and Edward. "He was under my direction. This was his first day training out in the field. We stopped at a replenishing station before getting here. He started acting strangely not long after he ate his soul stones."

Edward's eyes narrowed, averting his gaze from the scene for a moment. "It's just as Esme had mentioned. There is someone working against us."

Emmett flinched very so slightly, but nodded his head as he focused his sights back on the man.

This was news to me. I wasn't aware there was anything going on against the company. It was worrisome. I didn't know what this would mean moving forward. And I couldn't imagine who this enemy would be.

"Let's worry about that later. We need to deal with this. I'm at a loss for what to do. If he didn't willingly consume a human soul, we can't just terminate his life." Emmett said with a slight grunt. He kept his hand over Felix's forehead, the mist continued from his hand, but the flow of it wasn't remaining as steady as it was before. Whatever he was doing, it was keeping Felix comfortable, but I could see this was challenging for Emmett. He was having a hard time keeping his concentration.

"Of course, we can. There is no telling if he can manage himself, if we let him live. He will compromise this company and the safety of our people." Edward spoke with an edge of authority and a hard look on Emmett.

They weren't actually arguing over killing this man or not, were they?

My lips parted, but before I could speak out, the girl reaper spoke up. "Please don't kill him. I'll do anything. Spare him. Please." She fell to her knees, bowing her head deeply. The group of other reapers regarded her with contempt and displeasure. It was clear that the majority of them weren't thrilled by the fact that this woman was pleading for this man's life.

It broke my heart to watch this. I could only assume that she has an intimate relationship with Felix. I couldn't even imagine if it was Edward in this position. I would do more than just plead for his life. No one could stop me from protecting him. If that's how this girl was feeling, there was no way I could allow them to kill this guy.

"Quiet," Edward snapped harshly, glaring daggers at the girl. "If you truly hold feelings for this man, you will want us to put him out of his misery. After consuming a human soul… any amount of them, it changes a reaper completely. He isn't the same man that you knew."

The girl began to weep silently, clutching her arms around herself. She was shaking uncontrollably. Again, the group of reapers exchanged looks of disgust and frustration. A few of them actually began walking away, no longer interested in what was happening here. It was a little surprising to see how little these people value their fellow reapers. There was no sign of any of them being compassionate or concerned. It left a bad taste in my mouth. These are the people I was working with. Just knowing this was the mentality of these reapers only made me want to get move involved in this company. They were all human once. They shouldn't lose sight of that.

"Edward, you know he has a chance of pulling through this without any lasting effects. Stenton consumed a fair number of human souls in the past and he was able to regain his sanity." Emmett argued fervently.

I had no idea that Stenton had eaten human souls. But it did make sense, in a way. He always seemed to hold so much sadness. And the guilt that came to his face when we had spoken of devourers in the past. I never even considered.

Edward sighed heavily, keeping a dark look on his face. "Stenton was a special case." Suddenly his eyes traveled over to where I stood. He appeared conflicted. "We don't have a choice. I have to think of Bella's safety above all else. Felix will be a huge threat to her safety."

Emmett flinched at his words; a look of realization touched his features as he looked over to me as well. Just like Edward, he seemed to be struggling to decide on what to do.

I quickly took a few steps towards them, motivated to intervene. "Don't make this decision based on my safety. This isn't about me. These are your people; they look to the both of you as their leaders. It's your responsibility to do the right thing for each and every one of these people here."

A few of the reapers in the group that had stuck around, now turned in my direction. Some of them just watched me with curiosity, others offered cold, haunting stares. I couldn't assume what they thought of me. And frankly, I didn't care one way or the other. At least, that's what I would continue to tell myself. I didn't want to appear weak. Or bothered by any of this. I just wanted to someone that deserves to be at Edward's side.

Edward seemed to soften just a little, but he didn't make a comment, instead he looked to his brother. "I'll only agree to this if we lock him away, under constant surveillance. At least until we can determine if he is going to be a danger."

Emmett nodded simply. "I can agree with that."

My shoulders slumped a little as relief filled me. I was surprised that it had been so easy to convince them. I was expecting a bit more resistance. But that only proved that neither one of them truly wanted to kill Felix. They truly were more compassionate than they were willing to show.

Edward turned to the girl, who was still on the ground. She looked up at him with anguish, but there was a hint of hope there as well. "Name, rank and supervisor."

She swallowed roughly. "Heidi, intendant class, under miss Esme's supervision."

Intendant class. I remember Alice muttering about that position in the company. She mentioned the intendant class would have been a better suited position for her to be moved to. She didn't go into details on what that position entailed. So needless to say, I was curious.

Emmett grunted quietly, squirming a bit as he tried adjusting his hand on Felix's forehead. Unfortunately, Felix was beginning to stir again. His body began to tremble, and a weak whimper fell from his parted lips. Now that I was a bit closer to the action, I took a better look.

This man was disheveled, looking gray in color and dark circles were under his pitch-black eyes. Whatever Emmett was doing to keep Felix calm was beginning to stop working.

"We need to get him to confinement now, before I lose my hold over him. Heidi, come with me. He will be your responsibility. And I'm sure Esme will want to hear all the details of what happened." Emmett said with an impatient frown. There was urgency in his voice.

By now, most of the spectators had drifted off, returning to their assigned tasks. Now that Edward and Emmett had things under control.

Heidi nodded meekly as she returned to her feet. With help from a few other reapers, they were able to pull Felix up off the floor and worked together to carry him towards the elevators. Emmett followed them, keeping his hand on Felix's forehead the entire time.

Emmett's eyes flickered to me for a moment, before meeting Edward's cold gaze. "I'll call you once things are stable here. It would probably be for the best if you take Bella home."

Quickly I made my way to Edward and right into his open arms. The moment I felt his body against mine all the remaining anxiety dissolved. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and for just a moment, I felt his chin rest at the top of my head as he breathed in and out deeply.

He also seemed to relax, but there was still an edge to his voice. "I'll expect a full report." Those were the parting words, as the two brothers went their separate ways. Emmett entered the elevators with the other reapers and Edward, and I made our way out of the glass building and out into the employee parking lot.

Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying it so far.