A Danger to Her

"You know I've been to lots of places but this has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

The maid fixing the bed looked up in reflex, old bedsheets gathered in her arms. Gregory stood in the middle of the room with his thumbs and index fingers forming a frame. He had one of his eyes closed as he peeked through the frame, looking straight at the maid.

A grin formed on his lips. "A true beauty."

Blood rushed into the maid's cheeks. It wasn't one of the best pickup lines but that hardly mattered when a good-looking guy just called her beautiful. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling and turned her head away.

In a second, Gregory had crossed the room and held her chin. They held eye contact until he lowered his head to brush his lips along her jawline. She tilted her head back, exposing her neck. Gregory inhaled her scent and a rush of excitement began to fill him up. His teeth slightly nipped her earlobe.

"Such irresistible sweetness. It makes me want to have a taste—"

A loud thud hit the floor.

The maid immediately snapped out of her reverie. A cow-head mask greeted her sight.

"AH!"

Gregory looked over his shoulder and spotted Amon right where he used to be standing. The maid pushed him off and quickly slipped out of his grasp, practically running away from the scene. She shut the door behind her, the decoration on the wall shaking a bit.

Amon arched an eyebrow at his friend. "I see you made yourself at home."

After fixing his clothes, Gregory put his hands on his hips with a grim look on his face. "Have you ever heard of knocking? I know this is your territory but you have no right to invade my privacy like that."

If he said anything more, Amon didn't hear him. The Grim Reaper turned around and walked towards a small bookshelf in the corner. He picked up a random book and skimmed through the paragraphs. What the pages contained he didn't know—not unless they had blue hair and heterochromatic eyes.

How could Lilith make such a face? When he spotted the tears in her eyes, his body lost the ability to move. He doubted everything he knew for a second.

How was he fulfilling her mother's dying wish by making her cry? The next thing he knew, he stood close to her and provided what little comfort he could.

Amon questioned his choices since that fateful night. Maybe it would have been better to let her stay in the human world.

As soon as the thought came into his head, he dismissed the possibility. His recent discovery of the empty grave proved that it couldn't be the better choice.

Maybe he should have never agreed to attend that gathering 19 years ago. Then, there wouldn't have been a chance to run into Lilith.

They would have never spoken and she would have never spared a thought about him, about his secrets, about his reception of her—

"What's going on with you?" Gregory asked, standing behind Amon and talking near his ear. "I know you're supposed to be the symbol of death but that doesn't mean you need to act like you're dead."

Amon snapped the book close. He tugged it upwards and narrowly missed hitting Gregory's nose. "Don't sneak up on others. It's rude."

"Look who's talking!" Gregory retaliated. He huffed and sat down. His eyes stared at the opposite side of the room. "Never mind. I'm not worried about you. I also don't care whatever is going in that head of yours. It's like you're not even here."

Lilith's voice echoed inside Amon's head. 'Look who's talking!'

He put the book back and sat across from his friend, a round table between them. "No need to be dramatic. I apologize for my actions."

Gregory slowly glanced at Amon. The Grim Reaper seemed… Well, grim. Something must have happened. Although Amon preferred silence over talking, he wouldn't have appeared in this room if he didn't want Gregory to keep him company.

'Not that Amon would ever admit it', Gregory thought. He did one last dramatic sigh and knocked on the table. "I know you said it was better to show me what you were worrying about than to tell me. I have to be honest. I still need you to do some explaining."

Amon shook his head, getting his thoughts together. Gregory was right. They were here for a reason. He recounted what had happened at the water fountain. "Nothing in my education or training provides answers on how to deal with this. Should I stop avoiding Lilith? But I'm unable to relax whenever I'm around her."

"Nothing in anyone's education ever talks about how to handle crying women," Gregory snorted. Then, his expression turned serious and he scrunched his eyebrows. "Why are you avoiding her in the first place? Is she dangerous?"

"No," Amon objected.

He lifted his head to meet the vampire's gaze. "I'm the one who is a danger to her."

"Ah."

"I made a promise to fulfill her mother's dying wish, to save Lilith." Amon sighed through his nose, his head downcasted once more. "That all goes away the moment I slip up and this mask falls off in front of her."

Gregory drummed his fingers on the table. Amon had a meticulous personality. He had been with him long enough to know Amon would never take any sort of risk if it meant he'd lose control over his power. Humans had short lives and Lilith still hadn't reached one-fourth of hers. It was no wonder why Amon was extra cautious.

"This is difficult," Gregory said after a while. "I get where you're coming from but I can also understand Lilith. Although she doesn't remember you saving her, maybe her subconscious does. You were connected from that moment and it's pulling her towards you."

He stretched his arms and shrugged. "Your power is your precious secret. You're not about to tell a 22-year-old girl about it when you barely know each other since you've been avoiding her all her life."

Amon groaned. This wasn't going anywhere. Lilith was no longer a child but even if he told her, it might not satisfy her curiosity. She'd want to know more and she'd continue to pester him with questions and who knew what else.

Avoiding her was still his best option.

"Let's just change the subject," Amon pleaded.

"Sounds fine with me." Gregory nodded. "So, that empty grave. Does it belong to Lilith's mom?"