Resurrection Road

by Hannah Marae

  She supposed she wouldn’t have to do it for long.

  Now that Mab was back, things would surely go back to the way they were. They’d move around, selling spells and writing sigils, just trying to get by. But Eden couldn’t help but wonder if her path might lead in a different direction.

  As if sensing her apprehension, Mab threaded her fingers through Eden’s. And they sat there together, watching the sun rise.

  Zeke passed Lazarus one of the energy drinks he’d stashed in the toolbox awhile back. In unison, they cracked them open with a pair of satisfying hisses, drawing the cans up to their mouths.

  Lazarus pulled his back, lips curled in disgust. “I don’t know how you drink these things.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not the worst thing I’ve had today.” Zeke cringed the moment the words left his mouth. It was a bad joke, and it’d just slipped out.

  The past hour had been hell. The reality of his situation kept crashing down on him, over and over. Every time Zeke found a little distraction, forgot for a moment what had happened to him, the realization came rushing back.

  Vampire. Zeke was a vampire.

  A monster.

  He could barely remember what happened in the vault. He only knew he was angry, so ready for the hunt to begin. Fingers twitching, gums aching, head buzzing with need. And then everything was red and savage and beautiful. That was the part that scared him. Not the blood that dripped from his lips, not the pile of corpses at his feet. Beautiful. The fact was Zeke had liked being a vampire.

  In that moment, he had never felt so alive.

  Now, he felt like he was dead. Or, at least, well on his way to death. He was inhuman.

  How had this happened?

  How had this happened to him?

  To his surprise, Lazarus chuckled at his dumb, ill-advised joke. Zeke raised the can to his lips and took a long drink, relishing the way the bubbles danced down his tongue. One of the first things he did when they reappeared in the motel room was lock himself in the bathroom. He took a hot shower and brushed his teeth for a solid five minutes, gargling half a bottle of mouthwash. Anything to get the taste out of his mouth. Even so, the rich tang of blood lingered. He wondered if it would ever go away.

  “I really didn’t know, you know.” Zeke drew in a breath, an effort to keep the words from spilling out. “I thought it was just a scratch. It was such a small thing, I never thought it was actually a bite.”

  Lazarus flicked his gaze over, watching Zeke from over the rim of his can.

  Shrugging, he went on, “I don’t know. I guess I was just fooling myself.”

  “Sometimes things just happen,” Lazarus said. “It’s not a matter of what we did or what we deserve. It’s just shit that happens to us. Shit we can’t stop. Sometimes it doesn’t mean anything at all.”

  Zeke thought back to the old days when he’d just started hunting. That night when he and Aunt Magdalene found Lazarus dead in a cold basement. He thought about the choice she’d made. “Sometimes we have someone to pull us back from the brink.” He held his can out to Lazarus, who clinked it against his own. “Thank you.”

  Laz leaned forward, staring ahead into the sunrise. “I meant what I said, you know. To Eden, back when all this was starting.” He turned. “I’d tear the world apart for you, Zeke. We’re family. Hell, I think you’re about the only family I’ve got.”

  “So you’re not gonna put me down?” Zeke asked, only half-joking.

  Lazarus rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a dumbass.” He nodded back to where Eden and Mab sat. “Mages get to choose between right and wrong. Humans do too. No reason vampires can’t be the same.”

  “That mean we’re gonna start raiding blood banks?”

  After finishing his drink, Lazarus sighed and crushed the can between his hands. “It means we’re gonna figure it out. Together.”

  They reconvened the next morning in Nowhere.

  The past day was spent driving, getting as far from Booker as they could. Eden rode along in the truck while Mab followed on her motorcycle. It all felt so easy. Zeke playing air guitar, Eden idly spelling coins she found in the glove compartment. It was easy to forget they were running for their lives. Running from a blood mage with an army of souls and a reaper on her side.

  The only thing missing was Hades.

  Lazarus kept finding himself checking his mirrors, seeking the big black dog that liked to ride with his muzzle in the wind. Like Zeke, the hellhound had been one of the only constants in his life these past five years. More than a companion, but family.

  Sighing, he followed Eden and Zeke out of the truck. They’d finally stopped in Nowhere, Texas, pulling up to the same diner where it all started. Well, not quite the same, but close enough. Zeke was pointedly ignoring his newfound condition, blathering on about stacks of pancakes and fluffy waffles and endless mochas. For his part, Laz was just glad to feel some sense of normal. The feeling of being able to move forward.

  He looked up as a bark echoed across the parking lot.

  Lazarus turned, spotting the black dog running toward him, Pyke following farther behind. He stooped in time to catch the hellhound in his arms. Under a barrage of happy kisses and muffled whuffs, Lazarus grinned to himself.

  “I was starting to worry you might not come back,” he confessed. Hades sat back, tail wagging a mile a minute.

  “He is my partner by celestial design,” Pyke said as he approached, “but it seems Hades has chosen his own path. I don’t think I could keep him from you even if I wanted to.”

  “No offense”—Lazarus gave the dog a final pat before standing—“but I’m not sorry about it.”

  Pyke put his hands in his pockets, giving Lazarus an appraising look. “Hades has lost interest in ferrying souls across the veil. He is not the only one.”

  “Can’t say I blame him,” Eden said as she and Zeke approached with Mab close behind. “I’d rather ride around with Laz and Zeke too.” She ran her fingers through Hades’s fur before slipping off her backpack and uncinching the top. The hellhound collapsed into smoke and funneled himself into the backpack, the head of a black puppy popping out with a happy yip.

  Lazarus couldn’t help but smirk. “Come on,” he said to the dog, “that’s just undignified.”

  “You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first.” Eden grinned, reaching out to give him a playful shove. He chuckled as he backed away.

  They were just heading in when Ignatius pulled into the lot in his Chevy Nova. Lazarus grinned and offered Ig a nod. The shifter slipped off his sunglasses and climbed out, following the group into the diner. In the back, they squeezed into a booth and gave Sam their orders.

  “What’s the word on Laurent?” Ignatius asked after they’d settled in.

  Pyke, who was wedged between Zeke and Mab, leaned forward. “I have been circling, learning what I could. Josephine Laurent is still alive.”

  “Damn, I was kinda hoping the house came down on her.” Mab snorted. “A fitting end for a wicked witch.”

  Lazarus rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m guessing she’s not happy.”

  “No,” Pyke admitted. “Not at all. From what I could tell, nearly all of her thralls have been destroyed. The rest are working damage control.”

  “Do we need to be worried?” Ignatius asked.

  Pyke frowned. “Not yet.” He looked from Mab to Eden. “Her chosen vessels were taken from her, the soul that was paid removed from the Memoriam.”

  “Her plans for immortality are unraveling,” Ignatius suggested. “She’s biding her time.”

  Mab nodded thoughtfully. “The first thing she’ll do is get herself more thralls. Then she’ll find another vessel.”

  “Only if she can patch things up with her reaper friend,” Eden reminded her. She gave a small shudder. “He was . . . intense. I’m guessing he’s gonna be a little peeved to find his plans were discovered by a fellow reaper.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll off Laurent himself,” Zeke off
ered.

  Pyke chewed his lip. “Perhaps. I need to discover the identity of this reaper. What he’s doing with all those souls. For now, my advice is to stick clear of the blood mage.”

  “So basically, stay the hell out of Missouri,” Mab added. “No problem.”

  ——

  Back in the parking lot, Pyke gathered them around.

  “I have a gift,” he explained. “For all of you. Hold still.” He concentrated, eyes igniting. Slowly, the reaper raised his hand and Lazarus jumped at a stinging sensation on the back of his hand.

  Beside him Zeke yelped and Mab let out a colorful swear.

  Lazarus held up his hand, watching a dark mark settle onto the skin below his knuckles. He flexed his fingers and looked over, spotting identical marks on the others.

  “The hell is this?” Mab complained.

  “A reaper’s mark,” Pyke replied. “It will prevent you from being tracked while also allowing me to keep an eye on all of you.”

  “You tagged us?” Mab shook her hand, like she could fling the mark from her body. “Pyke, that’s so weird.”

  He shrugged. “I thought it prudent given the situation. Unfortunately, it will negate the effects of your connection sigil. Until I uncover the identity of this rogue reaper, the only person who will be able to find you is me.”

  “Well, that’s inconvenient.” Zeke rubbed at the mark.

  Lazarus crossed his arms. “Considering we’ve got a blood mage after us, it’s not a bad idea.”

  “We’ve got cell phones,” Ignatius agreed. “It’s not like I was tracking you anyway.”

  Pyke departed shortly after and the group stood in a circle exchanging numbers like high school kids. As he added Eden’s contact information, Lazarus was hit, really hit, by the realization that this was the end of the road.

  He’d known it was coming, had been looking forward to it from the start, but now it felt different. Eden would follow Mab and she would be gone.

  Everything would be how it used to be. That was what he’d wanted, right? To live a life on the road, freeing spirits, helping people who needed helping. Doing the job. Lazarus didn’t want to admit to himself that he thought things could be different. That his little family had room for another.

  He turned back to the truck, back to the only life he’d ever known.

  It didn’t feel right to want to leave.

  But staying didn’t feel right either.

  Eden stood beside Mab’s bike, listening to her talk without really listening. A few yards away, Lazarus and Zeke chatted with Ignatius, probably talking about another job. Another adventure. Eden knew full well what she should want. She’d only just gotten Mab back, and after a year of being alone, this was all she ever wanted. What she needed. She didn’t know anything else. Had never wanted anything else.

  But what if that wasn’t true anymore?

  What if, now, she wanted something more?

  “Are you even listening to me?” Mab asked. Eden flushed and looked over, not wanting to admit that she was completely lost in thought, burdened by a decision she could never make. Mab stood with one hand on her hip, clearly appraising the situation with knowing eyes.

  “I was . . .” Eden trailed off. “Not really. I was thinking.”

  “Mhmm.” Mab narrowed her brown eyes. “I know exactly what you were thinking.” She grinned, grabbing the helmet she’d slung from the handlebars. “And, here’s the thing, Edie. I’ve actually got some things to take care of, y’know. A few visits to make. Shit to do. Et cetera. Et cetera. You know how it is, coming back from the dead and all.”

  “You’re such a jerk, you know that?” Eden laughed. “Come on, Mab. I only just got you back. How could I say goodbye already?”

  Reaching out, Mab flicked Eden playfully on the nose. “It’s not goodbye, babe. It’s until next time.”

  “And what do you expect me to do, huh?” She blew out a breath. “Unlike you, I don’t have unfinished business. I’ve got nowhere in the world I need to be.”

  “Nowhere,” a voice sounded behind her. She turned, looking up into Lazarus’s dark eyes. He grinned. “That’s exactly where you need to be. Because, you know, I did promise to fix your car.”

  She raised a brow. It was so bullshit and they both knew it. She didn’t care about the car, hadn’t from the start. But Eden thought she knew him enough to take it for what it was. An invitation, given in the most Lazarus way possible.

  “About time too.” She shook her head sadly, crossing her arms over her chest. “God, that place has terrible service. I need a refund.”

  He shrugged. “What can you expect from a town full of spirits?” He caught her gaze and smiled. “You weren’t in the script.”

  “None of this was in the script,” Zeke added from inside the truck.

  “Yeah, well,” Mab jumped in, “I guess we all gotta work with what we’ve got.” She turned to Eden. “Keep in touch?”

  “Every day,” Eden said. “Twice a day! I want your face to be the last thing I see every night.”

  “Okay, weirdo.” Mab laughed. “I’m on it.”

  They departed only after a long embrace and a promise to call every night. Then Mab was starting up her bike and Eden was piling into the truck between Lazarus and Zeke. Hades, still in puppy form, curled up on her lap.

  It was happening. For once, Eden was positive she was exactly where she needed to be.

  It felt strange.

  It felt free.

  As they pulled out of the lot, she leaned back, petting the hellhound and smiling at Lazarus. Beside her, Zeke flipped through his CD collection, looking for the perfect soundtrack for the road back west.

  ——

  Thank you so much for joining me and my crew for part one of their adventure!

  If you enjoyed the book and wouldn’t mind leaving a review,

  they are so very helpful to authors and would be very appreciated. Links are below!

  Thank you again!

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  For everyone who had a hand in making this story happen.

  Rick, for all those car rides spent world-building and bouncing plot ideas.

  Tyffany, for literally EVERYTHING. My alpha reader, formatter, hand-holder, true bestie.

  Chelscey, for being the best cheerleader and the greatest guide.

  For all my friends in the Bookwyrm Den. Beta readers, problem solvers, writing buddies.

  Thank you.

  Hannah Marae is a writer, artist, and hopeless multitasker. She resides in Alaska with her family, where she homeschools her young child and struggles to manage her unwieldy book collection. When not writing, Hannah enjoys curling up with a book or a video game—sometimes both at the same time.

  Resurrection Road is her first novel.

  ——

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