The Artifact Reaper Saga Box Set

by Jen L. Grey

  He's more delusional than I thought. "That is never going to happen." Does he think I'm going to hand the artifacts over to him? Even if I could, I wouldn't. The air whips around the room even though the air conditioning isn't on.

  "Oh, sweet naive Christina." He backs away and heads back into the living room, letting his shadows separate and follow him. "You see, I've had something in my back pocket for so long."

  No, I can't handle any more shit today. I'm done. "Damien, just go away. I'm not falling for any of your tricks."

  "This isn't a trick." He pulls out a necklace and holds it up. It contains a square stone, and it's almost as if the stone is swirling. "See, I have Beth's soul right in here. She's trapped, neither going to the light nor dark. Stuck in a room with windows, but all she can see is her reflection."

  "You asshole." Even though everyone told me he kept her, for some reason, it's different when he's swinging her right in my face. Once again, I'm just a pawn in a chess match that I hadn't realized I was part of. However, I'm going to win it. I'm going to find the Water Artifact and kick everyone's ass who's ever betrayed me. Without saying a word, I stare straight into his fire-crackled blue eyes and vanish.

  When I appear back in Luke's office, Luke and Dax are there, and I see Charlie on the cot in the corner of the office.

  "Where is everyone?" For some reason, I expected everyone to still be here. This throws me off-kilter.

  "I've called the other council members; they will be here soon along with our army." Luke is taking inventory of his weapons again and picking out a few.

  A dark, black smoky circle appears, and within seconds, Damien appears. "That wasn't nice." He tsks at me.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" Dax grabs a sword and points it at him.

  "I think he's here to help Christina get the Water Artifact." Luke tilts his head and narrows his eyes. "Am I right?"

  "I guess you could consider us allies for the time being." Damien nods, an evil smile spreading across his face.

  "Right now we'll take all the help we can get." Luke reaches out and motions for Dax to lower the sword.

  Are they being serious right now? “Where's Brad?" At least he'll be on my side.

  "He said he’ll be here shortly." Dax's eyes never leave Damien. "I guess they went to get reinforcements as well."

  "All the realms felt when Charlie died and you could have taken us out. We need to save our world." Luke turns his back to us and then sits down at his normal seat.

  Oh, dear God. "Okay, fine. We all want me to get the artifact." But as soon as I do, we all know Damien is going back to his own side. My focus drifts to Charlie before I yank it away. I can't stand to see him so vulnerable.

  "Chris," Luke says, as he searches for something on my face, "why haven't you brought Charlie back?"

  It's one thing to tell him, but I'd rather show him. "Dax, can you take us back to the water world for a moment?" I picture where the ogres are staying there and hold my hand out to him.

  "Of course." Dax steps closer to me and takes my hand. "Anyone who wants to go better get close."

  Both Luke and Damien appear at my side.

  Once again, Dax draws a portal, and I'm the first to walk through it without hesitation. Soon the other three follow suit and stand behind me. We are at the back of the house, and the ogre's window is unobscured so we can see the couple sitting down eating food.

  "See the light shining through her heart." It's brighter than the last time and almost hurts my eyes.

  The ogre is frowning at his wife but remains silent. She's jabbing her finger in his direction, and if I'm reading her lips right, she's very upset with him.

  "Yes, why is that?" Luke stares and rubs his chin.

  "She's splintering from being brought back from death." At least Luke didn't know anything about it.

  "Wait... What does that mean for me?" Dax's voice is low, barely above a whisper.

  "It means you're splintering as well." Damien jumps in and winks at him. "In fact, you're splintering more slowly than Becca, but faster than her." He nods to the ogres.

  No, that can't be. I turn my attention to Dax, and for the first time, the light shines clearly in my eyes. It is twice as big as the ogre woman's. That's why he's changing so much; he's getting worse each day.

  "My God." Luke's eyes widen, and his mouth gapes open. "This can't be."

  "This is why I can't bring Beth or Charlie back." My already battered heart feels as if someone has just stomped all over the various pieces. "They can't suffer this same fate."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I'll be glad when all of this is over, but I wish I knew how to bring Charlie back without risking his soul.

  The lady ogre glances out the window and purses her lips. She stands and focuses in the direction we are hiding.

  "Come on, guys, we need to go." I don't want to chance her recognizing me and alert Ria of my presence back in this world. "She's going to spot us."

  Dax closes his eyes and draws a portal. "We need to head back and meet up with the elders and Brad anyway."

  "Yes, they should be back to the mansion at any moment now." Luke is the first one who steps through the portal, eager to get back for reinforcements.

  "There is no way I'm going through your portal again." Damien lifts both hands and takes a step back. "I'll meet you all there."

  Of course, he has to be high maintenance. I'm not surprised at all. I step through the opaque portal and find myself back in Luke's office. It's only him and Charlie there, so we got back before anyone missed us.

  A black smoldering circle appears at the same time Dax arrives back, and the portal closes behind him. It takes just a moment before Damien is back in his full glory.

  My heart is numb when I glance over at Charlie. At this point, I'm not sure I can feel anything else and must be settling into shock.

  Damien strides over to where Charlie is, holding the shadows close to him in front of everyone else.

  Maybe he doesn't want the others to realize how dark he really is? That should have been my first clue not so long ago, but I can't go back in time and fix my mistakes.

  "You don't want to try and bring him back?" Damien's tone is laced with amusement, and he stops once he's beside Charlie, inspecting him as if he was a bug.

  "No. I just brought the ogre back a few weeks ago, and she's already fracturing." To subject him to that for my own selfish reasons is not acceptable. He should have a peaceful afterlife if I can't bring him back whole.

  "Why don't you step away from him?" Dax's shoulder become rigid, and his eyes turn to slits.

  "At least he died before you appeared." Luke's hand runs down his face. "You weren't able to capture his soul like all the others."

  "Tsk, tsk." Damien wags his finger in front of his face, and his eyes light up with amusement he can't hide. "That's no way to talk to your ally right now. I mean after all, we want the same thing."

  I don't want to deal with this conversation right now. I turn the topic back to the ogre woman. "Yes, she's fracturing slower than Becca, but I'm not sure why." Maybe it's because she was around a demon and influenced with negative energy.

  "That's interesting." Luke walks back over to Charlie’s study and opens up his notebook, flipping pages. "Could it be tied to the elements?"

  "How so?" Dax glances off toward the weapons and bites one of his thumbs.

  "That's a good point." Damien saunters over close to Luke, looking over his shoulder. "I bet it has something to do with the artifacts."

  Huh. "I didn't have any artifacts yet when I brought Becca back, and had three with the ogre." But I'm not sure if it's that the real cause since Damien is involved.

  "If that's the case, then if she had all four, maybe she could bring people back without fracturing them." Luke glances out the window and taps his finger against the paper.

  I could bring Charlie back with no worries. Could it be that easy? My heart picks up its pace. Dare I hope? "If that'
s the case, it's even more important for us to get the Water Artifact."

  "Don't worry, we'll get it." Dax grabs a gun off the weapons shelf and examines it. "We aren't going to lose you."

  I'm thankful that there is still some of the old Dax left inside him. I dread seeing him act like Becca, but that's a worry for another time. Speaking of Becca... "Not only can I bring Charlie back, but Beth too." Could it be so simple to be able to have both my best friend and my boyfriend alive at the same time?

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Damien raises both hands up, and a cruel smirk crosses his face. "I hate to tell you this, but there is no way Beth can be brought back at this point."

  Luke glares at him. "What are you trying to say?"

  "I'm not falling for your tricks." Is he trying to get a rise out of me? Doesn't he realize that I'm done with all of his shit?

  "Unfortunately, it's not a trick." His tone is condescending, and he lifts his nose up in the air.

  What a pompous ass.

  "Don't roll your eyes. There’s something you might want to know before it's too late for your beloved Charlie." He walks over to Charlie and glances at him. "You see, it's too late for Beth because her body is too decayed. She would look like a zombie if you tried resurrecting her now. There is only a certain shelf life a body has."

  Dammit, I hadn't even thought about that. Her body has been decomposing for over two years.

  "And you wait until now to share that information with her?" Dax places the gun back on the table and then grab some bullets on the side. Pulling out the gun he always carries, he begins re-loading it.

  "So why did you keep her soul if it's too late for me to bring her back?" Why lock her up in that amulet if he knew it was too late?

  "Because he still can use her as a bargaining tool." Luke barks out a nasty, deep laugh. "You truly are an awful demon."

  "Ahhh, and the elder finally caught on." Damien chuckles and touches Charlie's arm.

  Right now, I want to slug him. He's a special kind of asshole.

  "I'm assuming our loyal…" he says as he looks up as if trying to search for the right word, "seeker wants a chance for Beth's soul to have peace after all." He arches an eyebrow and winks at me. "Am I right?"

  "If I could kill you right now, I would." I'm so over his shit and manipulation. If I had a guess, he orchestrated the whole thing just to make sure I ended up in the spot I'm in now.

  "I'm willing to give her to you." He wraps his hand around the amulet and purses his lips. "For a price, that is."

  "It's always for something isn't it?" But can I really leave my friend trapped for all her eternity in that windowless room the angels showed me?

  "Don't listen to him." Luke slams the book shut and stand. "Demons are sneaky and usually always one step ahead."

  Isn't that the freaking truth. "What do you want?"

  "Nu-uh... Now isn't the time for me to tell you all my secrets." He tucks the necklace back under his shirt and shakes his head. "That would be too easy. I'll let you know when it's time, but we better hurry before it's too late for Charlie."

  Shit, I hadn't even thought about that, but he's right. The longer it takes, the less my chances are for bringing him back. I don't need his body decomposing.

  The door swings open, and soon Brad enters. His eyes land on Charlie, but he tears them away and focuses on me.

  "Where is everyone?" Dax crosses his arms and frowns. "I thought you said the former council was going to help us."

  "Wait." Luke rubs his hands together and takes slow steps to where he stands right behind me. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Oh, this is going to be fun. "Brad works with the original council. They want to make sure the corrupt council members don't get their hands on the artifact." It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to this.

  Luke’s expression is unreadable. "Why would we want to have those traitors helping us?"

  "Because you might need bigger numbers." Brad puffs out his chest and scowls. "But they aren't willing to join forces with this council, so I'm going to help you and provide them with updates in case we need the extra help."

  "We could need reinforcements." Dax nods and claps Brad on the back. "We wouldn't have been able to attack the fortress if it hadn't been for your team."

  "How were you able to get to the water world?" Luke's forehead wrinkles, and he bites his lip.

  "Don't worry. We have our ways." Brad grins but startles when the door opens once again. Four teenaged boys that appear to be between sixteen and eighteen walk in.

  I’ve never seen these guys before. My power pulses inside me as if it’s ready to protect me at a moment’s notice.

  “Why are you here?” Brad’s tone is rough, and his jaw ticks.

  “We’re your backup.” The oldest of the four stands in front and crosses his arms. “They told us to come with you.”

  “It seems like your leaders aren’t very confident in your ability.” Damien waggles his eyebrows.

  Oh, dear God, I need to diffuse this. "Let's head back and see what's going on so we can make a plan." I need to get moving, or I might go stir crazy.

  "That's a good idea, especially since Luke hasn't been there." Dax heads into the center of the group. "Now, everyone touch my arm." He lifts his left arm out as he closes his eyes, drawing the portal back to the water world.

  "I'll get there on my own." Damien grins as his body begins to disappear into a dark, black shadow.

  "What the..." Brad shakes his head, but we don't have time for that. I push him forward into the portal.

  Soon, all eight of us appear on the beach, and the purple moon is high in the sky. I glance toward the town and spy someone standing about one hundred yards from us.

  Luke stiffens. "Do we know who that is?"

  Oh, thank God. "It's Melody." What is she doing out here like this? Did something happen to her? I rush over to her and scan her for injuries. "Are you okay?"

  Melody gives me a small smile. "Yeah, but I've been waiting for you to come back. The town has gotten a little crazy since Charlie's death."

  A dark, smoky shadow begins swirling beside me, and Melody's panic causes her to stumble back a few steps.

  The stench of hell is somehow stronger here with the waves crashing around us. Damien's blue eyes glow in the dark. "Ahhh, I see you have a little snoop in your mix."

  "Why is a demon here with you?" Melody straightens her shoulders and stares straight into his eyes.

  "Because I'm here to help her fight along with her traitorous high school friend and one of the council members from Earth who swears he isn't corrupt." Damien chuckles and shrugs. "So, obviously none of us have ulterior motives."

  “We are here to help her.” Brad glares at Damien as the four other guys flank him.

  "When you put it like that, maybe we shouldn't work with you." Dax pulls out his gun, holding it down by his side but ready to shoot if needed.

  "Oh, please." Damien rolls his eyes and bumps his shoulder against mine. "We all have a common goal right now – to make sure Chris doesn't implode."

  Is he seriously trying to act like we're buddies right now?

  "Uh... Chris?" Melody takes a few steps back and grits her teeth. "Can I talk to you for a moment in a private?"

  Now isn't the time, but this isn't her norm. "Hey guys, I'll be just a second."

  Dax purses his lips but nods. "Okay, we'll begin planning."

  "Perfect, thanks." I turn, and we head toward the town but stop when we have about fifty feet between us and them.

  "What's up?" Yes, I might be rude cutting to the chase, but I've got to get that artifact and fast. The longer we're here, the less chance we have for a surprise attack.

  "Do you really think this is wise?" Her voice is low, and the waves are so loud I can barely catch her words.

  Now she's worried about me taking the artifact. "I've got to in order to survive."

  She holds up a hand and shakes her head. "No, not that." She points tow
ard the guys we left behind. "Partnering with them. The older guy seems fishy, and there is a freaking demon. I'm afraid you're surrounded by the enemies who are going to take advantage of you."

  If I was worried about her loyalty before, I'm not at all right now. "Yes, Damien definitely has ulterior motives, and I think Luke may as well." I already know that Damien's going to try to hold Beth over my head, but I won’t allow him access to this power. "But this will be the quickest way to get the Water Artifact, so this is the best way."

  "But at what cost?" She reaches out and touches my shoulder, her voice cracking. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

  "Don't worry. I won't be controlled, no matter what they try to hold over my head." It's time for me to put the needs of many before my own. My power controls all of the realms, not just Earth. "For whatever reason, becoming the seeker was thrust upon me, and I won't be a pawn in anyone's game. I will not destroy any one's world, and I will make my own decisions without any influence from them. It's time I take control of my actions and stand up for my responsibilities. So, yes, the price will be high, but the realms will be safe."

  "Okay, I will support you." She nods and squares her shoulders. "We're in this together." Then, she turns on her heels and walks away toward the city.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  If she is going to stand by me, why the hell is she walking away from us? I'm at a loss as Melody disappears between two buildings. She never glances back once. What does that even mean?

  "Did you upset her?" Luke steps away from the other men and winces.

  "No, I don't think so." She didn't seem upset, and she told me she would back me. Would she say that if she didn't mean it? Melody takes her stand on things just like the first night I met her. She wasn't the nicest, but she was afraid.

  "That's nothing to worry about." Dax motions for me to join them and smirks. "Melody marches to her own drum."

  That's true, but I wish she would have stayed. I don't want her to get into any more trouble than she's already in. There has to be some way I can help her.