Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

  I didn’t want to laugh. She seemed so downtrodden and grim it felt wrong to mess with her. She was funny, though. There was something about her that I liked, but I couldn’t say why. She seemed spunky ... and close to the edge at the same time. It was an interesting dichotomy. “When are you due?” I offered a smile as I knelt. “Not soon enough to make you happy, I’m sure.”

  “Four days,” Aisling replied, her fingers roaming her belly. “But my father thinks I’ll go past my due date. Apparently my mother did with all of us.”

  “Is she around to help you?”

  Aisling shook her head. “She died.”

  “I’m sorry.” I meant it. “Being surrounded by men, you could probably use her about now.”

  “They’re not so bad.” Aisling turned an affectionate eye to the men watching the footage on the computer. “They’re just overprotective.”

  “That’s not always a bad thing.”

  “No,” Aisling agreed. “But I don’t like being treated like a baby.” She made a face as she shifted again. “Especially when the baby kicks so much I’m sure he or she is going to be a karate champ.”

  I smirked. “Well ... .” Instinctively I reached out a hand but stopped short of touching her. “May I?”

  Aisling nodded, unwary. “Everyone touches my stomach. Most people don’t ask.”

  I rested my fingertips on her huge abdomen, a foot instantaneously making contact with my right palm. “Wow! Someone is feisty in there, huh?”

  Aisling wearily nodded. “I think it’s a girl.”

  “You didn’t want to find out?”

  “I did, but my husband didn’t.”

  My eyes went unbidden to her naked ring finger. “Is he a reaper, too?”

  “No. He’s a cop. When my fingers got too swollen, he locked my ring in the family safe. We haven’t been married very long so I put up a fight, but he was insistent.”

  “You’ll be able to wear it again soon.” I moved my hands and frowned. “Yellow.”

  “Yellow what?”

  “Aura. The baby’s aura is yellow.” I realized after the fact that I’d spoken out loud. I risked a glance at Aisling and found her watching me with overt interest rather than laughing. Most people, especially in the reaper world, didn’t spend much time worrying about auras. “I mean ... um ... .”

  “You can read auras,” Aisling mused, knitting her eyebrows. “Is that something you had to train to do or were you born with the ability?”

  “I was born with it. I didn’t realize I saw the world in a different way until I was about seven or so. Then my parents warned me to keep it to myself. I should’ve remembered that and not blurted out what I said.”

  Aisling shrugged. “What color is my aura?”

  “Magenta.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Basically that you’re a nonconformist and you make your own rules.”

  Aisling’s lips curved. “That’s true. What about my father and brothers?”

  I ran through the list for her because she seemed to be enjoying herself. When I finished, she couldn’t stop laughing.

  “That fits all of them,” she agreed. “I kind of want to bring my best friend Jerry to you. I’m dying to know what color he is.”

  “I’m sure we can make it happen.”

  “Good. Although ... .” Aisling trailed off, causing my eyes to narrow.

  “What?” I prodded.

  “You didn’t mention Braden.”

  “Oh. I guess I didn’t. He’s orange.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “That he’s a thrill-seeker and doesn’t believe in limitations.”

  For a split second I thought I saw a hint of worry flit through Aisling’s eyes before she shuttered her emotions and forced a smile. “What color aura does a pain in the ass have?”

  “That’s not an aura color. Everyone has that ability.”

  “Yes, well, Braden has it in spades.” Aisling’s lips curved down. “He’s not just orange. You said Aidan was blue because he lives from his heart. Braden is blue, too.”

  That seemed to be an important distinction to her, so I merely nodded. “Okay.”

  “It’s possible to be two colors, right?” Aisling turned earnest. “He’s not just a daredevil, is he?”

  “I’m sure he’s not.” I didn’t understand her need to clarify things. “He’s probably mostly orange right now because of the adrenaline coursing through him. The wraith took us all by surprise.”

  “Yeah. I’m a little worried,” Aisling admitted. “The wraiths have been out of control since ... a few months ago.”

  Whatever she was going to say, she changed course halfway through. I didn’t press her on it. “We’ll figure it out. Perhaps there’s a way we can cross to the other side and figure out what the wraith did while it was there.”

  “We can’t do that,” Cormack argued, shaking his head as he focused on us. His gaze was thoughtful as it bounced between faces. “Anyone who crosses the threshold will die.”

  “How do you know that?” Aisling challenged. “I didn’t even know the gate looked like this or that you could cross over. How can you be sure that someone will die if they try?”

  “People have tried before,” Cormack replied grimly.

  “I’ve never heard about that,” Cillian said. “When did that happen?”

  “A long time ago.” Cormack shook his head. “Crossing over is not an option. I’m not even sure how the wraith managed it. We have to find out. That’s our first order of business.”

  “And how do we do that?” I asked. “Where do we find those particular answers?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have an idea.” Cormack rolled his neck until he was looking at Braden. “You know who I have in mind, right?”

  Braden looked resigned. “Yeah. I’m not sure it’s a good idea, but I know who you’re talking about.”

  “Good, because I want you to head over and see if you can get some answers.”

  “What are you going to do?” Braden asked.

  “I’m taking your sister home if we can get her out of that chair and then I’m sitting down to conduct some research with Cillian,” he replied. “Redmond and Aidan need to finish the soul rounds. We don’t have a long list today, but we can’t fall behind. That leaves you to handle the heavy lifting on this one.”

  “Okay.”

  I was determined to be a team player, but the fact that I was being cut out of everything annoyed me to the very tips of my toes. “I think I should be involved in this, too,” I interjected.

  Cormack slid me a sidelong look. “I thought that because you were just starting you would need some time to adjust to all of this.”

  I refused to break eye contact. “You thought wrong.”

  “All right.” Cormack didn’t act as if he was annoyed by my insistent nature. “You may go with Braden.”

  I was unsure what that entailed, but I had no intention of backing down. “Great. I can’t wait.”

  “You say that now, but you’ll change your mind after spending twenty minutes with my brother,” Aisling offered. “I’ve found that if you want him to shut up it’s best to hit him over the head with a shoe or something. Or, maybe stop at the mall so you can buy a gag. That couldn’t possibly hurt.”

  Braden burned holes in his sister with his glare, and Cormack merely rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled at her. “Bring your friend Jerry by when you’re ready. I would love to meet him.”

  “Those are famous last words,” Braden muttered.

  “I heard that!” Aisling’s annoyance was on full display. “I’m going to tell Jerry what you said and you’ll be sorry when I do.”

  Braden made a derisive snort. “Bring it on.”

  Five

  “Where are we going?”

  Braden opted to drive. I didn’t have a vehicle, so that was convenient. The fact that he drove a BMW X5 caused me to raise an eyebrow, but I d
idn’t comment on the expensive vehicle. I had no idea reapers were paid so much.

  “There’s a woman we know,” Braden replied, his gaze focused on traffic. “Pick a lane, lady!”

  I pursed my lips as he flipped the finger at a woman who had to be in her sixties and zoomed around her. “She’s pretty knowledgeable and she’s helped in the past.”

  The way he phrased the statement caused me to wonder if he was hiding something. “What aren’t you saying?”

  “What makes you think I’m hiding something?”

  “I didn’t say you were hiding anything,” I clarified. “I simply believe you’re leaving something out of the telling. There’s a difference.”

  “Right.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened to the point his knuckles whitened. “She’s an old family friend, but she’s secretive.”

  That wasn’t much of an explanation. “And?”

  “And I’ll let you form your own opinion when you meet her,” Braden replied. “I don’t want to gossip about her.”

  Obviously something else was going on beside an aversion to gossip, but I decided to let it pass. “Your family is interesting.”

  Braden’s handsome face brightened at mention of the Grimlock brood. “Yes, we should have our own reality show. Of course, Aisling would be the star, but she might allow all of us a few minutes of screen time each week.”

  He didn’t sound bitter, more amused than anything else. “Are you excited to be an uncle?”

  “I am. That will be the most spoiled kid in the universe. I’m sure there will be competitions to see who her favorite uncle is. Jerry thinks he has the post locked up, but the rest of us aren’t going to make it that easy for him.”

  “I thought Jerry was your sister’s best friend.”

  “And Aidan’s fiancé. They’re getting married in a few months.”

  “Oh.” I found the tidbit fascinating. “So ... your sister’s best friend is your brother’s future husband. How did that happen?”

  “Jerry says it was fate.”

  “What do you say?”

  Braden shrugged, his lips curving. “I think Jerry has always been a member of our family, so it really doesn’t matter. When he and Aidan got together, it was a surprise to everyone. Aisling melted down a bit because she felt she was being displaced, but she got over it. Now we’re all one big happy family.”

  “With a new member on the way.”

  “Yes.” Braden bobbed his head as he hit his turn signal and pulled off the highway. The exit sign said we were heading toward Royal Oak. I recognized the name, and it triggered a sense of unease. “I saw you talking to my sister. What did she say? I hope you tried to dissuade her from following us until she pops out that kid.”

  I tamped down the brewing agitation and focused on him. “She doesn’t want to be left out of the action. She’s afraid a new baby will dislodge her from her place in the family. She’ll get over it.”

  Braden made a face. “Did she tell you that?”

  I kept my gaze out the window and didn’t answer.

  “She didn’t tell you that,” Braden scoffed after a beat. “She doesn’t even know you. There’s no way she would’ve told you that.”

  “She didn’t have to tell me. It’s written all over her face. Why do you think she insisted on following your father and brothers even though her feet are so swollen she’s in actual pain?”

  “I don’t know.” Braden’s gaze turned thoughtful. “I thought she was exaggerating about her feet.”

  “Have you looked at them?”

  “Yeah. They look like canoes without the openings.”

  “Well, she’s in pain.” More than that, I silently added, she’s terrified. She didn’t want her brothers to know that, so I kept it to myself. “You should be nice to her. She’s about to change all your lives.”

  “What makes you think I’m not nice to her?”

  “I get the feeling that all of you enjoy a rousing game of ‘annoy your siblings’ whenever the mood strikes. You might want to give her a pass for a little bit. She’s growing a human being, after all.”

  “I take it you’re sticking up for her because you’re a woman. I’ve noticed Maya doing that, too.”

  “And who is Maya?”

  “Cillian’s girlfriend. They moved in together a few months ago, but she’s been hanging around Grimlock Manor because she wants to make sure Aisling is being taken care of. She doesn’t think a house full of men is what Aisling needs, even though my sister has turned every man in the house into an errand boy.”

  The words could’ve come across as bitter, yet Braden was relaxed. “Are you an errand boy, too?”

  “Yup. As you said, she’s about to create a human being out of thin air. My father is going to be a grandfather and he’s so giddy he’s practically floating. We’re all doing our best to take care of her. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  We made the rest of the trip in relative silence, my gaze focused out the window and Braden’s attention on the heavy traffic. When he finally parked, I was surprised to find we were in the middle of a retail area and the building he pointed me toward looked to be something out of a movie.

  “What is this place?” I pulled up short and tilted my head back to read the sign.

  “Tea & Tarot. It’s a magic store, with a little voodoo thrown in for good measure. The woman who runs it knows a little bit about everything. I’m hoping she can help us.”

  I licked my lips, my mouth running dry. “The woman who runs it. What is her name?”

  Braden ignored the question and gestured for me to follow. “You’ll meet her in a second. Don’t worry. She’s perfectly harmless ... at least a good seventy-five percent of the time.”

  “Wait.”

  He didn’t wait. He was already at the front door. I had a choice; I could follow or turn on my heel and run away. I was certain I could find a cab. I wasn’t ready to face what was inside, but there was no way Braden could recognize that.

  “What are you doing?” All traces of patience disappearing, Braden fixed me with a pointed look. “You wanted to be part of the team. This is what our part of the team is doing. Stop screwing around. We don’t have all day.”

  My temper lashed out fast enough that Braden was knocked back on his heels thanks to the magic I kept pent up inside. Thankfully, he didn’t recognize the source of the shift. Instead, he merely shook his head as he regained his footing.

  “Windy, huh?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That was weird.”

  I covered quickly. “It’s still winter in Michigan.” I gripped my coat tighter around my torso. “Of course it’s windy.”

  “Well, come on.” Braden held open the door so I could skirt inside ahead of him. “Let’s get this over with.”

  THE STORE WAS different from my memories of it. Of course, my memories of the space were from a much smaller vantage point. I remembered it being bigger … and darker. The woman standing behind the counter was a different story. She looked exactly the same ... and it made my stomach flip.

  “Thank you and come again.” She smiled at the customer shuffling away from the counter and waited until he disappeared through the front door before turning her full attention to Braden and me. The look on her face momentarily reflected shock, and then her features eased. “Well, I didn’t expect this.”

  “Hello, Madame Maxine.” Braden was grim as he shoved his hands into his pockets and regarded the woman slowly making her way in our direction. “Long time no see.”

  “Yes, it’s been months, Braden.” She never moved her eyes from my face. “I see you have a friend.”

  “Oh, right.” He recovered his manners quickly. “This is Izzy Sage. Izzy, this is Madame Maxine. She’s a bit of a legend around these parts.”

  “A legend?” I swallowed hard. “I always knew you thought of yourself as a legend, but I had no idea you’d managed to convince others of it.”

  “Ye
s, well, I’m the queen Bruja around these parts, so it had to happen.” Maxine stopped in front of me and extended her hand to brush against my aura, a test of sorts. “You look like your mother.”

  “And you look exactly as I remember you, Aunt Max. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “It’s been two years. I’ve changed a little.” To my utter surprise, she pulled me in for a tight hug. “I’m glad to see you. I thought it would be a few days before we had a chance to sit down.”

  “That was the plan.” I awkwardly patted her back. We weren’t strangers, but it had been so long since I’d seen her that it felt that way. “But something came up.”

  Maxine’s eyes were glassy when she pulled back. “I figured that out when you brought this ruffian to darken my doorstep. The Grimlocks only show up when something bad is about to happen.”

  “It’s great to see you, too, Madame Maxine,” Braden gritted out, his eyes shifting to me. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  His tone was so accusatory it set my teeth on edge. “Maxine is my aunt. I believe that catches you up.”

  Not placated in the least, he made an exaggerated face. “Oh, really? I’m shocked.”

  “Leave her alone, Braden.” Maxine cuffed the back of his head before pointing toward the table in the corner of the room. “I think we should sit down and have a conversation.”

  “That sounds just great,” Braden drawled, scuffing the bottoms of his shoes against the ceramic tile as he marched toward the table. “I can’t wait to hear this story.”

  I exchanged a look with my aunt behind his back, baffled. Maxine merely shook her head and made a dismissive motion with her hand.

  “Don’t worry about him,” she said, her voice low. “He has a lot of unresolved feelings he’s working through. His anger isn’t directed at you. It’s me he hates.”

  “But ... why?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Maybe I should hear it all the same.”

  “Not now.” The sadness that washed over my aunt’s features was enough to have me snapping my mouth shut. “We can catch up on our personal stuff later. I’m guessing you’re here for a different purpose.”