The Artifact Reaper Saga Box Set

by Jen L. Grey

  “Hey,” Dad points his finger at me. “Do not turn this around on your mother.”

  I take another sip of water and just bite my tongue. Nothing good will come out of anything I want to say.

  Soon, the door opens, and the younger man opens the door. “We’re ready for you again.”

  And, just like that, my parents morph back into the fake supportive ones. My dad comes over and takes my arm to help me up. “Come on, honey. I’m sure you’ve got this now.”

  Not wanting to drag it out any further, I stand and set my water on the small table by the loveseat. I turn and walk back through the doors to face the rest of the council.

  The younger man hands me the picture and then heads back up to his place. Once he’s situated, the older man glances at me. “All right, let’s try this again.”

  Here goes nothing. I close my eyes and the crystal pops in my head. But, once again, it’s surrounded by black. No matter what I do, I can’t figure out its location. “I’m sorry. I can’t find it.”

  “This is unacceptable.” The older lady slams her hand down on the table. “If you can’t figure out where the damn crystal is, then your whole family will still suffer the repercussions we discussed.”

  Chapter Nine

  The ride back home is in complete silence. I would normally say that’s a blessing, but in this case, it’s not. My parents are too livid to speak to me. As soon as the car stops, I jump out and run to my room.

  But, as soon as I get here, I realize I’m not alone here either. It’s weird. I was alone most of my life and never wanted to be until now when I can’t be. And that’s another problem. What am I going to do with Becca? I can’t take her back to her family or they will wind up reaping her again right away, but I can’t keep her holed up in my room for much longer. That’s not a way to live either.

  I walk into the closet and find her asleep on the pallet of blankets. I want to be mad at her for not being in the hideaway room, but there’s no telling how long she was in there this morning. I hurry to my door and lock it. My parents should leave me alone for a while.

  The walls begin to spin and almost seem as if they are closing in on me. My heart races and sweat begins to bead around my hairline. I need to get away from here and distance myself from everything.

  Not sure what else to do, I reach out to the wall to steady myself and walk toward the window. I can’t leave out the front door because I’d have to leave my bedroom door unlocked. I can’t do that with Becca sleeping in the closet. If Ben can climb in and out the window safely, I’m sure I can, too. I open the window up and glance down.

  Outside my window, the first floor roof juts up right against the seal. On clear summer nights, sometimes Beth and I would take out some blankets and lie on the roof right there and stare up at the stairs. Right beyond that, there is a white oak tree that is just about a foot away that I should manage to get on and climb down. Granted, should is the key word.

  The breeze blows through the window, and I step out onto the roof. I stand and put one foot in front of the other while holding my arms out to my sides for balance. I’m sure I look funny up here like this, but I don’t want to lose my balance and fall off.

  After about ten steps, I’m at the edge where the tree is right in front of me that should drop me down in our backyard. I lean forward until my hands touch the bark, and the smell of vanilla hits my nose. I glance down until I find a branch that appears thick enough to support my weight. Soon, I’m climbing down the tree, which brings me back to my childhood days of when Beth and I would play in her backyard. Her brother Charlie would always tell me to leave so we would climb one of the trees in her yard until it was time for me to go home so he couldn’t find us. That was our place until we got big enough to meet up at the riverbank.

  I land on my feet somehow and hurry through the yard before one of my parents can spot me. I put distance between me and the house, not having a destination in mind just the goal of getting away.

  No matter how far away I get, none of the burden seems to lift. I don’t even realize where I’m heading until the tombstones appear. Of course, this is where I would come. I weave through all the graves until the familiar one comes into view. There are fresh purple lilies there so someone has been by recently. I walk up to the tombstone and squat down to read the all too familiar engraving.

  Here lies Beth Rodgers. An angel taken way to soon.

  For some reason, this is the most peaceful place to me out of everywhere, which is disturbing since it’s in the middle of a graveyard. I sit down and touch the flowers, their sweet fragrance surrounding me. These were her favorites.

  “Oh, Beth. I wish you were here. I don’t know what to do.” My head sags, and I close my eyes. “I should have just reaped her, but she looked just like you. It would have been like watching you die all over again.” Tears fill my eyes and drip down on my hands. “I couldn’t do it. And then someone stepped in and I had to bring you back.”

  Snot drips out of my nose, and I wipe it with the back of my hand. “I mean, I know it wasn’t you, but at the moment…” I shake my head and rub my hands on my arms. “And, now, I have to find this stupid crystal, or my family will lose everything. Well, that and someone is threatening me, saying if I don’t have the crystal, something bad will happen to my parents.”

  Footsteps come up behind me, and a familiar voice is filled with disgust. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Of course, he’d come when I was here. That’s how my luck has been here lately. I take a deep breath to compose myself and turn.

  Charlie’s hazel eyes appear cold, and his arms are crossed over his chest. His blond hair is messy, and there are dark circles under his eyes. His black shirt and jeans add to the menacing tone he’s throwing my way.

  “I just wanted to visit her.” He’s always hated me even when we were younger.

  Beth said he was just her older, overprotective brother, but he didn’t treat any of her other friends this way. Granted, I was her main one.

  “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” His lip curls.

  My heart tears into two. If there is one other person who agrees that I’m to blame for Beth’s death, I’m looking right at him. I’ve kept my distance from him for a long time, avoiding this confrontation, but I might not be around much longer and at least he should get some closure for his pain. He seems to be wallowing in it as much as I am. I remain silent, at a loss as to what to say.

  He stalks toward me and shakes his head. “Why couldn’t you just leave us alone? I told you multiple times and even pointed out to Beth how even your parents didn’t even want you around. You tarnish everything you touch. If it weren’t for you,” he points to the grave, “she’d be here.”

  Doesn’t he think I know that? My breathing picks up, but I remain silent. I deserve this.

  “Don’t stand there like the coward you are. Say something, dammit.” He’s now in my personal space, cowering over me.

  The tears I’ve been holding back spill down my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I never meant for something to happen to her. I love her.”

  His nostrils flare and his face takes on a red hue. “I don’t want a fucking apology. I want to know why the hell the two of you followed me that night? I want to know why you’re here now.” He clutches his hands in fists. “I want to know why you can’t just leave us alone.”

  I don’t want to tell him the truth. That it was all Beth’s idea and I didn’t want to go. I don’t want any of his anger to go toward her. I want him to hate me and leave her memory untarnished. She deserves that.

  “No one meant for that to happen. If I could take Beth’s place that night, I would in a heartbeat.” My tears dry up and my body shakes with my own rage. “She meant the world to me, too. I lost not only my best friend but my sister that night.”

  He barks out a laugh and recoils. “I know there is more to the story than that.” He sneers and rolls his eyes. “I guess the only way I would ever find o
ut anything is if I had a magic wand and could compel you to tell me everything.”

  Holy shit. That’s it. If something is blocking me, it’s been put there by someone. So, I should be able to get it removed. Now, all I need to find is someone who dabbles in magic and can remove whatever spell has been placed around me or the crystal. I’m not sure which it is, but either way, it should be fixable.

  I close my eyes and ignore whatever ramblings Charlie is saying in the background. I focus my thoughts on finding someone with magical abilities close to me. Soon, a picture of a storefront pops in my mind. I pull back on the image and realize it should only be a couple of blocks from here. Yes, this is the best news I’ve gotten in a while.

  When I open my eyes, Charlie’s forehead is creased and he’s staring at me. I don’t care at this point; I have my first lead and I’m hopeful this will resolve my crystal tracking problem. A shimmer of excitement runs through me, and I close the distance between us and give him a huge hug without thinking it through.

  “What the hell?” He shoves me off of him and takes a few steps back.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, I turn and walk toward my new destination. I’m hoping this works out, but with how my luck’s going, who knows what’s waiting for me. Some gray clouds come rolling through to the part of town I’m heading toward.

  That can’t be a good sign.

  Chapter Ten

  The humidity increases as I walk toward the storefront I saw in my head, and the clouds overhead increase in coverage. It’s the strangest thing, because it’s almost as if I’m the only one who sees it.

  People around me are milling about as if it’s a beautiful day and they don’t have a care in the world. There are two couples at the playground with their children who are lying under a tree talking without a care in the world. To the left, there is an older couple at a fruit stand looking over all the items and taking their time as if rain wasn’t about to pour down on them at any second.

  Am I losing my mind? At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me. I am having conversations with dead people in my dreams, after all.

  It doesn’t matter either way if it’s going to rain or not. I have to make it to the that shop and figure out how to find that crystal. My parents’ safety relies on that very fact.

  But how do I get a witch to agree to help me? They aren’t known to be very giving. In this day and age, who really is? I’m not sure what I can offer in return.

  As I get within a block of the storefront, a gorgeous man with short black hair and ice blue eyes steps out. A chill runs through me when his eyes meet mine, but I continue on as if I don’t see him. Lord knows I don’t need any additional complications.

  “Going to the witch’s storefront, are you?” His head tilts and his eyes follow me.

  Wow, what the hell? I miss a step and almost fall flat on my face.

  He grabs my arm and smiles. “Don’t fall. We don’t want your day going from worse to worst.”

  His hand on my arm is unwelcomed but, for once, it doesn’t make me cringe. I remove my arm from his grip and take a step back. “Uh… thanks.”

  “It’s not going to rain so you don’t have to rush.” His blue eyes search me over and end up drilling back into me.

  Right, that’s why I’m rushing. “Oh, it’s not that. I have somewhere I need to be.”

  “No, you’re where you need to be.” He takes a step nearer to me and shakes his head. “I have to say, you’re not what I expected.”

  Like I haven’t heard that one before. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Sorry to disappoint.” I turn to leave, but he catches my arm again.

  “Oh, please, don’t misunderstand.” His voice is like silk and comforts me. “It wasn’t an insult. Just the last person of your gifts didn’t make it this far. They self-destructed by this point. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was rather amusing.”

  I stiffen. What the hell does that mean? “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t act like you are innocent.” His blue eyes flash. “You see more than you let on.”

  All sense of comfort evaporates. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”

  A smirk spreads across his face. “No. I know who you are. You dream of the dead and can bring them back to life.”

  Lightning crashes above me and resonates deep inside me. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I have to get out of here.

  “You are a special. Only the second that has ever been born that can end what has begun.” He steps closer, and it’s almost as if darkness shrouds him. He smells of ash and fire. “When the time comes, there is only one type of reaper that can find the hidden elements that are made for greatness.”

  Okay, I was following along until the end. But that is what the elders want me to find so it does kind of make sense. How in the world does this man know this, and why does he not seem familiar to me? This is a reaper town, after all, and he is not one of us.

  “But you are looking for the witch for a reason.” He wraps his hands together, bringing his fingers to a point and bringing them up to his lips. “You can’t find the first element… the crystal. Someone has blocked you from finding it.”

  At this point, I feel as if I’m visiting a fortune teller. How the hell does this guy know so much? “How do you know all this?”

  He smirks and lowers his hands. “Don’t be alarmed, but I’ll be honest with you. I want you to know you can trust me. My name is Damien and I’m a demon.” His raises a hand in surrender. “However, I’m here to help you.”

  It feels as if the breath is knocked out of me. Is this even possible? I thought demons didn’t mix with reapers since we don’t have a soul. We can’t have a soul in order to reap, so we aren’t usual for most other creatures. “Uhh… I think I need to get on my way.” There has to be a big catch here for him to be after me.

  “I wouldn’t be so fast if I were you.” His tone is light, almost as if he’s amused.

  I have no clue why, but I take his bait. “Why is that?”

  “Because I have a solution to your problem.” He has an eyebrow raised and is leaning against the brick wall behind him.

  Yeah, no, I’m not falling for it. The storefront popped in my mind for a reason, not him. “I’m sure you do, but I’m on a time crunch. I wish you the best of luck.”

  “I wouldn’t be so fast to head to where you’re going.” He snickers. “I have a better deal right here for you.”

  Who is this guy and why won’t he leave me alone? “Damien, I really have a problem I need to figure out, and I don’t make deals with demons.” I turn and head back in the direction of the store.

  I am so tired of all this and, if I’m honest, still reeling over the conversation I had with Charlie. I mean, I know he’s hated me since the very beginning, but I’ve never known why. What could a five-year-old girl do to cause such malice for the rest of her existence? It doesn’t make sense.

  “I can unblock the magic that is hiding the crystal from you.” His tone is blunt and matter of fact.

  My feet still. What did he say? “I’m sorry?”

  “You heard me.” There is a trace of humor laced in his words.

  How does he know so much about me? When did chaos become the new normal? “How do you know I can find things?”

  He takes lazy footsteps as he closes the distance between us. His blue eyes glow, and the darkness swirling behind him follows his every move. “I know a lot about you, Christina.” His grin spreads to one side of his face. “I’ve been searching for you for years. Ever since your friend’s death.”

  At this point, I’m frozen in place. I almost feel as if I’m his prey. Well, correction, I’m pretty sure I am. I guess this is how humans feel when they know their time is up and they’re left waiting for the end to come. I want to run but can’t. “I disappoint everyone. You have your sights set high, so I think you’re wasting your time.”

  His eyes crinkle, and a hardy laugh fills the space
between us. “No, I know what you’re capable of, even though you tend to struggle, but we can get past that. But I do think I have a deal for you that you won’t be able to refuse.”

  I’m sure of it. But, at this point, I’m desperate. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “What is it?”

  “Well, I can help you find your crystal. That is what you need, right?” He raises an eyebrow.

  “It is.” I bite my lip and tap my foot on the ground. He’s playing with me, and I can’t do anything about it.

  “What if I tell you I can help you with that but that I need you to do some reaping for me?” He rubs his thumb against his bottom lip.

  He so has the wrong reaper. “Sorry. I struggle with that.” I turn to leave again, but he appears in front of me.

  He raises his hands. “Wait. You didn’t hear me out. You struggle but can do it. I’m a patient man and can be there to help if needed. I can help with the suctioning of the soul out, I just can’t transport it.”

  “It’ll be reaped when the time comes anyways.” I throw both hands in the air and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t understand why you’re asking me this.”

  “Because I want them done now.” He crosses his arms and all traces are mirth are lost from his face. His face is solemn and eyes are lifeless.

  “Them?” Whoa, is this like a multiple type of situation? “As in plural? How many are we talking about?”

  “Three.” He raises three fingers up. “With no questions asked.”

  Damn it. Can I reap three unsuspecting souls ahead of their scheduled time in order to unblock the crystal? However, I only have one other option—the witch located in the building I keep seeing in my head. Shit, when did my life get to be such a cluster? Maybe I should head to the witch after all.

  “I’m a high-ranking demon.” He leans back against the wall and raises his hands to inspect his nails. “I can unblock the crystal within minutes, unlike a lot of other supernatural creatures who will have to locate the source that blocked it and then figure out the right spell to counteract the original. You could have that crystal in your hands three days sooner by using me.”