The Artifact Reaper Saga Box Set

by Jen L. Grey

  His stare makes my blood run cold. It's as if I'm an object that he wants to possess. Coming here was a very bad idea. "You do realize I'm a person, right?"

  Jerking back, he straightens and clears his throat. "Of course, I do." He scratches at his ear and licks his lips. "As you know, Margaret was invested in you and had already began mentoring you. It was her dying wish that you are trained properly. So, I have decided to assume that responsibility."

  Never in a million years would I expect to miss Margaret, yet, here I am doing that exact thing. "Oh, well, you don't have to feel obligated."

  "No, this something I've thought long and hard on the past few weeks and it's what I want to do." His eyes soften and he glances off to the side. "Margaret would want me to."

  Okay, that does seem a little sincere... maybe. But I'm learning there’s always a catch with them; an ulterior motive. Is this just another way to keep her close? "So, are you going to be teaching me ways of seeing around blocks?"

  "Oh, God no." He shakes his head and blinks. "And it would be pointless. Margaret said you mastered that in one sitting. But we will begin with finding an object." He unbuttons his long sleeve shirt and removes his gold Rolex watch. "This is what I want you to find. I'll be right back." He walks out of the room leaving me alone.

  If he's not wanting to go over what Margaret showed me, why am I finding an object? I swear these people don't make sense half the time. My phone chirps so I grab it out of my back pocket and pull it out. There is a text from Charlie.

  Hope everything went well. See you soon. Miss you.

  My stomach feels light. I can't believe we're dating. I don't know what I did to get so lucky for once.

  The door opens and Luke walks back in. "Okay, it's hidden, so we're ready to begin."

  At least one of us is. However, the longer this drags out the longer I'll be here. "So, I just need to find it?"

  "Well, locate it and let me know when you're locked in." As he walks to me, there is a bounce in his step.

  I'm missing something here, but I'll figure it out soon enough. I close my eyes and lock on the watch within seconds. "Okay, I see it."

  "Great." He chuckles and he walks back over to me and grabs my arm. "Now we're going to it."

  The air in the room begins to churn and I open my eyes. My vision begins to swirl. "What the hell is going on?" What is he doing to me?

  "You'll see." He grins as the room begins to spin and the colors swirl together.

  I lose my footing and it's like I’m falling through a hole. Shit this is very similar to when a demon transported me those few times. However, Luke is still with me, so wherever I'm going, he's going with me. I'm not sure if that comforts me or should worry me.

  Soon we land and the room stabilizes. We’re back in Margaret's tea room and right there on one of the tables between the sea of couches is the watch. Holy crap, he somehow transported us right to where he placed it. I turn to him. "How did you do that? We can only transport when we have a job."

  "Not us." He lifts his chin and motions a finger back and forth between us. "We can transport anytime we want to. We just have to lock in on something and we can get there."

  Holy shit. I wish I would have known that a while ago. It would have made a lot of things a whole lot easier. "Okay, so how does it work?"

  He walks over to the table where the watch and a folder lie side by side. He puts his watch back on and then grabs the folder. He pulls out a picture and purses his lips. "Let’s find this man. Pull him up in your mind."

  Taking a deep breath, I take the picture and look at it. He’s an older man about the same age as the elder. I’m not sure why he wants to go there, but it’s not like he can’t him find himself. I close my eyes and find him inside of an apartment. "All right I have him. He’s in an apartment."

  "Okay good." He licks his lips and holds out his hands. "Now imagine there are no barriers. Remove all the walls, stairs, whatever there is between you."

  Biting my lip, I imagine there is nothing between us but distance. In my mind, I tear down the walls. "Done."

  Reaching out, he places his hands on my shoulders. "You're a natural. I wish things were this easy for me."

  The urge to slap him courses through me, but I just focus on my task. None of my life has been easy so it irritates me to hear that.

  "All right, now just propel yourself to him. Just close the distance, but move yourself to him, not the other way around. Just make sure you drop us outside of his apartment. It would be awkward otherwise." His fingers dig into my arm a little.

  I imagine myself lifting up in the air. As I do this, I feel the air churn around me. Holy crap I think I'm doing it.

  "Keep going." His tone is sharp. "Don't break your concentration."

  Dammit. He's right. If I'm not careful I will. I then imagine I'm floating toward the Council Room. The air is spinning but I focus on my task and the fingers digging in my arm. When we reach the location in my mind, I float us down to the ground and open my eyes.

  "You did it." His tone is full of admiration. "I can't believe you did it on your first try. Next time we will try something harder."

  My eyes open and I find we’re in a back alley with dumpsters just a few yards away, thankfully alone. I never knew I could do something like this. "Holy crap. So, we're the only ones capable of this?"

  His face returns to a mask of indifference and he crosses his arms. "No, Selena can as well. She's a tracker but cannot bring a soul back to life. That is one of the reasons she's such a treasured reaper and valued by the council."

  So at least one of my questions are answered about her. "So, she'll be an elder?"

  "No, she's not loyal enough for a seat." He shakes his head and glances at his watch. "Just valuable to us. Remember, the council isn't the bad guy, so we need loyal, dependable members. Look, I have somewhere I need to be, so I need to get going. Welcome to your new apprenticeship. You can see your own way back." Then he disappears from sight.

  Chapter Eight

  It takes a second for his disappearance to click in my brain. For some messed up reason, I kept waiting for him to come back.

  Dammit, that jerk left me here. I glance around the alleyway which is still deserted. That is a blessing, but hell, I'm nowhere close to my car. What kind of mentor leaves their trainee behind like this? This must be some kind of joke.

  Who am I kidding? They've sent me off to find artifacts on my own with no resources. Why am I surprised by this? I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. I've got to focus. Being angry is not going to get me home any quicker.

  So, what all did Luke tell me to do? I'm going to have to transport my way back to my car. I lock the imagine of my car in my head and begin to propel myself towards it. The air churns around me, surrounding me in the smell of decaying trash. I want to gag but I try to ignore it.

  Not soon enough, the ground underneath me gives and I drop. Thank God, I must be doing something right. I keep the car pulled up in my mind and then the winds around me begin to slow.

  When I find myself on solid ground, I open my eyes and find myself in a dark room. Even with supernatural vision, I can't make out anything. What the hell? I should be outside next to my car.

  I reach out and touch something like metal, cool to the touch and round. There are several of them in similar sizes and shapes on what seems to be a shelf. I reach down below and there seems to be boxes of various sizes. I step forward keeping my hand on the shelf and just find more of the same.

  Am I in a closet or something? Where the hell am I? I step forward another five steps and feel a door. At least I'm freaking getting somewhere. I flatten my hand against the wooden panel and trace my fingers against the smooth texture until my hand brushes against the cool metal of the handle.

  Not wasting any time, I open the door and step out into a bustling kitchen. A butler that is cooking stops stirring the pot of noodles and stares at me. "What are you doing?"

  The other one cu
tting onions at the large marble island that jets out in the middle of the room turns and drops the knife that luckily doesn't land on her hand. "How did you get in here?"

  The kitchen is grand just like the rest of the place and bigger than my apartment. Wow, I don't understand the point of the vastness of this place. "Sorry, I got lost."

  "I didn't even see you walk in here." The one at the stove takes the spoon from the pot and points it at me.

  "Yeah, it was a training exercise." What else can I say to that? That's pretty much the truth so I'm not lying. I head toward an exit ready to get the hell away from here. My hatred for this place continues to grow with every single visit.

  "Where do you think you're going now?" The one that was cutting the onion walks toward me.

  My eyes burn from the scent from her hands. Holy crap. How many onions has she cut? She could be a lethal weapon with just her hands right now. "Uh... I'm heading home. Luke said I was done."

  Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "It's pathetic you're on a first name basis with him, but yet you're walking out to the chicken coop."

  They have chickens here? Holy shit. There is so much I don't know about this place. "Yeah, well. It was a test. You passed." I turn on my heels and march out the other door. I've got to get out of this place and fast.

  When I get in my car, I let out a breath that I've been holding for who knows how long. I can't believe today has taken so many turns. But learning I can transport was the most useful piece of information I've learned in a while.

  As I turn into the apartment complex, I glance at the time. Shit, Charlie will be here any minute. I want to at least change out of these clothes I sweated in earlier. I bet I smell lovely.

  Rushing, I jog up the stairs and run to my door. After I walk into my apartment, I slam the door shut and grab some clean clothes. As I pull my shirt off my body, the stench hits my nose. There is no way just changing is going to work. I'm going to have to take a quick shower.

  I kick off my pants and take my clothes and towel in the bathroom with me. I turn the water on and jump in. Not wasting any time, I scrub my hair and body clean, then rinse off. After drying, I slip on my clean yoga pants and tank top and brush my hair. At least I don't smell like five-day-old cheese anymore.

  At the thought of cheese, my stomach growls. Ugh, speaking of food, what am I going to make for dinner? I head into the kitchen and look in the cabinets and small pantry. There isn't anything there.

  It's not like I can be super surprised at this point. I haven't been to the grocery store in weeks and I never buy a ton of stuff at once. I guess that leads me to my old fail-safe. I grab my phone and dial the local pizza place.

  "Hello, this is George. Will this be pick up or delivery?" The normal worker picks up the phone and there is typing in the background.

  "Oh, yes. Can I get my usual?" He always knows my address and order. It's kind of sad, but it saves time.

  "Uh... sure?" He pauses for a moment and then clears his throat. "Can you please give me your address and order?"

  What the hell? I've been gone just a little over two weeks and he's already forgotten me. I give him the information and hang up the phone. Figures. What a freaking guy.

  A loud knock at the door tears me away from my vile thoughts. I stomp over to the door and yank it open.

  Charlie's eyebrows rise and the corners of his mouth raise a tiny bit. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

  I close my eyes and shake my head. "Nothing. Everything's fine."

  He slides inside. "After that, I know that's not true. What's got you annoyed?"

  It's so stupid, but he's not going to let it go. I shut the door and glance at the ground. "The pizza guy forgot my order."

  "And that's why you're upset?" Charlie chuckles and grabs my hand, pulling me to him. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." His chest shakes under my hands. "He just has a lot of people calling him. I'm sure he was just having an off day."

  Now I just want to drop it. It's stupid, but things like that remind me I was stupid to think I could go away. "No, I'm being silly. How was your day?"

  "Miserable." He moves his hand under my chin and tilts my face up. "I was worried about you. Did you find someone to train you? You never answered my texts this afternoon."

  "I didn't even know you texted me. I'm sorry." I bet he was worried. "I was tied up all day. But yes, I found someone to train me and he gave me my first lesson."

  "Good, that's why I was trying not to worry." He leans down and kisses my lips. "How did it go? I see you took a shower so I'm taking that as a good sign." He touches my wet hair with his fingertips.

  "If you mean, did he kick my ass, then yes." But that is what I need if I'm going to survive Hell. Someone taking it easy on me won't be a good thing for me down there.

  "So, do we have a game plan?" He drops his hand and walks into the kitchen to grab a glass and fill it with water.

  "Not yet, but I was summoned by the council yet again today." I wonder if I will ever not get summoned by the council again. It seems to be an ongoing game they like to play with me.

  He takes a sip and sits the glass down on the counter. "Why am I not surprised? What did they want?"

  "Apparently I have a new mentor." I wait a second. I want him to be puzzled at least for a second. It's all strange and weird. "Margaret's husband."

  "What?" He takes a step back, obviously startled. "Are you serious?"

  "I wouldn't make something like that up." I sigh and rub my eyes. "But he taught me that I can transport."

  "We all can when we have a job." Charlie shakes his head and huffs.

  "No, I can anytime." I'm glad he didn't know about this either. So, it isn't something well known and I'm clueless. "We transported outside someone's apartment today and he left me there. I had to figure out how to get back on my own."

  "Wait." His jaw clenches and shoulders tense. "You're saying he helped you transport somewhere, then left you there to get back all on your own?"

  "Yeah, but it's okay." Wow, he's furious. I haven't seen him this mad in a while. I'm glad it isn't directed at me. "I found my way back to the car and now I'm his apprentice."

  "If that is how he is going to treat you, I'm not sure that's a good thing." A vein bulges in his neck and he clenches his hands.

  Shit, I'm not sure what to do here. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist. I feel a little funny at first but when his body relaxes and he wraps his arms around me too, the weirdness disappears, and it all seems right.

  "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." He presses his face to my hair and breathes in.

  My heart seems to almost burst at the comment. Oh hell, I'm head over heels in love with this man. There is no recovering from the blow if he ever hurts me.

  Another knock at the door interrupts us. I pull away and take in a shaky breath. "I bet it's the pizza I ordered."

  "Let me get it." He makes his way to the door and opens it. He talks to the pizza delivery guy and gets the pizza.

  While he's doing that, I grab some paper plates and a glass for me. I fill it with water and bring his from the counter back to the table with mine.

  He brings the pizza over and we both sit down and dig in.

  After a few minutes, I'm full and I sit there in silence while he finishes. My mind goes back to Damien. He insinuated my hair is the equivalent power of the artifacts. If that's true, what else do I have that could hold the same power? What else could I accidentally leave behind? Should I shave my head, so I don't shed everywhere? I'm not sure what I can do here.

  "Hey, Earth to Chris." Charlie sits back in his seat and wipes his mouth. "You seem miles away. What's wrong?"

  See this is what I missed in my little stint away. Someone to confide in. "Damien's words about my hair being equivalent to the artifacts are haunting me. He pulled a piece of my hair out when he left the restaurant, so if it's true, he has that power."

  "Come on." He stands up and grabs my
hand. "Let's try a little experiment. Test the waters."

  "What are we going to do?" I'm not sure what he has up his sleeve, but before we go further, I'd like to know the plan.

  "Well, where is your hairbrush?" He glances around the room.

  Is he looking for my hairbrush in the living area? "It would be in the bathroom where I get ready. I take it your leave yours elsewhere?"

  He shrugs and walks into the bathroom and comes back out with my purple brush. "I'm going to pull one of these out and try to control the air."

  I guess it's worth a shot. That's what Damien would do. "Okay, that sounds fair."

  "Your hair blends in with the black bristles." He digs around and pulls out a piece of hair.

  "Sorry my hair is inconveniencing you at this moment." I snort and roll my eyes. My nerves are everywhere, and I just want this whole thing over.

  "Okay how does this work?" He looks at me as he sits on the couch.

  "Close your eyes and feel as if you're connecting with the hair like you do when you connect with a person when reaping. Then just try to move the air." I hope to God this doesn't work.

  He nods and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he licks his lips. "Do you feel anything?"

  "No, I don't." Does that mean he is trying?

  "Then, we're good." His eyes open and he smiles. "Your hair is safe and not an artifact. Damien was just messing with you."

  Tears of relief almost spring to my eyes, but I hold them back. I don't want him to know how worried I was. "Okay, good. That's one less thing to worry about."

  "Yeah, so now we just have to figure out what the council wants." Charlie puts my hair on the coffee table and groans. "I don't like that elder paying attention to you. I think he's bad news."

  "Well, ultimately both the council and Damien will want me to go to Hell and get the flame." That's where all of this is leading to. It always comes back to these artifacts. Right now, Luke trying to gain my loyalty like Margaret did. "So, I just need to get to Hell. Problem solved."