Logan opened the front door to the small, dark apartment that lived on the outskirts of the Silver City. He enjoyed his space from the residents that thrived living in the center of the glittering place. He enjoyed his quiet solitude after an extended mission.

“What are you doing here?” Logan said aloud to the dark room.

A light flicked on, and two men were sitting in his living room, waiting for him. “It’s been a while, brother. We’re just checking in to see how you’ve been,” his older brother told him.

“I’m fine, Luke. There, you checked on me. You can leave now,” Logan said with assertiveness.

“Come on, big brother. It’s been years since we’ve seen you. Can’t we stay and catch up with you for a moment?” the younger one asked.

Logan looked at his younger brother. He was giving Logan a pleading look. Logan rolled his eyes as he gave in. “Very well, Landon, you can stay and catch up. But only for a bit, and then you have to go,” he said sternly.

Luke laughed at how easily their youngest brother Landon could sway their brother into letting them stay. “Good job, little brother,” Luke whispered to his youngest brother.

Logan shook his head as he headed into the kitchen to grab some menus for them to order food. He didn’t have anything in his apartment that he could offer him.

“So, what brings you back to Silver City?” Logan asked as he dropped the menus on the table and sat down.

Luke reached forward, scooped up the menus, and shuffled through them. “We just finished a job nearby and wanted to see our brother. Do we need a reason to visit?” Luke asked, giving Logan a questionable look.

Logan grunted. “The only time you visit me is when you want to try and manipulate me to return to work.”

“It’s been five years. When will you give up this silly charade and return to the family business?” Luke inquired.

Logan rolled his eyes. He knew they had an ulterior motive as to why they came. It was the same thing every time he tried to leave the business. “This time, I meant it. I’m not going back.”

Luke scoffed.

Landon scooted forward in his seat and looked at Logan solemnly, “Logan, it’s Dad. He’s getting older, and it’s time to retire from the business. But he doesn’t think he can unless you return and take his place.”

Logan ran his fingers through his hair; he got up from his seat and started to pace the room. “Why does this have to do with me? Luke is the oldest; he can take Dad’s position; he is the heir, after all.”

“Yes, brother. But I can’t do this without you. You are our voice of reason. You keep us rooted.” Luke said in a persuasive tone.

Logan shook his head. He didn’t want to return to that life; it broke his heart every time he had a job to do. Logan thought he had served his term long enough; now, it was his time.

“Please, brother. We need you back. Will you think it over?” Landon suggested as he got up from his seat.

Logan looked out the window and refused to look back at his brothers.

Luke looked at his youngest brother questionably. He thought they agreed to stay there until they got Logan to come back to the business. “What are you doing?” Luke asked through gritted teeth. “He hasn’t agreed yet.”

Landon looked at his oldest brother with anguish. “Luke, we told him what we wanted; now we need to give him time to think his answer through.”

Luke was frustrated; he didn’t understand why Logan had always taken the job to heart. Being a reaper was in their blood. It was business; it was never personal. Luke knew it was Logan’s compassion for others that kept him rooted and still feeling humanity. These last five years without Logan had been hard for Luke. He needed his little brother to keep him in line. Landon had been doing well, but he didn’t know and understand Luke the way Logan did. Before Luke could take the position from their father, he needed to know that he would have his younger brother with him throughout his total reign.

Luke sighed. “Fine,” was all he said as he got up and went to the door. He had his hand on the door handle and made one last attempt. “Please, brother. I can’t do this without you.” And he walked out the door.

Landon walked over and rested his hand on his middle brother’s shoulder. “I know this job isn’t easy. But you have a way of making the transition for people easier. Just think about what we said.”

Logan nodded as he stared out the window until he heard his front door shut. Logan closed his eyes as he breathed in relief, alone to enjoy his isolation.

***

Esha knocked on the door and waited for permission.

“You may enter.”

She walked into the large office covered in windows overlooking the glamouring city. “You called for me, ma’am?”

The chair spun around, and a woman sat with her legs crossed in the seat. “Esha, please have a seat.” she motioned for Esha to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “I wanted to see you and check in on how things were going with the group from Stonecrest?”

Esha sat up straighter and adjusted her position in her seat. “Things are going good. I have one of the couples who are wolves that are just loving Silver City,” she explained.

“What about the others?” the woman questioned.

Esha squirmed momentarily before answering, “The oldest witch Madeline, has warned them about trusting the city. But I’m still working on the younger couples and ensuring they stay in Silver City.”

“Excellent. Don’t worry about Madeline; I’ll ensure she doesn’t get in the way.”

“What about the reason that they are here? They are asking for help from the council,” Esha reminded her.

The woman laughed. “There is no way that Merga is returning.”

“What about the Vampire King? He seems to think differently.”

The woman slapped the desk as she stood up from her chair. “I don’t care what the Vampire King thinks. My only goal is to keep our city shining brightly; to do that, we need to feed on the power of others. Now, convince those wolves and witches to stay, or I’ll take back the gift I bestowed upon you and return you to your original form.”

Esha shook her head with fright as her heart raced. “Yes, I’ll make sure they never want to leave Silver City,” she promised.

“See that you do,” The woman told her as she sat back in her chair and spun around to look at her glimmering view.

Esha took that as her cue to leave; she got up from her chair and quickly went to the exit. Once outside the office, Esha released a breath she didn’t realize she'd been holding.

Esha knew she needed to up her game to persuade those couples to stay in Silver City permanently.