Reaper (Dragon Prophecies Book 1)

by Hickory Mack

  Wren examined the wound with an overly dramatic number of hems and haws. She removed the moss entirely to find that the salve she’d made into a poultice had been liquidized. It was a gross green goo, and though it had smelled herbal and fresh less than an hour ago, it now smelled sour and fetid.

  “I knew it,” Elsie laughed, poking Wren’s shoulder teasingly. The stab wound underneath was far less gruesome than it had been, and she could only think of one explanation. The spirit was using some earthy healing magic, reminding her of a druid. A type of witch that specialized in green magic, working primarily with plants.

  “You knew nothing,” Wren muttered. She retrieved her bowl and spread more of the salve over her belly. This time it was cool to the touch. “It should only need this one last application, and you’ll be fine.”

  “What’s in the poultice, Wren?” Elsie asked seriously. The spirit could bottle and sell that stuff for gold. She’d never be able to keep up with the demand once people knew how effective it was.

  “It’s nothing special, just some ingredients to kickstart your body’s natural healing abilities,” Wren stated. Elsie snorted, and she thought she heard a snicker come from Saint. He knew her body’s ability to heal as well as she did. That stab wound had been deep, and while she healed at an accelerated rate, she wasn’t that fast.

  “Alright, Wren, if you say so,” she appeased, then frowned when she realized her hand had reached out of its own accord to touch the spirit’s face. Why the hell was she still interested in Wren? Was she broken? She looked to Saint who appeared every bit as bewildered as she felt. Despite Wren’s promise that they’d still be together, she’d come to terms that she’d be giving the spirit up when she bonded with Saint.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Wren said, catching her hand. “I told you, I’ll explain when the time is right.”

  “But this doesn’t make any sense—”

  She laughed and started bandaging her up again. “I warned you that it wouldn’t. Don’t worry yourself over it too much. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s actually entirely my fault, in a way. I promise, by the time your hound is back, it will make sense.”

  “He’ll have to hurry, then,” Elsie said, staring at him until he nodded in agreement. He wouldn’t stay away any longer than was necessary. The thought of him leaving was far more irritating now that she could feel how much he’d rather not go. Only his need to keep her alive drove his motivation.

  “You need to take that elixir, and then we’ll take you to the hunters,” Wren said.

  “Right now?” she yelped, her eyes widening. “No! Wren, it hasn’t been enough. We haven’t had enough time to—”

  “Your bond is reforged, is it not?” Wren cut in.

  “It is, but what if it isn’t strong enough?” She looked over at him, panic in her eyes. Everything was happening too damned fast. She’d barely gotten an hour with him!

  “Reaper, we are on a time constraint. Every hour we drag this out is a little more of that elixir you need to drink.” Wren’s hands rested on her hips, and she gave Elsie a stern look while Frost grumbled his agreement. He was more invested than anyone else in keeping her alive.

  Saint stood beside her and took her hand, silently offering his support. When Wren held out the elixir, he was the one who took it from her. He looked at the blue liquid for a long moment, then handed it to Elsie. His emotions were hers; she could feel the anxiety rising in his stomach. A realization hit her as she imagined ways to smuggle him into the hunter compound, and she groaned.

  “He can’t come with us to the nest. You have to take him first,” she said, closing her eyes. He blinked at her and shook his head. “If the hunters find out you’re alive, they’ll kill you.”

  Saint’s brows furrowed, and he tilted his head to one side. She bit her lower lip, realizing that he had no idea what she was talking about.

  “The day I forced you to leave, I made them think I’d killed you and buried you outside of the compound. If Mordane had found out you were still alive, he’d have ordered you to be dragged back and thrown in the arena. So I staged your death. I told them you touched me, and I couldn’t abide by it,” she explained.

  Understanding lit Saint’s eyes, and he bent down to press his forehead to hers, his eyes closed. Even while they were falling apart from the forming and breaking of their bond, still reeling from each other’s loss, she’d managed to keep her mind together enough to continue protecting him. He kissed her softly, conveying everything he wanted to say. The demon was grateful to her.

  When he straightened, they stared into each other’s eyes. He squeezed her hand, and she drank half of the elixir. There was no going back now. Pushing the tiny cork back into the glass bottle, she handed it to Saint. After he double checked that it was secure, he tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping.

  The effect was far more apparent than when she’d been in the mage village. She could feel her body’s healing system start working on more than just the stab wound. Her entire body was revitalized, and though she was still tired from days of inadequate sleep, Elsie felt like she could keep going for another week. She shared a smile with Wren as the spirit watched her closely.

  “Even your color is better,” Wren praised. “Whatever they put in there to counteract the curse is working perfectly.”

  “It’s only a patch, though. No amount of what’s in that bottle will end the curse. I need to figure out what the counter is. If mi madre would come, she’d be able to tell us how to fix this in an instant. Curses are a specialty of hers,” she chuckled. The Goddess of Death carried out acts of vengeance when it suited her, particularly if someone wronged one of her favorite worshippers.

  Saint couldn’t stop staring at her. All that health and vitality and strength that she’d been missing had left him disconcerted, but now she looked a lot more like the Elsie he remembered. She wasn’t weak, never had been. It was part of his drive to get a supply of that blue shit for her. He couldn’t stand seeing her like that. This, this was more like it.

  “We should go,” Wren said, unrelenting in her drive to get everything started. Saint held Elsie’s gaze and nodded once before he crushed her to him, holding her like it was the last time they’d ever see each other. Elsie clung to him, breathing in his scent and committing it to memory.

  “You have to come back,” she whispered.

  “I will, Mistress,” he whispered back, his mouth half an inch from her ear.

  “I’m going to spend every day thinking of ways to convince you to forgive me.”

  “Start with a promise to seal the bond when I return,” he whispered, sending heat from her head to her toes. Once it was sealed, there was nothing that could come between them. Their lives would be irrevocably tied together. “Prove to me that you’ll never abandon me or reject me again. I’ll consider it a payment toward your considerable debt.”

  That request was like a knife in her heart. She’d hurt this man so deeply. She would spend the rest of her life showing him how much he meant to her.

  “I promise,” she said. He pushed her back half a step so he could kiss her one more time. The longing between them was almost enough to start the forest on fire. When he finally pulled away, she raised up on her tiptoes, keeping contact for one last second. He cupped her cheeks then finally tore his eyes away from hers, the act a physical pain to both of them.

  He looked to Wren and nodded again, but when she reached for him, he recoiled. Elsie blinked in surprise, feeling how repulsive he found the idea of touching another woman. After a deep breath, he allowed the spirit to grab his wrist. Wren gave her a dirty look and pointed at her.

  “You stay exactly where you are. If I come back and have to hunt you down through some chain of dimensions because you’ve decided to be a brat, I’ll be incredibly pissed off.” Half a second later, they were gone.

  Elsie stared at the space they’d occupied for far too long. Her demon and her spirit would already be over a thousand miles a
way by now. He felt so far, the bond stretching to accommodate the distance while also stubbornly trying to drag them back together. Whatever was going on, he seemed incredibly annoyed, but Elsie took some comfort from the knowledge that she could still feel him.

  She vaguely wondered where in Mexico Wren would take him. As long as they were beyond the vampires, he’d be safe. Saint was smart and strong enough to take care of himself.

  Alone in the forest with only Frost and Frida, the world around her was far too quiet. Her ears made up for it with a loud ringing as they grew far too hot. Elsie’s chest ached as it hadn’t since the first time she’d sent Saint away. Frost came and stood close to her side, looking out into the woods, offering his support without intruding on her grief. She leaned into him and pressed her face into the fur on his shoulder. If she cried any tears, they were lost in anonymity.

  Frida climbed down and demanded attention until Elsie picked her up, cradling the softly purring cat in her arms. Wren returned several minutes later, a ponderous smile on her face.

  “Your mate is adorable. I think he secretly hates me,” she said. Elsie rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “I told him a secret,” Wren laughed. “Trust me, he won’t be wasting any time down there.”

  “Why do you have to tease him?”

  “I was wondering if I could get him to talk to me.” Wren shrugged. “He just turned kinda purplish and stomped away.”

  “What was the secret?”

  “If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a secret.”

  Elsie sighed and pet Frida. She obviously wasn’t going to get any answers out of the spirit, so she went to the fire pit and started cleaning up. Wren had left everything a mess, but she couldn’t blame her. She’d been more concerned with helping her heal than leaving a mess behind. The spirit joined her, making the job go by more quickly.

  “The closest human colony is east of here. Each colony has a nest dedicated to raising and training hunters, so they would be able to get word to someone with access to Cornick or Commander Grant. However, Callum told me the facility they need help with is in the South. Colony One is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, on the Arkansas River. I think it’s our best option,” Elsie said.

  Wren listened attentively and nodded. She knew the land better than anybody, and the area Elsie described held no secrets from her. Wren made sure they weren’t leaving anything behind then handed Elsie her backpack. Once everything was in place, she set one hand on the reaper and the other on the wolf.

  The ground snaked past in a blur of color, and Elsie’s stomach dropped out. Her ears popped, then they slammed into place. She lost her balance, but Wren had anticipated her reaction and caught her before she fell. Frida hissed angrily, chattering at the spirit in disapproving growls and mewls. Frost wavered on his huge feet but kept himself upright, shaking out his fur as though trying to shake off the whole event.

  “That was awful,” Elsie complained, holding her stomach. She hadn’t yet decided if she was going to puke.

  “A bit bumpier than usual,” Wren said. “There were mountains in the way. I can’t exactly be blamed for that, can I?”

  Elsie ignored her, looking around at their vastly different surroundings. Mountains dominated the skyline in one direction, and in the other direction, everything was flat. In between everything was hills and outcroppings, with a swift-moving river running through it.

  “It’s a much happier river these days,” Wren commented. “Most of the people polluting it left over two hundred years ago. The colony you mentioned is where humans live, yes? They’re the only current source of pollution in this river. It’s healthier than it was.”

  Elsie frowned. She hadn’t spent much time among the colonies, but she did know they weren’t supposed to be causing pollution. It was a part of the pact they’d made with the witch and her mates who’d saved them from the vampires. Not much had been expected of the humans, only to be kind to the creatures around them and be good stewards of the Earth. Apparently they hadn’t kept either of their vows.

  Even generations apart from the humans who’d destroyed the Earth, they couldn’t help but exploit the resources around them. It saddened Elsie that Wren seemed so pleased with any amount of destruction at all. There shouldn’t be any.

  “Can you tell where the pollution is coming from? Is it upstream or down?” Elsie asked.

  “Up, and not far. We can walk, and I want to speak with you before we get there,” Wren said.

  “Are you going to change into your doe form again?” Elsie asked. “Have a complicated past with the hunters as well as the mages?” The spirit had already told Elsie how she felt about her former employers.

  “Oh, no, it’s not complicated at all. I fucking hate them.” Wren smiled pleasantly. Elsie choked slightly, then laughed. It still struck her as strange when the most angelic-looking creature she’d ever seen cursed. It just felt profane when it came from Wren.

  “You mentioned something about it once before,” Elsie said, getting her laughter under control.

  “Never you mind. There are more important things to discuss,” Wren said, leading her up the river. The hike was more difficult than their travels through Oregon, but Elsie tackled it with no problem. It was a fantastic feeling, to have her fae strength back. She’d never take it for granted again.

  “As I said, I intend to follow you to wherever the hunters end up taking you, so I’ll always be nearby. You’ll have Frida and the wolf, so you won’t be alone.”

  Elsie stared at her, waiting for the negative part of what Wren needed to say to drop.

  “I can’t come to the other dimension with you. If you let yourself get locked up there, I won’t be able to come find you,” Wren admitted. Her earlier threat had all been a bluff. “I’m Earthbound. My life and magic are tied to this planet. Unlike your mate, I cannot follow you across the stars.”

  Another piece of the thousand piece puzzle that was Wren’s identity was thrown onto the table, but Elsie couldn’t make sense of the pieces she had. She grabbed Wren’s hand, pulling her to a stop, and when the spirit turned around, she kissed her.

  “I don’t know why I still want you,” Elsie stated plainly. “But it’s enough to know that it doesn’t matter to me if you can leave Earth or not. Once all of this shit is over, I’m willing to stay here for you. Besides, Saint has never been interested in exploring other dimensions. He always said the idea of it weirded him out.”

  “I won’t ask you to stay on Earth. I fully expect that the wanderlust will hit you one of these days, but when that time comes, I’ll wait for you,” Wren said. Her eyes conveyed so much more that she wanted to say but couldn’t. Not yet.

  “I wish you’d just tell me. Stop keeping secrets.”

  “Not yet. I kind of want it to be a surprise. I will accompany you into the nest and help you deal with the hunters,” Wren said, but Elsie shook her head.

  “Are you a demon?” she asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to that.

  “No.”

  “They’ll think you are.”

  “Does it matter? You’re a reaper! Your kind are regularly surrounded by magical creatures. You don’t have to play by their rules.”

  “What if I told you I don’t want you to go because I don’t want to share your body with the hundreds of people who will be in whatever nest is ahead of us?” Elsie questioned. Wren grinned, threw her hands above her head, and twirled. A solid white, knee-length dress folded itself around her. The gratuitous amount of fabric floated around her, dripping with as much gold and pearls as the vines among her antlers.

  “Is this better?” Wren asked, batting her eyes flirtily. She looked so damned good Elsie wanted to peel the dress back off of her again.

  “You sneak!”

  Wren cackled and danced out of the way when Elsie tried to grab her, but the spirit stayed two steps ahead of her, teasing and dodging whenever Els
ie closed in on her. They were both laughing when Wren suddenly gave up, a wicked smile on her face and mischief in her eyes.

  Elsie brushed the spirit’s long white hair off her shoulder, then bent down and kissed her. The heat she’d thought would only exist for Saint flared up in response. She wanted Wren every bit as much as she had before.

  “I like it when you’re like this,” Wren teased, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. She deepened their kiss, counting it as a victory when Elsie closed her eyes and melted into her. After a few minutes, they broke apart and Wren gave her a devilish smile. “If I’d have known wearing clothes would bother you so much, I would have done it sooner!”

  “I fucking knew it,” Elsie grumbled. The spirit had been making excuses about why she didn’t wear them before. Wren laughed and took her hand, leading her to the top of the hill they were climbing. They paused, and Frost’s lip curled in distaste. Below them, stretched out in a valley and domed by a barrier, was a human nest.

  It was a sprawling thing, with no real center to create a sense of order. Clusters of housing units and businesses were scattered around with no apparent planning for accessibility. As part of the first colony, the haphazard way it was put together made sense. The coven who’d saved those first humans had probably been more concerned with safety than making sense of the nest’s layout.

  Even from atop the hill, Elsie could see that the barrier was stronger here than those protecting the nests further north. Though there was quite a distance between here and the vampire kingdoms, this was the closest colony to the place they’d escaped. It made her wonder if there were anti-anxiety chemicals in the water here, too, or if the humans in the first colony were made of tougher stuff than that.

  It appeared as though this nest’s trade had something to do with textiles. Fields of sheep and alpaca were interwoven throughout the entire nest, dotting it with squares of brown instead of green. It was a bit of a shock to Elsie. It was typically forbidden for nests to have non-protective animals or plants, but she could clearly see several trees.