“How did she die?” It was an invasive question, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“It was a fire. She was collecting a soul. It’s a really long and convoluted story.”
“And you don’t want to talk about it,” I noted.
“Not really. It’s hard to talk about. It’s ... things happened after the fact that make all of us uncomfortable. We don’t talk about it much. My father is a big proponent of looking forward rather than back, so that’s what we’re doing.”
“With your sister’s baby?”
“Aisling likes to think that she’s the center of our world — and my father has done nothing to dissuade her from that thought — but our family is more than just Aisling. Cillian recently moved in with Maya, and they’re looking toward the future. I guarantee they’ll get engaged soon.
“Aidan and Jerry should have been married months ago, but Jerry is insisting on the biggest and best wedding in the world,” he continued, his lips curving. “They’ve already started filling out paperwork in anticipation of adopting a child. Aisling, of course, wants to pick the kid, but they’ve shut that down.”
“And you?”
“I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I want,” Braden admitted, cocking his head to the side. I watched him, curious. It was almost as if he’d heard something. I had supersensitive hearing, but I was convinced I hadn’t heard a thing.
“Is something wrong?”
Braden lifted a finger to his lips before quietly sliding into the room at his back. Inadvertently, my heart started beating at an accelerated pace and I found my palms sweaty. I rubbed them over my jeans, determined to make sure I could safely grip the dagger Braden had supplied me with earlier.
I watched the strong lines of Braden’s body as he carefully searched the room, squinting into the darkness as I tried to make out his movements. I was so intent on him, my hand sliding inside my coat to retrieve the dagger, that I didn’t hear the sound of rustling fabric until it was directly behind me.
I turned quickly, my senses kicking into overdrive, and gaped at the wraith sliding from what looked to be a closet into the hallway. “Son of a troll!” The words escaped before I realized how ridiculous they sounded. It was impossible to yank them back, so I opted to ignore them.
“Izzy!” I couldn’t see Braden, but I heard him scrambling in the next room. He wasn’t my focus. He couldn’t be. The creature reaching out an ethereal hand was my worry.
“Kanpe.” I fell back on my grandfather’s creole without thinking. The simple word wasn’t enough to stop the creature, though.
The wraith ignored Braden’s impending arrival and focused on me, its fingers wrapping around my neck as I struggled to grip the dagger. I’d read about wraith attacks plenty of times. I’d even seen company-approved videos. This was something else entirely.
I wasn’t the type to panic, yet I felt as if my ears weren’t working correctly and my heart was about to burst.
“Izzy!” Braden was still behind me, and because his barriers were down I felt the terror washing over him. He was convinced I would die, right here and now, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Kanpe,” I rasped out, finally managing to free the dagger.
The wraith ignored my order. I knew I had no choice but to act. I gripped the handle of the dagger and slammed the sharp end against the wraith’s chest. The creature barely shifted, which told me I hadn’t hit my intended target.
I drew it back again and called on the magic inside. I needed help, and the magic was all I had. This time when I lashed out something ripped free from inside and propelled the dagger into the creature’s chest with enough force that I swear I felt the blade breaking bone.
The wraith released my neck almost immediately, causing me to reel back. I dropped to my knees despite my best efforts to remain on my feet.
Braden moved in beside me, catching me before I hit the ground. Something fluttered against my face. At first, I thought it was tears ... or maybe the fabric from the wraith’s cloak. Then I realized it was ash.
“What’s this?” I was dazed as I caught some of the ash on my fingertips. I didn’t understand what was happening. “I ... don’t feel so well.”
“Oh, do you think?” Braden’s face was animated as he struggled to lift me. “That’s because you just went toe to toe with a wraith and it put its hands on you. Never let a wraith put its hands on you!”
“Good to know.” I felt detached, as if I was living someone else’s life. “I think I’m going to fall asleep soon. Could you wake me before school? I can’t be late for school.”
Braden’s expression twisted into puzzlement. “I ... you’re going to be okay. Do you hear me? You’re going to be okay.”
“I hear you. I will be okay.” Somehow I knew that, which was why I didn’t fight the inclination to let go. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wait. Don’t pass out!”
It was too late. The last thing I heard was a muttered curse, and then I was floating in the darkness. It wasn’t such a bad place to be.
Seven
The next thirty minutes flew by in a blur. Braden managed to get me out of the warehouse — I was fairly certain he carried me, but I was too much of a feminist to admit that I readily allowed it — and into his BMW. I recognized we were on a freeway, although I had no idea where we were going. My mind was a jumble of images, my body cold. In fact, the chill pervading me was so intense Braden cranked up the heat and directed as many dashboard vents as he could in my direction.
Still I shivered. He was sweating by the time we pulled inside a gated enclosure and parked in front of what was either the biggest house I’d ever seen or a train station.
“Are we leaving town?” I felt stupid. My head refused to work the way the goddess intended. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Just inside.” He grunted as he helped me from the BMW, using his strength to keep me upright as he pinned me to his side and used his free hand to open the door.
The first thing I saw was a gleaming marble floor in what appeared to be a foyer of some sort, gorgeous mahogany staircases leading upward on either side. Even though I was detached, somehow separate from my body, I couldn’t stop myself from goggling.
“Is this a castle?”
Braden chuckled as he dragged me to the right. “My sister and Jerry used to pretend it was.”
“It feels like a castle.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll give you the grand tour if you snap out of this. I’m not big on bribes, but I feel confident offering that one.”
“I’ll consider it. Oomph.” I tripped over my feet and pitched forward. Braden had a firm hold on me. He gripped my waist and kept me from careening into the wall. “I do my own stunts. Can you tell?”
He barked out a laugh. “At least your spirits are up.” He stopped in front of an ornate door and pushed it open without knocking, dragging me inside as several dark heads snapped to attention. I recognized all three of them — although I was too confused to remember names — and continued to shiver as Braden lowered me to a couch.
“Stoke up the fire, Cillian,” Braden ordered as he dragged a blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over me.
Cillian. The name was familiar. For some reason, when Braden said his name all I could picture was books.
“What happened to her?” A woman, one who looked as if she’d swallowed a beach ball, grunted as she knelt next to me. “Her skin is cold.”
“Wraith,” Braden explained, tucking the blanket in at my sides. “We went to that warehouse we cleaned out a few weeks ago because I thought one or two of the ones that escaped might have returned.”
“You shouldn’t have gone alone,” the older man chided, his eyes filling with annoyance. “You could’ve been hurt.”
“I’m fine,” I offered lamely. “I do my own stunts.”
I thought I sounded fine, but the face the woman made said otherwise.
“He
r teeth are chattering,” she said. “She needs to be warmed up.”
“What do you think I’m doing, Aisling?”
Aisling. That’s right. I remembered the name. It was unique ... like her.
“You’re not doing it fast enough,” Aisling admonished. “The quickest way to shake wraith shivers is body heat.”
“I can’t believe you gave it a name,” Cillian snickered, shaking his head. “That’s so you.”
“Well, out of everyone here, who has been attacked by wraiths the most?”
“Kid, I’m not a fan of you bringing that up,” the older man said as he rested his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “You’re right, though. We need to warm her up. That means body heat or a bath.”
The idea of these people trying to strip me naked so they could shove me in boiling water loosened my tongue. “No bath.” I struggled to a sitting position, determined to prove I was in control of my destiny. “I’m fine.”
The dark-haired foursome ignored me.
“It has to be body heat,” Aisling said pragmatically. “She doesn’t want to be undressed. I don’t blame her. She doesn’t know us. We could be perverts for all she knows.”
“Body heat it is.” The older man — for the life of me I couldn’t remember his name — planted his hands on his hips and gave Braden an expectant look.
“Why me?” Braden whined, essentially slamming his elbow into my ego.
“Because you didn’t take care of her when you should have,” the father replied without hesitation. “If you’d watched her this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Besides, Dad is too old and Cillian has a girlfriend,” Aisling added. “You’re the only single one. It’s your duty to warm her up.”
“Oh, whatever.” Braden made a face as he stripped out of his coat and kicked off his shoes. “I want you to know that I’m doing this under protest.”
“I’ll make a notation in my report,” the older man said dryly. “Now ... do it.”
“Fine.” Braden offered me a sheepish smile as he lifted the blanket and slid in behind me. He dropped the heavy afghan over both of us before pressing his chest against my back and wrapping his arm around my waist. The second he touched me, some of the cold disappeared. “Um ... is this right?”
“You just need to warm her up,” Aisling replied, a hint of mischief flitting through her eyes. “You don’t need to be graded on your prowess or anything. If you need reinforcement, I’m sure she’ll be up for it later.”
“Oh, very funny,” Braden growled. “If you weren’t pregnant, I would totally slap you around.”
“Don’t threaten your sister,” the father ordered, eliciting a smug look from his daughter. “Your only job is to warm that girl up and tell us what happened.”
“I already told you what happened.”
“Well, I want to hear the story again. Start from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.”
I MEANT TO STAY AWAKE. For some reason, I thought it was important. I wanted to hear Braden relate the tale and then launch into what I was sure they would find a brilliant plan once he was done.
Instead, I slept.
There was something about the crackling fire and the warmth of Braden’s body against mine that caused my eyelids to droop. I was out within minutes. I had no idea how long I’d slept, but when I woke it was to gregarious voices.
“There’s the love of my life.”
I cracked an eye but remained still to get my bearings. The first thing I saw was a handsome man — this one boasting brown hair and eyes — strolling across the office and planting a smacking kiss on Aisling’s mouth.
“Oh, you’re the love of my life, too,” Aisling said. “I especially feel that when you rub my feet.” She wiggled her toes for emphasis, causing the man to snicker as he lifted her legs so he could sit next to her and wrap his fingers around her swollen feet.
“Oh, I knew there was a reason I married you.” Aisling threw her head back and let ecstasy take over as she made a series of moans that caused my cheeks to flood with heat.
“Whatever you’re doing to cause her to make those noises, stop it right now.” The father — his name was Cormack, I remembered now — strolled into the room and gave the man with Aisling a pointed look. “Those noises are obscene, Griffin.”
Griffin. It was a nice name. I couldn’t remember if Aisling mentioned it earlier, but it fit the man rubbing her feet without complaint after a long day of work.
“You’re telling me,” Griffin teased his father-in-law, amusement evident. “I have to live with her. She used to make those noises for another reason. Now I’m relegated to foot patrol.”
“That is not amusing.” Cormack extended a warning finger. “You used to fear me. Do you remember? What happened to those days? I miss them.”
“You turned into a big marshmallow and spoiled Aisling to the point of no return,” Griffin replied, not missing a beat. “You’re not exactly terrifying when you’re arranging ice cream bars every week to keep your daughter happy.”
“I could still be terrifying.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Griffin waved off Cormack’s bold words and let his eyes drift to the couch where I rested, forcing me to keep very still. “Who is that?”
“Braden’s new girlfriend,” Aisling answered, wriggling her feet to make sure Griffin remembered she needed attention. “I like her a great deal. In fact, I want to trade her for Braden.”
“How did Braden get a new girlfriend so quickly? Last thing I knew, he was playing the field. That’s what he told me when he scheduled two dates for the same night last week.”
“What a pig,” Aisling complained, shaking her head. I couldn’t help but agree with her assessment. The man in question remained behind me, his heavy breathing causing me to believe he was asleep, so I couldn’t exactly make my opinion known.
“That’s the new gatekeeper,” Cormack supplied. “We had an incident today.”
“Oh, you know I love it when you guys have incidents.” Griffin did something with his hands that made Aisling practically purr as she flexed her toes. “I don’t understand what a gatekeeper is. I’ve never heard that term.”
“She handles the gate between the veils,” Aisling volunteered. “After we’re done collecting the souls, they get transported to her so they can move through the gate.”
“The gate to Heaven?” Griffin looked confused.
“Not Heaven,” Cormack countered. “Think of it more as a waiting room of sorts. The souls have to be sorted before moving on to their final resting places.”
Griffin remained confused. “And that’s what’s on the other side of this gate?”
“Essentially,” Cormack confirmed. “Earlier today a wraith managed to breach security and jumped through the gate. We thought it might be a suicide mission of sorts — I mean ... what else would it be? — so I dispatched Braden. He wasn’t there very long before the wraith reappeared through the same opening, but this time it was altered, and it disappeared before Braden could kill it.”
The look on Griffin’s face told me he was officially dumbfounded. “I don’t think I understand,” he said finally. “How was it altered?”
“It was bigger,” Aisling replied. “They wouldn’t let me see the video because I was stuck in a chair, but my understanding is that it was big and scary.”
“Wait.” Griffin held up a hand to still his wife. “Why were you close to a wraith?”
“I wasn’t close to a wraith.”
“You’re supposed to be done with work.” He turned a set of accusatory eyes to Cormack. “You said you were putting her on maternity leave early because it was the best thing for her. We agreed.”
“I did put her on maternity leave,” Cormack shot back. “She tricked Maya and snuck out. It’s not my fault she refuses to follow orders.”
“You’re her boss,” Griffin grumbled, digging his thumbs into the soles of Aisling’s feet. “You’re supposed to find a way to make her do your bid
ding.”
“Nothing happened to me,” Aisling pointed out as she squirmed. “That feels really good.”
“I should let you suffer for sneaking out of the house.”
“We both know you’re not going to do that,” Aisling countered. “My feet are like sausages ... and they hurt.”
The simple statement was enough to make me snap my eyes open. I wasn’t surprised to find Cormack watching me with unbridled curiosity. He clearly realized I was awake before I finally decided to stop pretending.
“Hello, Izzy.” The smile he offered was genuine. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Yeah, well ... .” I trailed off, dragging a hand through my hair as I struggled to a sitting position. Braden didn’t stir, instead continuing to snore lightly as I faced my embarrassment without backup. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“We didn’t really take care of you.” Cormack gestured toward the chair across from his desk. “We simply kept you safe while your body did the rest.”
I sat in the chair he indicated, offering Aisling a thin-lipped smile as she watched. Her husband merely smiled as he continued rubbing her feet, which were so swollen they looked as if an explosion was imminent.
“Braden told us about what happened at the warehouse,” Cormack supplied. “He shouldn’t have taken you there. I’m sorry you were injured.”
His stilted apology caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. “It wasn’t his fault. Neither of us paid attention to the closet. It looked empty. It was a fluke.”
“You don’t work in the field, though.”
“So?”
“I shouldn’t have allowed you to go with Braden from the start,” Cormack replied. “You haven’t been trained for this sort of excursion. That’s on me.”
By all appearances, he was trying to make me feel better. His words had the opposite effect. “I’m not delicate.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“You’re acting like it.”
Cormack’s eyes momentarily darkened. “I’m trying to take responsibility for my mistake.”
“Well, it’s not necessary.” I was in no mood to play victim. “I knew what I was getting into. I’m not sorry I went. The gate is my responsibility. I should be involved in the investigation surrounding the breach.”
Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller Book 1) Page 7
