The Soul Reaper's Arranged Marriage

Chapter 3

The three Soul Reapers arrived at the gates of Armstrong Manor. The towering estate seemed to be more like a castle than a mansion, with dark stone turrets pointing into the night sky.

Marco lifted his hands toward the wrought iron gates, opening them with magic rather than pushing them with force. The three of them began the walk across the long stone pathway toward the manor, which had a soft white glow coming through many of the windows on the facade. The pathway was lined by a low, square hedge, and on either side were extensive, green lawns that were neatly manicured and sprinkled with Cyprus trees. As they approached the front entrance, two large fountains with gargoyles perched on top sat on either side of the pathway, water flowing and spraying elegantly into the air.

They reached the main entrance doors, and Marco reached out his hand to grab the intricate gold handles.

"Are you ready, Daisy?" he asked quietly, stopping short of pushing the doors open.

Daisy looked up to meet his concerned gaze and nodded timidly. The confident femme fatale she had pretended to be earlier was completely gone, revealing her hesitation and vulnerability.

"It's a nice night for a wedding, don't you think?" interrupted Seth with a laugh. Marco and Daisy shot a glare in his direction.

"I'm glad you find all of this amusing," Daisy scowled.

"You should be honored that Osiris has chosen you, his favorite Soul Reaper, to marry into the Armstrong family," Seth replied mockingly, lingering on the word "favorite."

Seth made a sweeping gesture across the grounds. "Now, all of this is yours. Quite a step up from where we came from, don't you think?"

Marco and Daisy followed his hand, gazing out briefly over the expansive property. He wasn't wrong about that.

"And Marco and I are just left here in your dust, poor and penniless, our talents wasted and being relegated to nothing more than your bodyguards-"

"İBasta!" scolded Marco, reverting to his native Spanish as his anger spiked. Enough.

Seth glowered back at Marco, but didn't speak. Marco used his hands to push open the two large double doors into the manor, revealing a grand foyer with sweeping, gilded ceilings and a great crystal chandelier above.

The trio made their way through the foyer through another set of doors, revealing a double grand staircase lined with dark red carpeting and gold handrails. They took a left before the staircase and entered into a large sitting room with about three dozen figures scattered throughout the space, all wearing black cloaks. Their chatter immediately stopped as soon as the three Soul Reapers entered the room.

Although Daisy hated to admit it, she enjoyed the apprehension in the eyes of adult Osirians, who knew the reputation of the Soul Reapers and feared them for it. As the three of them walked in, led by Marco, she quickly glanced at the faces in the room. Most Osirians were adult Wizards and their wives, and she had not seen anyone their age around the manor.

She continued to follow Marco toward the grand fireplace at the other end of the room. The only sound was the roar of the fire and the sound of Daisy's heels clicking against the wooden floorboards.

The fireplace was surrounded by black velvet furniture, including one high back chair that was facing away from them toward the fire. The people that were standing next to the chair stepped back toward the walls, putting some distance between themselves and the Soul Reapers for them to pass.

Marco, followed by Seth, made their way around the chair to face the person sitting in it, leaving space for Daisy to be in the middle. Daisy paused behind the chair, taking a deep breath. Her eyes landed on a single arm that was slightly outstretched, elbow lying on the armrest. The man in the chair wore a long-sleeved, black shirt. The hand that hung lazily over the chair was very pale, almost gray, but Daisy's eyes immediately noticed the large gold ring on his finger. From where she was standing, she could see the shape of an obsidian Egyptian ankh symbol on the top of the ring.

"Come closer, my dear," the voice spoke from the chair. His voice sent a chill down Daisy's spine. It was quiet, yet commanding; polite, yet dangerous. The tension in the room was palpable once he spoke.

Daisy made her way around the chair, kneeling down in front of the figure on both knees.

"Master Osiris," Daisy whispered in greeting, her head lowered.

The figure took his pale hand and placed it on her chin, raising her face up to meet his gaze. He was a man that appeared to be in his 40s, although Daisy knew that he was at least sixteen years older than he looked. He had long, oily brown hair that was slicked back into a ponytail. His square jaw was tilted to the side, though his narrow dark eyes pierced through Daisy's wide-eyed gaze intensely. He was well-dressed in an all-black suit with a double-breasted vest, collared shirt, and tie.

He leaned down even closer to Daisy's face, his hand holding her chin in place. His lips were almost touching hers.

She wanted to pull away but was petrified on the spot. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. This wasn't the first time she was this close to him; in fact, she had been trained her entire life to become a Soul Reaper. This was her duty. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Would this ever get any easier?

He opened his lips slightly, and the putrid smell of something dead, like rotting flesh, hit her nose. She tried to hold her breath to avoid gagging right then and there. He began to suck gently through his pale lips, just as Daisy had done to the lifeless stranger in the alleyway.

A light blue glow appeared in her mouth, and moments later an orb of blue light slowly escaped from between her ruby red lips. The orb floated gently toward him, entering his mouth and disappearing as he swallowed. He closed his eyes for a moment before a small smile of satisfaction appeared.

"Ah, thank you, my dear," he whispered quietly so that only she could hear him. His hand pulled away from her face and returned to the armrest. Daisy cautiously stood up and stepped back in between Marco and Seth.

Osiris opened his eyes slowly, an expression of peace and contentment on his face. After a few moments of silence, he stood up from the chair and turned to face the others in the room.

"Thank you all for joining us tonight on this special occasion," he announced. "We are celebrating a very special union tonight. Our gracious host, Jason Armstrong, and his wife, Elizabeth, are finishing the preparations for their son's marriage to Miss Daisy, my most loyal servant."

Everyone in the room began to clap as Osiris held his hand out to Daisy, who timidly placed her palm in his.