Secrets From the Grave

by B. L. Brunnemer

  "They'll spy on her?" Zeke growled.

  Louis shook his head. "No, just that I'd be surprised if you didn't have one around you back home."

  Reapers... Death... Anu... Lilith.... no exceptions... It was like my brain was short circuiting.

  And Louis seemed to realize it. "I think that is enough for today."

  The guys started clearing out of the office.

  Asher hesitated beside me. "What does Death do? Does he choose who lives and who dies?"

  I looked up at him, the shadows in his eyes made my chest ache. I got to my feet and took his hand.

  "Death isn't evil. He's not the judge, jury, and executioner," Louis explained. "Death is neutral. It's a fact that all things living die. People die because of what happens in the world, their choices, the people around them, bad luck and accidents. Death doesn't choose who dies."

  Asher was still for several heartbeats before he nodded. He squeezed my hand gently before letting go and heading out the door. I followed at a quiet walk.

  * * *

  The bus ride back to the Quarter was packed. Before getting on, I told everyone to tuck their wallets in their front pocket. They chuckled.

  "I'm not kidding, do it," I said as I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket.

  "Uh, why?" Asher asked.

  "Pickpockets love public transportation,” I said. I pulled the neckline of my tank top aside instead of my front pocket which wasn't deep enough. Thanks, fashion designers. I stuck it in the cup of my bra while Zeke watched.

  Asher made a point to look away while the twins burst out laughing, Miles turned red and Zeke just shook his head and clenched his jaw.

  I was running in circles in my mind as the bus moved down the street when Isaac got my attention by wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

  I looked up and found him smiling down at me.

  "You okay?" he asked.

  "Yeah." I don't know if I was lying or not. Death was a relative... no exceptions...

  "You sure?" His voice changed to his warm, low voice that made my pulse race.

  I nodded and looked away, hoping for a reprieve. Two men were watching me, they turned away once I noticed them. I pulled out my phone and brought up our group chat.

  Alexis: Two men, one in a green polo and chinos. The other wearing jeans and a tank. They're watching us.

  Tough Guy: I know. They got on the bus at the same stop as us. And they're not watch us, they're watching you.

  Shit.

  Alexis: Probably Council.

  Tough Guy: Most likely.

  Ash: We've got a tail?

  Tough Guy: We're not going back to the hotel, we need a public space.

  Ash: Restaurant?

  Tough Guy: That will work.

  Alexis: We just had breakfast. Are you guys hungry again?

  Tough Guy: Yeah.

  Cookie Monster: All the time.

  Ash: It's a guy thing.

  Snoopy: We're never not hungry.

  Nemo: Yes.

  I smiled and shook my head at my phone. Guys and their stomachs.

  Ash: Once we hit Canal St, get off the bus.

  I tucked my phone away and waited while I bounced my knee. It seemed like an eternity for the Canal Street stop. We got up, Isaac moved between the crowd and me.

  Once outside, we started down the sidewalk as if nothing was wrong, as if we weren't being followed by Council witches or warlocks. What did guys call themselves? It didn’t matter, it was just a normal day. Right...

  The restaurant Asher led us to was packed. So, we got a spot on the patio out back. It calmed Zeke down so the heat was worth it. Though, with all the beautiful trees throwing shade and the breeze off the Mississippi, it wasn't so bad.

  As soon as we sat down, my fingers started wanting to twitch. "Zeke?"

  "Yeah, he's there. The other one must have taken off." Zeke kept his voice down.

  "The tail?" Miles asked from his seat beside me.

  I put a smile on and turned to him. "Yeah, he’s wearing chinos and a green polo.

  "Don't look," Zeke snapped before anyone had a chance to react.

  Miles eyes grew chilly. "Then they must have been watching Louis. Does he know?"

  I pulled out my phone and sent a text. "He does now." Everyone waited in tense silence for an answer. My phone dinged.

  Louis: Shit. Follow my instructions from yesterday. They can't touch you legally. If anything else happens, call.

  I read the text out loud. Some of them relaxed. The guys shared a look.

  "We just need to act normally," Miles reminded the others.

  "And keep an eye on each other," Zeke added.

  I nodded. I wasn't about to argue.

  After the waiter left to get our drinks, I picked up the menu and opened it. The words were blurry again. Sighing, I pulled the menu back until the words were clear again.

  "Lexie." Miles voice was careful. "You keep pulling your menu away."

  I made a point not to look at him. "So?"

  My menu was taken out of my hands.

  "Hey!" I looked up to find Miles watching me with his thinking face on.

  He held the menu toward me at almost the same distance it was the first time. "Lexie, can you read this?"

  We suddenly had everyone's attention.

  I rolled my eyes then tried to take my menu back. "What makes you think I can't?"

  He let me take my menu as he answered. "Because over the last few weeks I've noticed you pulling anything you're reading further from you."

  “He’s not the only one,” Ethan added.

  I looked down at my blurry menu and didn't answer.

  "The words are blurry, aren't they?" Miles asked but he wasn't really asking. He knew.

  I chewed the corner of my bottom lip as I held the menu back to where I could see it. "They're fine."

  Miles pulled his phone out and started doing something.

  The menu was snatched out of my hands again. This time, Asher was holding it a few inches from my face. "If it's fine then read the menu out loud."

  I snatched the menu from him. "There is no reason for this."

  Miles got to his feet and walked away from the table with the phone to his ear.

  "Lexie." Isaac spoke up. "If you can't see, then we need to find out why."

  "Just caught up, did ya?" Ethan muttered.

  Isaac turned to glare at his brother. “I’ll fucking knock you into next week. Bad back and all.”

  "Stow it, you two," Zeke growled at the twins.

  “He started it,” Isaac bit out.

  “And I’m finishing it,” Zeke snapped before turning to me. “And you, read the menu out loud.” His voice told me he wasn't fucking around.

  I glared at him and put the damn thing on the table. "I can't when it's that close."

  Zeke and Isaac cursed.

  Ethan leaned forward onto the table. "How long has this been going on?"

  I shrugged and picked at the corner of the menu as I tried to avoid answering.

  "Lexie," Zeke all but barked.

  "Stop snapping at me," I bit out. We glared at each other across the table.

  "Ally, how long have you been having trouble?" Asher asked, politely.

  I looked back down at my menu as I answered. "Since Boulder."

  Everyone cursed.

  "You haven't been able to see since last month?" Asher asked.

  I lifted my head. "No, I can see fine... just not close up."

  There was more swearing.

  Miles sat back down beside me, tucking his phone into his pocket. "You have an appointment with an optometrist this afternoon."

  "Good," Zeke muttered.

  "Thanks, Miles," Asher said, still shaking his head at me.

  Zeke eyed Asher, a question in his eyes.

  "You have to take care of yourself, Beautiful," Ethan chided.

  I turned to Miles. "You don’t need to-"

  "It's done." Miles told me in a voice that t
old me not to argue. I didn't hear it often but when I did it was because he was angry. Great, Miles was angry with me.

  "Miles..." Zeke said in an oddly calm voice. Miles turned to Zeke. Zeke held his gaze. Miles turned to look out at the trees and the fountain in the courtyard while taking several deep breaths.

  I didn't say anything because they were right. I should have seen a doctor back home. I put my elbow on the table and leaned my chin onto my palm as I half-heartedly looked through the menu.

  "So, what are we going to do about the tail?" Asher asked the group.

  "We could scatter, make him lose Red," Isaac offered.

  "That would mean Lexie would be alone, veto," Zeke stated absently.

  The waiter arrived, everyone ordered. "Anyone have any ideas about how to get rid of this guy?" Ethan asked.

  I sighed. "I do."

  "What's your idea?" Miles asked, his voice careful and neutral.

  "Why don't we all just turn and stare at him until he gets up and walks away?" I grinned.

  "That would make it very obvious,” Ethan agreed.

  "And what if it's a coincidence he's here?" Asher asked.

  "I don't think that's a possibility, what are the chances that he would be at Tulane, get on the same bus and go to the same restaurant as us?" I asked pointedly.

  "The odds are extremely small," Miles admitted.

  "So?" Ethan grinned. "Turn and stare?"

  The guys wordlessly agreed. Everyone turned in our seats in unison and stared at polo shirt man. It took several heart beats for him to look up from his phone. Gray eyes met mine, he had a square jaw, low cheekbones and a wide forehead. And the blonde hair he had was receding. I smiled sweetly as I held his gaze. He eyed the boys around me then got to his feet, left a few bills and walked out of the courtyard. As soon as he was gone we burst out laughing.

  * * *

  Miles was quiet all through the rest of lunch and our whole cab ride to the doctor's office. I wanted to leave immediately. I had a feeling this wasn't going to go well. When I finished the paperwork, I turned it in then went to sit down in the waiting room.

  Miles stayed standing, looking out the window. "Are you angry with me?"

  I kept my eyes on the opposite wall. "I'm mad at myself." I braced myself and looked over to find him watching me. "And I thought you were mad at me."

  He left the window to sit in the chair beside me. "I'm... not angry," he began. "But I still don't like that you didn't say anything to anyone about it." He turned back to me. "I thought we were past this."

  My stomach knotted. "We are, I just... I didn't want Isaac to find out how I got a concussion."

  His eyes grew warmer. "You're worried he'd blame himself."

  "You know he would," I countered.

  He nodded. "That's true. But you still could have told Rory."

  I chewed my lower corner lip. "I know, but..." I sighed and turned to meet his eyes again. "We just went through that whole almost dying stuff. And now this no exception thing..." I stopped myself and got back on topic. "I guess I didn't want to feel broken again."

  "Broken?" Those emerald eyes ran over me before meeting mine again. "Of all the things that you are, Angel, broken has never been one of them." His soft, silky voice made my eyes burn, that feeling of being loved washed over me. You'd think after almost a year that I'd be used to it. It still surprised me every time.

  I looked away at anything but him. He seemed to understand. His hand wrapped around mine.

  I threaded my fingers through his and held tight. "So, you're not pissed?"

  "I've never been that angry around you, and I'm going to do everything I can to be sure that I never will," he said, his voice quiet. His eyes were unfocused as he gazed at the floor.

  “What do you think will happen?” I asked, with a small smile. “Think the world will end?”

  His fingers squeezed mine as his eyes unfocused. “Maybe.”

  I was about to ask what he meant when the woman at the front desk called my name. I squeezed his hand and went in to the back of the office, my mind still running over his words.

  * * *

  We were just walking into the hotel room when we heard it.

  “Me podrías haber hablado coño!” Ethan shouted.

  Isaac and Ethan were on opposite sides of the living room. Both glaring at each other. Claire sat on the glass coffee table between them, her eyes wide as her gaze snapped to Isaac.

  “Cuando? Durante tu constante fiesta de lástima!” Isaac shot back. Claire’s gaze snapped back to Ethan, waiting for the next volley.

  Having enough of their shit, I stepped further into the room and grabbed Ethan's arm. "We're going for a walk."

  Ethan cursed as I pulled him out of the suite, into the elevator, out of the lobby. He kept cursing until we were out on the sidewalk.

  "What is going on with you two?" I snapped.

  He jerked his arm out of my hand and walked away from me. "Leave it alone."

  I caught up and stepped around him to block his path. "No fucking way. You and your brother have been tearing each other apart for days, what is going on?"

  His eyes boiled. "That's not my brother!" Everything stopped, Ethan's hands shook as he took deep breaths.

  "That is your brother," I told him, not understanding what he meant.

  “My brother used to fucking talk to me,” he bit out.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding. They talked all the time. Didn’t they?

  “I mean, when you guys aren’t around I might as well not even exist,” he bit out. “Since Boulder, he hasn’t said a fucking word to me.”

  It clicked. "You're fucking goading him?"

  He stared at the ground.

  “What the hell do you think you’re going to get from that?” I snapped.

  “At least he fucking talks to me when we’re yelling,” he said, his voice thick.

  My heart broke. “Ethan…”

  He shook his head and met my eyes. “Weeks. It’s been weeks. And my brother won’t even talk to me.”

  I moved to him and took his hand.

  His eyes filled as he looked away from me. “I want to be there for him but… he’s fine. He’s out doing his thing and won’t say a word to me.” He twirled his silver rings. “It’s like after the wreck all over again.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked softly.

  He took a deep breath and met my eyes. “After the wreck, I was laid up, drugged out of my mind and I didn’t see him for a week. And when he came in, he wasn’t my brother anymore.”

  “He was in a lot of pain too,” I reminded him.

  “I know.” He swallowed hard. “Once I got through my shit, I tried to be there for him. I tried to talk to him but he just… disappeared.” He looked down at me again. “I learned pretty quick if I kept it light, kept our conversations shallow then he’d be around. Anything else, and he was gone. So, that’s what we’ve been doing for the last few years. Until now.”

  “He’s your brother, Ethan. He’s just hurting.” I stepped closer, making his shadowed eyes meet mine.

  “What did I do that was so bad, that he couldn’t come to me?” He asked, his voice lost, his eyes filling again. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He held me tight against him, his face buried in the crook of my neck.

  “Nothing. You did nothing wrong,” I whispered into his ear.

  “Then why won’t he talk to me?” he rasped. "I miss him, Lexie."

  “I think he’s scared,” I said as I held him tighter. “He’s struggling every day to make his way back to normal. You just need to be patient.”

  “I’m trying.” He took several deep breaths. “It scares me when he’s quiet like this.”

  “He’s talking to me,” I admitted.

  He lifted his head off my shoulder to meet my eyes. “What?”

  “Almost every night since we got back from Boulder,” I said. “He calls me. We talk for a couple of hours and then he can finally go
to sleep.”

  He took a deep before asking. “How bad was it in there?”

  “I can’t tell you,” I said in a low voice. “So, please trust me when I say what he went through trumps anything I did with Ordin. You were patient with me. So, just be that patient with him, he’s working on it.”

  He reached up and held my cheek in his palm, his thumb stroking my skin. “I’m trying.” He lowered his forehead to mine, I closed my eyes automatically. “Thank you for being there for him when he won’t let me.”

  “I’m sorry, I don't know how else to fix this.” I really wished I did.

  He lifted his head and scowled at me. "You don't have to fix anything. It's between me and Isaac."

  “I just want everything okay again." And not just with the twins.

  His eyes ran over my face then met mine again. "They weren't okay to begin with, Beautiful."

  "I thought they were." My voice was quiet.

  Ethan reached up tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "They'll be even better once we work this out."

  I chewed the corner of my bottom lip. If only that was true. Asher knew about Zeke, it was only time until he said something and then Zeke would know. Then the others. My stomach knotted. I wrapped my hand around his and squeezed gently. Please. Please just give me more time before this all blows up.

  Ethan gave me a reassuring smile as he led me back down the block toward a taxi. “Come on, I heard Frenchmen Street has a lot more musicians.”

  We took a taxi and not long after we climbed out to Frenchmen St. Ethan was right, there were many more street performers here than on Bourbon.

  We walked from one group of musicians to the next. I started to relax and smile again. Ethan’s eyes warmed, his own smile coming back. Everything else seemed to fade into the background. All my worrying, all that anxiety. It all melted away whenever Ethan was near me. I didn’t have to worry about doing something wrong, or being anything but myself.

  At least I was relaxed until the crowd parted in time for me to watch the ghost of a man jump into the body of a woman. My jaw dropped as I came to a stop. He... she... He just jumped her! Just like that!

  “Did you see that?” Ethan breathed, stunned.

  I felt my pockets, no kit. We hadn’t been carrying them lately. There wasn't shit I could do. The woman, now possessed by a man, started striding down the street as if on a catwalk. Nice hip movement...