Grim Girl: A Grim Reaper novel (Reaper Files Book 1)

by Nicky Graves

  23

  I placed my hand on the pod like I had seen Lawson and Boomer do. The side of the pod gave way and I was able to walk through the wall. And, thankfully, it looked like Lawson’s living room.

  “Lawson?” I asked hopefully.

  Ranger walked out of the bedroom and waved me over.

  “Is he okay?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” Ranger said.

  I peeked into the room to find several men gathered around Lawson, who was lying unconscious on the bed. His skin was ghostly white as if all his blood had drained from him. Given that his heart had been ripped out and there was a gaping hole, I supposed maybe he was short a few gallons.

  “Who are they?” I whispered.

  “Reapers. Thankfully, there are a few doctors in your ranks. However, some have really old techniques. There have been a few arguments already.”

  “What are they doing?”

  “They reattached the heart to begin the healing process, but I’ve never seen a reaper in this bad of shape.”

  “He’ll recover, right? Azrael didn’t use his scythe.”

  “Lawson won’t die, but he might not fully recover either. It might have been better if Azrael had used his scythe. Lawson is going to be in a lot of pain.”

  I looked at Lawson’s still form. “What’s the worst-case scenario?”

  “He could be in a comatose state forever.”

  “Forever?”

  “Reapers can get hurt. They can break bones, and they can lose limbs. Their healing power can heal them quickly, but they aren’t indestructible. Bad things can still happen.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. The others will see to him.”

  “Well, while they are tending to Lawson, I have a bone to pick with the Supreme Elder,” I said, pulling Ranger to the side. “Did you know there’s an old man parasite in my body?”

  He raised a brow.

  “He saved my ass from Azrael and then revealed himself. His name is Treble, and he has no intention of helping me now or in the future. Just wants to be dormant. And he’s very cranky. I never agreed to this.”

  “You’re serious?”

  I nodded. “And that’s not the worst part. Treble said Azrael cursed me and I’m going to die on my birthday. My eighteenth birthday!”

  “But you’ll then turn into a reaper.”

  “Treble wasn’t so sure.”

  “How were you able to talk to him?”

  “I threatened to stab myself. He came out.”

  “I want to talk to him. But not here.” He scooted me out to the living room.

  “I really don’t want to plunge a knife at myself again,” I said. “He might let me stab myself this time. I’m telling you, he’s not very nice.”

  In the space of a nanosecond, Ranger shifted behind me and wrapped his muscular arm around my neck, squeezing off the airflow. I pulled at his arm to release me, but he was too strong. Frantically, I scratched at him and kicked. And just as I was about to black out, my vision turned blue. A pulse pounded through me, and Ranger was thrown back.

  Fury spiraled like a tornado inside me. Yes, I was angry at Ranger for nearly killing me, but I could feel Treble inside, stirring that anger. I lashed out at Ranger, punching him with strength I didn’t possess . . . but Treble did possess that strength. And each time Treble activated, I somehow grew stronger. Or maybe I was able to use Treble’s power better.

  Ranger defended himself, but the intensity of my attack propelled him back. Blue electric sparks sprang to my hands. My next strike against Ranger tossed him against the wall.

  The sparks ignited again, creating an arc. If Ranger tried to break through, he would electrocute himself. I was both amazed and horrified.

  Ranger held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

  “Treble, stop,” I ordered as the arc grew. “Stop it!”

  Treble didn’t obey me. Ranger must have sensed I didn’t have control. He shifted right before the arc consumed the room, burning a lasso around the room and lopping off a lampshade.

  When Ranger didn’t reappear, Treble ceased. The energy drained away, leaving me with a headache.

  “Treble, we need to talk,” I said. “If I say stop, I mean it.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “Treble, are you listening?”

  Again, nothing.

  Stubborn. “If we have to remain bonded, we need to communicate.”

  You’ll die soon, I heard him say.

  “You don’t have to be mean about it,” I muttered. “I’m serious. You have to listen to me. This is my body and my life no matter how short it might be.”

  A puff of blue smoke poured from me, and he appeared. “I don’t take orders from a child, especially a mortal one.”

  “I’m not asking for much. Just don’t kill people.”

  “He’s a nasty demon.”

  “He’s half demon, and it doesn’t matter. He was trying to help.” In a murdering sort of way.

  “Stupid girl. He’s a demon. They’d rather kill you than help you.”

  “Ranger is trying to help. And even if he wasn’t, I don’t want to kill him. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “Your heart betrays you. There is one you want to kill and one you want to love.” He narrowed his eyes and said, “You may forget both. I will not tolerate female emotions, and I cannot kill Azrael. I do not have the power to do so.”

  “Can anyone kill him?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “It matters not, mortal girl.”

  Ranger reappeared at the opposite side of the living room.

  Treble snarled at him. “Filthy demon.”

  Ranger stared at the old man. “What are you?”

  Treble tsked and disappeared in a blue puff that blinded me until it cleared.

  “I told you he was cranky,” I said. “I can’t control him. And he’s very happy I’m going to die soon.”

  “When’s your birthday?”

  “This Saturday.”

  “That soon?”

  I nodded. “Happy birthday to me,” I muttered.

  Ranger didn’t say anything at first. He really didn’t need to. I saw it in his eyes. I was doomed.

  “We’ll figure something out,” he finally said.

  “Is there someone who can break Azrael’s curse?”

  “None that I know. But I don’t know everyone. I’ll find out.”

  It didn’t sound very promising. But I had a few more days.

  I never thought I’d dread my eighteenth birthday, but it looked like anything was possible when Azrael was involved.

  A dark corner of my mind wondered how I would die.

  “What are you thinking?” Ranger asked.

  “Who will transition my soul,” I answered. “Can you make sure it’s not Boomer? He might forget me somewhere.”

  He looked pityingly at me and then said, “Time to go.”

  He dropped me back off in my room, patted my head as if I was a child, and then disappeared.

  I sat on the bed and stared out the window. “This sucks.”

  You can say that again.

  “Shut up.”

  It was Friday, and I had no intention of wasting my last hours alive by sitting in school. Instead, I walked to Zero’s.

  “Treble, I’ll buy you whatever tea you want,” I said. “But you have to take me to Lawson after. I want to check in on him.” After not hearing from Boomer and Ranger, I wanted to at least see if Lawson was still alive.

  Treble didn’t respond.

  “Please. You’ll have your freedom soon enough.”

  Earl Grey.

  I smiled and ordered Earl Grey in a to-go cup. Before I drank it, I said, “Take me to Lawson.”

  Drink the tea.

  “Not until you take me to Lawson.”

  I knew I wouldn’t like the tea and Treble would be disgruntled when it wasn’t what he was hop
ing for. This way I would at least get what I wanted.

  Within a second, I shifted to outside Lawson’s pod.

  “Thank you,” I said, placing my hand on the pod.

  I walked through and found the living room was dark. There were no lights coming from the bedroom either.

  I wondered if I should leave, but I was running out of time and I wanted to see Lawson one last time. I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like we were that close. Still, I felt bad because he had gotten hurt while trying to protect me. Well, protecting the stone.

  I couldn’t find any light switches, so I attempted to walk the way I thought was to the bedroom. I bumped into many objects.

  Treble grumbled, and a moment later, a blue ball of light drifted from me and hung in the air, leading me to the bedroom.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Drink the tea.

  Lawson’s door was closed. I softly knocked. When I didn’t hear anything, I quietly opened the door and peeked inside. I could make out his outline lying on the bed. The ball of light floated over him and cast him in an unflattering blue hue. The sight of him made me uneasy. It was as if the strength had been drained from him and all that was left was a ghostly shell.

  “Lawson?” I whispered.

  His eyelids fluttered slightly but then stilled.

  Drink the tea.

  I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Lawson. “Is there anything you can do for him?”

  No.

  I took a sip of the tea, hating it as soon as the liquid touched my tongue.

  Nasty brew!

  “Want more?” I asked, lifting the cup to my lips.

  No.

  I shrugged and set the tea down on the nightstand.

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  Don’t care.

  “You can at least try to be nice.”

  Treble didn’t respond.

  Since Lawson didn’t look as though he was going to wake up anytime soon, I decided to spend the day in the dead zone. At least I’d have more hours to waste here than on Earth.

  While I didn’t want to spend my ditch day in the library, I did want to know more about Treble.

  I exited Lawson’s pod and scanned the area, trying to get a better feel of where I was. Everything looked so similar. The pods were all the same size and color. The landscape was barren. The only things that were different were the realm doors.

  I began walking, not knowing how to get to the library.

  I probably shouldn’t have wandered the zone on my own, but I was a dead girl anyway. And I was tired of being told what to do. I was finally going to turn eighteen, and the only present I’d get was death. So, I continued to wander, knowing I might have to call on Treble to help . . . if he felt up to it.

  It was odd being in the dead zone. There were pods everywhere, making it look like a stubby city, and yet, where was everyone?

  I passed a realm door made of bones. That was one realm I had no intention of going to. There was an orange wooden door that had a knocking sound coming from it. I wasn’t going to answer it.

  After a few minutes of wandering, I decided to text Boomer. Maybe he would help me. But he replied that he was too busy. So, I continued my walk. It was about fifteen minutes later when I passed a pod a mere second before a person flew out of it, landing on the stone pathway with a thud.

  The man swore as he stood up. Dusting himself off, he realized he was not alone. He looked at me and snarled, fangs clearly visible. He was a vampire. Great.

  24

  I backed away as the vampire drew closer. I did not have the time or energy to waste with a vampire.

  “Don’t do it, bro,” someone said. “Her blood has a wicked aftertaste.”

  I looked over to find Vance standing just outside of the pod, not too concerned that his “bro” was about to try to take a bite out of me.

  The man looked at Vance, his fangs retreating. “You know her?”

  “Yeah. She’s not worth the trouble.” Vance turned and headed down the path.

  I probably should have been thankful Vance wasn’t interested in sucking me dry. And I probably should have let him walk away. But Vance and his vampire friend were the only people I had seen.

  “Vance,” I called, hurrying to catch up to him. He didn’t stop. “Vance, hang on.”

  “Why? So you can sic Lawson on me? He’s been on my tail since I bit you.”

  “Then don’t bite me and you’ll be fine. I’m trying to find the library.”

  This time, he did stop, and I nearly face-planted into his back.

  “Is this a joke?”

  “No. There aren’t any signs in this stupid place. It’s impossible to find anything.”

  “Then go back home. You don’t belong here anyway.”

  “I’m here, and I’m not leaving anytime soon.”

  “What are you, anyway? Obviously part human,” he said, eyeing me. I felt his hard gaze assess me. “What else?”

  “Nothing. Just human.”

  “Humans don’t turn blue and use energy forces.”

  “And I will use that energy force to make you take me to the library.” I hoped he didn’t call my bluff.

  “You’re asking a vampire for help?” He laughed.

  “It’s not like you’ll try to bite me again,” I said. “Right?”

  “I only like blood in the red variety.”

  “Great,” I said. “So, you’ll help?”

  “I only help my own.” He then gave a shrug. “Sometimes.”

  He began to walk away, and I followed. It wasn’t that I wanted to follow the vampire who had tried to kill me, it was because I was lost.

  “Go away,” he said, not even bothering to look at me as I trailed behind him.

  “Show me where the library is and I will.”

  He whipped around to face me. “I don’t take orders from food.”

  “We already established I’m no longer food,” I said, my voice sounding much braver than I felt.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  He grabbed me, but before he could sink his teeth in, Treble blasted my fist into Vance’s jaw. Vance barely moved. In fact, he smiled.

  “That’s all you got?” Vance asked, his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me closer. He fisted his hand into my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my neck. “I smell it on you. Power. Energy. Blood.”

  “Treble, now is a good time to do your thing,” I said, trying to pull away from Vance’s grasp only to have him tighten his grip. Just as Vance’s lips touched my neck, my vision turned blue.

  Vance was thrown from me. He fell to the ground in a rolling heap.

  “What the hell is wrong with you!” I demanded. “Why would you try to bite me again?”

  With a curse, he stood and glared at me. But then his face cleared, his teeth retreating. He stared at me questioningly. “Did you say Treble? As in Treble the Blue?”

  “You know him?”

  “No,” Vance stood. “I know of him and his brothers. I thought it was just a myth.”

  “Brothers? Treble never told me he had brothers.”

  I could feel Treble’s fury still coursing through me.

  “Maybe you could tell me the story once Treble calms down,” I said.

  “You don’t have control of him?”

  “He controls me. Which is part of the reason I want to go to the library. There’s so much I don’t understand, and I only have limited time.”

  “What happens then?”

  “I die. And maybe not to become a reaper. Maybe I just die.”

  “Be grateful.”

  “Grateful for death?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s hard to be grateful when I’ve only lived seventeen years.”

  “Immortality is a curse.”

  “So I’ve been told. But I’d like to at least make it through my eighteenth birthday.”

  “And then what?”

  I shrugged. “Does it matter?�
��

  “Mortals love making plans and goals.”

  “I’m an underachiever.”

  He raised a brow. “Most people don’t brag about that.”

  “I’m not bragging. It’s a statement of fact. My goal is to survive.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather learn how to control Treble?”

  “I’d like to. I’m hoping the library might help. I’d like to understand all of this.”

  “Sounds like you’re not as much of an underachiever as you say.”

  “I guess underachieving stops when you’re trying to survive.”

  “I’ll take you to the library, but you have to do a favor for me.”

  “Will it take long?” I asked. “I’m a bit short on time.”

  “No. Just tell Lawson to stop sending his cloaks after me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “He was hurt in a fight against Azrael.”

  “How hurt?”

  “Heart-ripped-out kind of hurt.”

  “Really?” he asked, seeming a little too happy about Lawson’s pain.

  “Yes. But I’ll leave him a note.”

  “A note? Can’t you just tell him?”

  “He’s still unconscious.”

  Vance grinned and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Let’s go to the library. I’m finding myself in a charitable mood.”

  I tried to step away from Vance, but he was too strong. Treble didn’t seem to mind that I was locked against a vampire as long as he wasn’t biting me. So, I followed Vance’s lead.

  “When did you become a vampire?” I asked.

  “Why?”

  “Just wondering. This is all new to me. Lawson is around five hundred years old. Boomer has been a reaper for seventy-five years, which makes him about a hundred years old. Ranger said he was born five thousand years old.”

  “More like he was spawned.”

  “Do vampires spawn?”

  He grinned wickedly, making his eyes glitter red. “Would you care to find out?”

  I pushed him away. No matter how gorgeous he was, he was still a vampire that seemed to like to snack on my blood. “No. I meant vampires in general.”