"Blinking would bring a moment of darkness that I couldn't afford." “Darkness shadows those that are marked, but the light of a soul may be stronger than the depths of the Never.” I was sent to collect what was rightfully mine and I owned her life until the claiming. Avery belonged to me as many of the marks before her. She fought harder than the others, stayed stronger through the fear and she made herself an easy target for both sides. What I didn’t expect was the need to protect her. Her soul had been claimed by the devil, himself. My job was to collect it; reap it with her last breath. The other side shouldn’t have interfered because they made this personal. Finding her was never an issue. Killing her was always the plan. Losing her was no longer an option.