The first thing that registered as I woke up was my pounding headache. With a yawn and a stretch, I took note of every little ache and pain I felt as I did. My memories were foggy from last night, there were a lot of gaps in between events. But there was one thing that I was sure of, I had some out of this world sex. Mind-blowing. I didn't know it could ever feel that good. This one night made all the others fade into nothingness.

I glanced over sheepishly, but sighed in relief to see that I was alone. The bed looked like a hurricane had passed through. The headboard appeared to have suffered the most damage, being that half of it was propped up against the opposite wall, across from the bed. I didn't remember how that happened.

A shiver rolled down my spine as my imagination ran wild with many theories. But I had to focus, uncle Charlie would be stopping in today to get the money for Ana's medication. I kicked the sheets off of me and made my way quickly to the bathroom.

As nice as last night had been with Emmett, part of me was a bit disappointed that he just left, before I even woke up. I guess I should have known it was going to go that way. Edward had just been an odd guy. That whole situation was likely a once in a lifetime. I shouldn't try to compare him to all the other men that stumble into my life.

I made my way into my bathroom, pausing in the mirror to take a look at my haggard appearance. My hair was in a mess, there were dark circles under my eyes and there was a noticeable bruise forming in the shape of fingerprints on my shoulder. My first concern was my headache, so I grabbed some Tylenol and turned on the shower, using the water to take the pills.

As soon as I turned off the shower, I jumped as I heard a voice call out to me. "Are you finally awake?" I recognized the voice, but my heart was still racing heavily in my chest as I tried to calm myself. It was Emmett. He didn't leave after all. He was a weird guy, just like Edward.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," I called back.

I took the fastest shower of my life and ripped my brush through my hair to sweep it all into a messy notch on the top of my head. I brushed the sour taste out of my mouth and swished a mouthful of mouthwash before quickly heading out towards the kitchen. The only thing I had close by to put on was my robe. It was sheer, you could see pretty much everything through it, but he had already seen me naked. So it shouldn't matter either way.

I was a bit nervous, just a few hours earlier, we had been intimate, it was a fact. I could remember parts of it. It was a bit awkward, more so than when I had slept with Edward. At least, when I had been with Edward I couldn't recall even one single detail. It was like he just appeared out of nowhere. This was completely different.

Surprisingly I found him seated at my kitchen table, which was full of delicious looking food. Fruits, muffins, scones and two plates of pancakes. On the counter behind him were large jugs of different juices. Coffee was brewing as well, which was what I would be going for.

"What's all this?" I couldn't help but smile.

He glanced up from his phone to meet my gaze, his eyes were dark and his smile caused a chill to roll over my shoulders. "Just a little breakfast, I figured I should make it up to you, I kinda destroyed your bed." I caught his eyes flickering down to my robes to linger for just a moment, but it was long enough for my cheeks to start warming.

"Yeah, I noticed that," I chuckled as I took a seat, attempting to cover myself a little more. "Where did all this food come from?"

Everything smelled so nice, I didn't hesitate to eat. I was careful to at least appear to eat like a civilized woman, but this was the most food I've seen in at least a year. I've basically been living off of half a slice of stale bread and some questionable canned meat.

"I woke up a while ago and was a little hungry, turns out your fridge was completely empty, so I did a little shopping." Emmett said, eyeing me.

I felt my cheeks warming up under his gaze. I focused on chewing a big piece of pancake. The syrup was warm and sweet, the best thing I've tasted in a long time. I couldn't help the groan that slipped past my lips.

"That good huh, I'm glad you like my cooking." His expression turned to joy for a moment, before he went back to staring at his phone.

Curiosity was burning inside me as I peeked over at him. What could he possibly be doing on that phone? He was so distracted; he barely made an attempt to make eye contact. Was I boring him? Well, then maybe he should just leave, take this feast with him. I didn't grow up with cell phones, it was something I've begun to get accustomed to. But that didn't mean that I liked it. I've always thought the constant cell phone use - that so many people in this area found normal, was ridiculous. Life was happening all around us. And the people of Boswell are all completely oblivious.

Annoyance was slowly taking over, as I now openly frowned. I decided that I wouldn't even say a word to him. If he wanted to ignore me, I would do the same.

Wordless silence lasted between us as we both ate breakfast. I watched out the window, taking note of the clouds and rain hitting the glass. It didn't rain in Boswell often, so this was a treat. I loved listening to the sounds of rain, it was always so soothing. It was a reminder of home, when I was young, my father would sit on the porch with me in his lap and we would sit there, watching the storms that rolled by the farm. We would stay out there until my mom would call us in for dinner. She often would serve soup in the rainy season. It was something I always looked forward to.

I hadn't realized the small smile on my face, until Emmett interrupted my thoughts.

"What's on your mind?" He studied my face.

Oh so now he wanted to have a conversation?

"Just thinking about home, I spent a lot of time with my father on rainy days like this."

He nodded thoughtfully. "You were close with your father?"

"I was, he was a wonderful man." My heart ached painfully in my chest as the image of him came to mind. I could almost hear his voice. Bundle up lil brownie, it's going to be cold today. I swallowed back my feelings. Why did he have to leave us?

"That's nice, I never really met my father. I've heard of him from my older brother. But apparently he wasn't too nice of a guy." Emmett's eyes flickered to the window as well. An emotionless mask slipped over his handsome face.

"Are you close with your brother?"

His nose scrunched up slightly. "I wouldn't call us close, we never really got along. We are just two very different people." He shrugged his shoulders. The way that his body seemed to become tense, suggested that a new topic would probably be for the best.

"So, what brought you into Bubba's bar last night?"

He had showed up there, looking like a celebrity and attempted to order the most expensive brand of whiskey in the world. Bubba's bar was just a small hole in the wall bar. It was well known for the cheapest drinks in the city. It was far from a glamorous, high-end club.

Emmett paused, deliberating his words carefully. "I was in the area for work and thought I'd stop for a quick drink, before heading back to the office."

"Drinking on the job must be nice." I cracked a smile.

He nodded stiffly, no longer any warmth in his eyes. He just stared in front of himself, seeing nothing, feeling nothing.

The room turned to awkward silence, with only the sounds of us eating. I was able to eat just over half of my pancakes, before I was completely stuffed. I wasn't used to eating so much in one go. The feeling made my stomach a bit nauseous. But besides that, my Tylenol must have kicked in, my headache was almost completely gone. There was just an annoying twinge.

I glanced down to my empty coffee cup, tempted refill my cup, but that's when I noticed my forearm.

There was another tattoo, written in some kind of language I've never seen before. It looked exactly like the first one that appeared on my other arm. They looked vastly different, there were a few less details on the newest tattoo and was much less intricate.

Groaning, I attempted to wipe the black inscription off. "You gotta be kidding me? Another mysterious tattoo."

Emmett quickly was up on his feet now, taking my arm to stare at the tattoo. His body was completely tense, he was so still, I don't think he was even breathing. He muttered a curse under his breath as his eyes slid up to mine.

"I'm guessing you know how I got this tattoo?"

His mouth came together in a hard line, a look of panic flashed across his features for only a second, before he inhaled heavily. "You said, this is your second tattoo,"

I nodded, pulling my other arm out from under the table, to present the first tattoo. "I got this one a few weeks ago, but I don't remember how I got it. I u-um, it happened after a one night stand with some other guy." I admitted.

For some reason, this was starting to embarrass me. I didn't want to seem like some kind of whore. The thought of Emmett regretting last night sent a pinch of pain to my chest. He truly seemed like a wonderful guy. But I had a feeling that friendship with him would now be out of the question. His reaction to the other tattoo was anger. He instantly recoiled from me, his hands letting my arm go. He just stood there now, watching me tensely.

"What?" I asked, unable to take the steady pause of silence.

Emmett cleared his throat as a small smile came to his face. But it wasn't genuine, it looked forced.

"Are you free today, I'd like to take you into my office today. I can get those tattoos removed for you, if you like."

I noticed that he really hasn't answered my question. I was off today, I took my full weekend off. But I didn't know this guy, his strange behavior had my guard up.

"I mean that would be great, but you never answered me, do you know how I got this tattoo? And what kind of business do you run, that you can remove this?" I asked, holding up both of my arms.

Emmett's eyes were drawn to my recent tattoo now, his eyes began to slowly shift in color. Vibrant sapphire orbs were peering into me. "I'm sorry," He hesitated. "This was completely an accident. I never meant to mark you. I didn't know you had already been marked."

"Marked," I frowned deeply. "What are you trying to say?"

"The first tattoo that appeared on your arm, you were marked by another reaper." He continued, mirroring my own look of confusion.

"A reaper," I muttered.

"Yes, don't tell me that you don't know anything about it. They must have explained things to you." Zayne sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but you aren't making any sense. Reapers, marks, it all isn't adding up. What is a reaper?" Anxiety was crawling around inside of my stomach as I watched Emmett.

What was a reaper? It sounded like the name of a cult, or something evil. Don't tell me some voodoo bullshit happened and now I'm cursed. There truly were some scary people in the world and I was a believer of the supernatural. I've never had the proof that these things existed, but I recalled my father bringing up things from his past. Apparently he saw a lot of terrible things when he was in the army. He often would tell his tales of the war to my sister and I. There were plenty of nights that I've woken up to the sound of my father screaming. He had nightmares often. I had been young back then, I didn't truly understand his suffering.

Emmett exhaled heavily, folding his arms across his chest. "What piece of shit would just mark you and leave, without explaining how all of this works? If it's any of my guys, I promise you, there will be swift punishment." Annoyance rolled over him now, his eyes began returning to a piercing black.

"I'm still struggling to understand what 'marking' even is." I swallowed hard, feeling my mouth getting dry.

Emmett began to pace a little, back and forth in my tiny kitchen. It appeared he had a lot on his mind. His muscular shoulders seemed rigid. I could practically feel his increasing aggression. My body trembled slightly. His presence was oozing darkness. I found myself getting breathless as I watched him, my heart was knocking hard in my chest as I brought myself up to my feet. I wanted to be prepared to run, if I had to.

"I'll do my best to explain, just give me a second to calm down." He replied, his eyes sweeping over me. A hint of guilt touched his face.

I nodded quietly, taking a few steps back from him. "Take your time," As terrified as I was, I had to know what this all means.

It was nearly ten minutes before he stopped pacing and turned to look at me. Wordlessly, he moved to the table to retrieve both of our mugs.

"I find it easier to explain these things with a drink. How do you like your coffee?" He said turning his back to walk over to the coffee pot. I watched him for a moment as he filled the cups. I debated on answering him. But something told me that he wasn't a very patient man and I didn't know him, or what he was capable of. It would be in my best interest to play nice and do what he says.

"Black," I muttered quietly.

He nodded as he added a splash of milk to his cup, before returning to the table. He sat the cup down in front of me and gestured for me to take my seat.

I did as he instructed, even though I had the urge to remain standing. My body wouldn't allow me to disobey. He sat down as well, taking a few gentle sips, not meeting my gaze. I copied him, taking a big mouth full. The hit of caffeine was a welcomed relief. No matter what the situation, coffee always seemed to bring me a small amount of bliss. Even in this frightening situation.

"So, have you ever heard of reapers?" He began, smokey gray eyes darting to me.

"No, never,"

"Well, in ancient times reapers acted as a passageway, to bring the souls of the dead to their final resting place."

I've heard something like this before, I was certain. "Grim reapers, with the long scythe and the black cloaks?"

His calm expression slipped away for a moment and a chuckle escaped his lips.

Great, now he was laughing at me.

"Something like that I suppose, yes." He nodded, clearly still amused by my statement. "Although, that's in a completely different era."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not finding the humor of this situation. "Go on," I urged him to give me further details.

"Reapers have been around since the creation of time itself. There were a fairly small number of them, but today, we number in the thousands. As the population grew, more and more reapers became awakened."

"Awakened," I tumbled the word around in my mind.

This guy was a nut-job. I didn't care about what his beliefs were of the afterlife. I wanted to know how I got these stupid tattoos.

Emmett took another sip of his coffee before replying. "Yes, when a human dies, there is a small chance they will be reanimated as a reaper. This is incredibly rare and hasn't happened for nearly a hundred years."

"So, you're telling me… that you are a reanimated… dead person…" I said, shaking my head slowly.

He was insane. I needed to find a way to get him out of my apartment. He didn't seem dangerous, but he was a big guy, clearly had a temper and was delusional. This situation wasn't ideal. I really need to stop these one-night-stands. The men I've been bringing home have been just... too weird.

"Actually it's different for me," He sighed, running a hand through his dark midnight locks. "I was born into this."

I raised a brow, choosing to remain silent. It was pointless to continue this conversation. He wasn't making any sense. Leave it to me, to bring this insane guy home. And he was so good-looking and down to earth, it was really disappointing he ended up being unstable. And the sex. Incredible.

A chill ran down my back; the thought, causing me to shake slightly.

When he realized that I wasn't going to respond, he continued. "My mother is a reaper and had a relationship with a human, like you. She gave birth to my brother and I."

"So, you're only half reaper," I played along, hoping this would speed up this bizarre conversation. The sooner he explains things, the sooner I could convince him to leave. I didn't want to outright offend him. He really seemed to believe everything he said. The look on his face suggested as much. Serious. Calm.

Emmett nodded with a slight smile pulling at his lips. "Exactly,"

"So, what's the difference between you and the others?"

"Well, reapers can't die. I can. Other than that, we are pretty much the same." His body language changed slightly. There was a hint of insecurity that fell off him in waves as he began to slouch a little in his seat and hold his head down.

"That doesn't explain the whole marking thing." I pointed out, nodding down to my arms. Thats the only thing I wanted an actual answer for. How did I get these tattoos? I hoped that in the very least he wouldn't continue make up some kind of ridiculous story about this. It was clearly some kind of tattoo.

"I was getting to that part," He said as he finished off the coffee from his mug. He glanced at my cup, taking note that I had barely had a sip. "Your coffee is getting cold."

I sighed, lifting up my cup to my mouth to down the rest of it. "There, all done."

Another amused smile came to his face. "Alright, well the life of a reaper is eternal, it can become a very lonely existence. So all reapers have the ability to mark someone, it connects them with a life partner." Emmett spoke, his eyes casting down to the floor. I caught just the slightest movement of his sights drifting to the inscription on my arm.

Great, he was still going on with this grim reaper nonsense. I would just continue to humor him. It's clear that I wouldn't be getting any real answers. "So you can just pick and choose whoever you want. You just claim them as your own?"

Even though this was all bullshit, I didn't like the sound of that.

"No, a marking like that isn't given to just anyone. And we have no control over who receives that marking. It's left completely to fate."

"Well that actually sounds a little romantic." I admitted unwillingly. "So this marking on my arm, are you telling me that you and I are life partners?"

Emmett shifted with an unreadable expression coming to his face. "No, there are different types of markings. One marking can be removed easily and it's just a weak connection. We use those marks for friendships. It's useful to build a business that way. You are guaranteed to have loyal employees." He said as he let his shoulders slump. "That's the marking I've put on you."

Well that was a bit of a relief. Not that I was taking any of this seriously. And not that Emmett wouldn't make a wonderful love interest. But I just couldn't afford to start any relationships. I had to focus on making money. Not love. Especially with an unstable man.

"What's the other kinds of marking?"

"The other kind of marking isn't one that can't be controlled. If a reaper finds their life partner, they will mark them, whether they want to or not. The two will be connected forever. There is no way of removing it."

At his words, I couldn't help but shudder. It sounded like a nightmare. To be forced to be connected to a complete stranger for the rest of my life… It sounded like too much. I valued my independence and the ability to be with whoever I wanted. I've never believed in fate. I've always believed that people had complete control over everything that happens in their lives. The thought of someone of a higher power deciding how my life would go, terrified me. Everything Emmett said was just a delusional story, it upset me. I still wanted these tattoos off. Now, more than ever before.

"So this is a friendship marking?" I asked, nodding down to both tattoos.

Emmett paused, studying the tattoos for a moment. A frown came to his face. "I'm sure that the marking I gave you is, but I'm not sure about the other marking, that's why I'd like for you to come with me. My brother will be able to remove these marks."

"Great, but I don't have much money…" I sighed.

"We aren't going to charge you for this, this is our fault." He shook his head quickly.

He really was taking all of this seriously. It sounded like he meant every word. But I just couldn't wrap my head around all of this. Emmett really wasn't clear about some of the things he was saying. I had many questions, but I was afraid to even ask. I didn't want to get wrapped up in his make-believe stories.

"You have doubts about what I'm telling you." He commented, his expression was unreadable.

I nodded, folding my arms across my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was piss this guy off. But I couldn't hold myself back from giving him my honest answer. "Honestly, I think you should seek some serious help. You make good money, you should invest in a good therapist."

To my surprise Emmett laughed freely, letting his head fall back for a second. A wide smile came to his face as he watched me. "I guess that's an expected response. Most humans would probably say the same thing."

His reaction made me glare in his direction. I didn't like being laughed at. But after a while, I found myself laughing as well. It was impossible to hold it back. He had an infectious personality. You couldn't help but be drawn to him.

"Well come on, if you want me to believe you, I need to see some physical proof." I challenged, wiping at the dampness of my eyes. Our laughing fit had taken a lot out of me. I was so relieved. Emmett wasn't angry, he really did seem like a kind soul.

"If that's what it takes…" He hummed, a thoughtful look coming to his face. He let his arm raise from the table in front of me. I admired his muscles for a moment, but in an instant his arm began to change right before my eyes.

His skin seemed to peel away and sprinkle down from his arm in a gray dust, vanishing in sight. Muscle began to do the same, until the bone of his entire arm was the only thing left.

My stomach began to churn as the room felt like it started to sway back and forth. My head was spinning as I tried to rationalize what I had just seen. But how could I explain that? The man's skin just… turned to ashes and disappeared.

Emmett watched with a look of concern but didn't comment. He at least allowed me a few seconds to try and process this impossible information.

Hesitantly I moved my hand out towards his arm, watching his eyes for any indication that he didn't want me to touch him. But he didn't move a inch.

My hand made contact with his arm, it was solid, smooth and hard. I've never touched a human bone, but I've felt the texture of several animal bones. It was a common occurrence to find a dead animal carcass around the farm. Most of the time, it was my job to move any dead animals off the property and bury them on the outskirts of our property. This felt similar.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood as I looked at Emmett. His words rang through my head now, but with a more serious undertone. He was a reaper. A passageway to bring souls to their final resting place.

After a while, he pulled his arm away. Starting from the top of his shoulder, I watched as flesh began to grow and spread, every tendon, muscle, artery. It only took seconds before his arm looked perfectly fine. Like nothing had even happened.

"Is that enough proof for you?" He wondered, sitting back further in his seat. The look on his face was hard to read. But his posture suggested that he was uncomfortable.

"Did that hurt?" I asked, rubbing my hands down over my own arms, trying to warm up the goosebumps that started.

"Not at all, but it does take a lot of practice."

I chewed on my thumb nail, not knowing how to react. Should I run? Pointless, you can't outrun death. Should I beg for him not to take my life? Not likely, no one has had their life spared, just because they have begged to live.

"S-so, should I be worried?" My body had begun to tremble, my heart was racing to the point I was starting to become breathless. The urge to run for my life was overwhelming, but I stayed completely still. I felt so heavy at the moment, there was no way that I could make an escape.

Emmett frowned now. "Worried about what?"

"Well, you are here… am I… on the brink of death? Are you hanging around this area… to," I trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know the answer.

His face twisted slightly, with a low chuckle rumbling from deep in his chest. "No, you aren't on my list. I haven't come for you. I believe I told you last night at the bar, I was just in the area, finishing up my job. I usually don't spend too long in one place. Death is never ending. This is probably the longest I've been in one place, for a long time."

Relief rolled over me. "Oh good, I mean… not so good for whoever died around here. But.. uh, so since you are here, what if someone… needs your assistance?"

Emmett raised a single brow, now holding up his cell phone. "When a job pops up, I just send the details to my support team, they can handle things until we get your situation handled."

So that's why he had been on the phone so much. I just thought he was a jerk.

I stood up quickly. "Well in that case, let's get going. I don't want to interrupt your work." But a thought occurred to me. Uncle Charlie would be on his way here soon. I had to wait for him to come, so he could pick up this money for Ana. I couldn't just leave.

Emmett nodded with a thoughtful look. "Do you mind if we meet up at Liberty Park in about an hour. A list of new assignments is about to come in and I'd like to get a head start."

"That would be perfect, I'll see you then."

With that decided, I watched in amazement as he slowly faded from sight, in a mist of gray ashes.

"Incredible, I don't think I'm going to get used to that any time soon." I muttered, looking around on the floor for any sign of him. The dust disappeared along with him. "At least I don't have to clean my floors each time he leaves."

As if he would even bother ever coming back here. At least not until it was my turn for me to die. He was a busy man, he wouldn't have time to hang around someone like me. A normal person.

I tried to recollect my thoughts as I looked around the kitchen. I wouldn't bother cleaning up the kitchen, maybe uncle Charlie would like some breakfast when he arrived. For now, I would just put on something a little less revealing and try to remain calm.

But of course it was easier said than done. I decided on a simple pair of white jean shorts and a navy halter top. But I had my umbrella by the door waiting. If I remembered correctly, it was going to be a pretty hot day today, assuming the rain stopped. I normally never wore shorts, so I ended up doing a few yoga poses in the shower as I tried to shave my legs. I detested shaving, it was such a pain. I always ended up cutting my legs up. Plus, as long as I just wore long pants, no one would ever know any different. What's even the point?

Once I finished, I flopped down on the couch; which responded with a low creak. I pulled my legs up to my chest and watched out the windows, out to the busy highway. A few scattered rain drops continued plunking against the glass, but I could see the sun begin to peak out from behind the clouds. The weather was right in the middle of shifting. The image of Edward found its way into my thoughts again. I couldn't explain why I kept thinking of him. Even after meeting, probably the most interesting person in the city last night, I still found myself wondering how Edward was today.

If anyone is enjoying this story so far, please let me know. I'd love to keep posting updates. I've been working on this story for the past week. I have over 100 pages already typed out. I'm loving it. Thanks for reading!