by Nikki Landis
“Trouble?” Kellen’s concerned voice engulfed me in warmth. If only he had the power to take us away, far away, where no harm would ever reach me or Aedan again.
I smiled up at him, brushing the soft brown curls that draped over his brow off his face. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
He pressed a tender kiss to my lips. “Are you sure you’re alright? I have the strangest feeling.”
The hardest thing I’ve ever done is hold back my tears. Selfishly I wanted to pull him close and stay in his arms forever. “I’m fine. Honest.” I turned to my former patient. “How are you Seasnan?”
He grinned, his handsome features lighting up the room. Fair haired with piercing blue eyes, tall and broad shouldered, with a lean muscular frame; he was exactly as all Guardians were. The DNA never lied. “Well, thanks to you. How are you Renee? Kellen hasn’t stopped talking about you since –”
“That’s enough,” Kellen growled as I laughed.
“Well, I guess I should be flattered.”
Kellen reddened but winked in my direction. “Is that fresh bread I smell?”
One thing about Guardians, they were big eaters. To supplement my grocery bill Kellen often left money or brought supplies with him. As much as I refused, he continued to do it anyway. I gave up since it was nice to have someone care. The concept was too new to me. A shame I was wary of kindness but in my experience it always came with a price.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. I walked Kellen to the door as Seasnan discreetly took a walk. Once we were alone his mouth sought mine. For long minutes we didn’t separate until we were forced apart to breathe.
“I have a mission. I’m going to be gone for a few days helping my father. The Council has requested our presence in Cornell.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.” He nuzzled his nose to mine. “I would miss my girl too much.”
My smile was so forced I thought for certain he would notice. All I wanted to do was weep. After tonight, I could never see him again. “I’ll miss you too Kellen, more than you’ll ever know.”
“Baby, the last few months have been the happiest I’ve ever been. Don’t be afraid I won’t come back. Nothing could keep me from you.”
That’s what I was afraid of. “I know. Travel safely.”
His soft kiss landed on my lips. “Goodbye my love.”
Long after he was gone, I stared out into the forest and pale moonlight. For the first time in my life I wished I was worthy of the man who declared his love so easily but I wasn’t. He would see that soon. I would break his heart, not intentionally but bad girls like me, we always managed to mess everything up. Maybe I was cursed. Maybe I didn’t deserve to have love. Maybe I was the pathetic and useless girl I’ve always been told.
The only thing I knew for certain was that midnight was coming much too fast.
WHEN THE CLOCK STRUCK midnight Aedan pulled me close, a sword in his hand. He thought he had a choice, but he was wrong. The choice was taken from him when I agreed to the bargain. I was the only one who could decide his fate, as much as he didn’t want that to be true. My answer required no thought or deliberation. It was made the moment the option was presented. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. If I could save him, I would.
Death was punctual, arriving at exactly midnight.
Cloaked in darkness, his wide towering frame dwarfed the trees surrounding my home. I heard his deep sinister voice calling my name. He enjoyed the pain and suffering we felt, knowing this bargain would tear us apart. I was afraid I would lose my brother. He wasn’t going to forgive my choice.
Aedan escorted me outside and we crossed together, his arm around me the entire time. We stopped only feet away from the host of demons, shadow, and malevolent creatures whose evil presence penetrated the air around us. An aura of rotting death closed in.
Would we both survive this night?
“Your choice?”
Aedan held his sword high, pointing it toward Death like he could destroy him with a simple blade. “I go. She stays.”
“Boy, the choice is not yours to make.”
“It’s my soul,” he countered, taking a fighting stance.
“Which is already lost. There is only the bargain. No other option.”
“Because you choose not to give one!”
Death sneered. “I have many options, none of which you would survive.”
“Enough.” I turned to Aedan. “I’m sorry. You have to accept this.”
“No!” He shouted, shaking me with his free hand. “Don’t do it Renee. I beg you.”
“I’ve no other choice Aedan. Love makes the hard choices. You’ll have to understand that, no matter how angry you become.”
He was being foolish. His choices led us here, not that I blamed him. I understand the rationale behind what he did to my father but it tainted his soul. He would be destroyed, succumbing to the very evil he sought to rid the world of, unless I intervened.
“I choose his place. Set my brother free.”
The roar from my brother was the only indication that he heard me. Before Aedan could act we disappeared, leaving him standing alone in the forest at midnight. We didn’t actually leave but Aedan didn’t know that. A haze surrounded us, like a filmy fog and then began to lift. I was still in the forest. Aedan was only feet away from me and yet we couldn’t be farther apart.
“Where are we?”
“The fade.”
“Fade? I don’t understand.”
“Only when your soul is tainted can you walk through the veil,” Death explained, “you are one of us now. A Shadow Hunter.”
My brother’s cry of despair brought me to my knees. He was searching the darkness, unable to find me. “Will I ever be able to see him again?”
“Yes, but not tonight. You must sign your contract in blood.”
“My blood?”
“Come Renee, your fate awaits.” He would give no answers and he didn’t owe me an explanation. I belonged to the Darkness now and at the mercy of Death.
Tears blurred my vision but not before I saw the look of agony and rage cross Aedan’s features.
Please, I thought, don’t let him do something dangerous.
If I was praying, it certainly wasn’t to God. He never heard me anyway.
Chapter 5
I held the parchment in my hand, reading over the contract that sealed my fate. My fingers were stiff, my entire frame fighting against a cold hard shiver. I tried to make sense of the words but I was too worried about Aedan. He was reckless and quick to react instead of being rational. If he sought the drink like my father, I would go back and throttle him.
Death picked up my hand and turned it palm side up. With one of his long sharp nails he sliced the tip of my finger and watched as the blood began to rise up to the surface of my skin.
“Sign.”
I winced, the sting only a momentary distraction.
With a flourish I signed my name, staring at the crimson stain as it began to glow for several seconds and then vanished, sinking into the thick paper. Death picked up the document as it rolled into a long scroll and began to shrink, until no sign of its presence existed.
“And now?” I asked, certain I didn’t want to know the answer.
Death smiled a cunning and vicious grin. “Now you belong to me.”
My skin began to crawl, itching like a thousand insects were trampling across my body.
“I’m tired. May I take a nap?”
Death tilted his head to the side in humor. “You have just become Shadow and you want a nap?” His loud chuckle filled the room. “Take your nap but return to me when I call.”
I blushed, and it wasn’t from the fiery heat of the Underworld. Why was Hell so hot? Why did flames have to cling to the walls of every cavern? And if it wasn’t fire and blood, then it was the empty darkness and the volcanic rock that filled every inch of space.
A most unpleasant place to rema
in, especially long term.
Once I was shown to my chamber, a Gothic room of crimson and ebony with flames shooting up the far wall, I collapsed on the bed. Closing my eyes, I willed myself to block everything out but my fatigue. Who knew what I would be forced to endure here? I would need every ounce of strength I possessed to survive and find a way to break this contract.
For now, I let slumber overtake me until I had to return to my living nightmare.
“RENEE.”
The deep voice in my head was a command. I bolted upright, wide awake. “Yes?”
“Come.”
Death was not in my room but close. I knew exactly where to find him, as if a roadmap now existed in my head where none had before. He must have known this, for he was standing and ready when I entered his chamber of horrors. Keeping my eyes from the Lake of Eternal Fire, the tortured souls, and remnants of his last meal; I joined Death at his side.
“You have become Shadow but not Hunter. This night you will be initiated.”
Initiated? That sounded bad.
I swallowed my fear. “As you wish.”
Death’s smile was arrogant as he led me from the chamber and passed the living wall of flames that burned but didn’t scorch us as we passed. How was that possible?
I was still flesh, still human. I could be injured. My blood was smeared onto that contract only last night. So how did I just walk through fire unscathed?
Death smirked next to me as if he knew what I was thinking. His clawed talons scraped the floor as he swung his massive body through the dark corridors of the Underworld. I had to assume that he was able to see in the near pitch black nothing that surrounded us but I stumbled and bumped into occasional walls.
“Your blindness will not be an issue soon.”
I sighed, out loud. “I suppose it’s one of the perks of becoming Shadow Hunter.”
Death laughed loudly, his continued chuckles echoing and bouncing off the walls, straight up my rather stiff spine. “Indeed.”
I was led into a chamber full of cages that hung suspended from the cavern ceiling by heavy thick chains. Body shaped cages contained single bodies that were rotting throughout the room, perhaps as a deterrent for unwanted defiance. The larger cages held dozens of captives at a time, piled on each other, their grimy fingers reaching toward me for help.
Did they sense I was alive?
“Meet my first in command.”
I hadn’t noticed the dark cloaked figure before me until he walked away from the wall where he was hidden in shadow. Nice. Shadows hiding in the shadows. No irony or lack of imagination there.
I arched a fine brow and awaited the man who sauntered forward with an aura of sinister intent. His eyes never left my face, watching the play of emotions with interest.
“She’s Shadow.” The deep voice filled the room as I resisted the urge to run.
What was he?
“Yes,” Death answered.
“But not Hunter.”
“Not yet.”
The man continued to move toward me, his ebony cloak blocking his features. Once he was close enough, he stopped, only a foot away from me. Raising gloved hands, he pushed the hood back, exposing his face for the first time.
I screamed.
Death laughed as he caught my arm before I bolted from the room.
“What are you?” I screeched, fighting Death’s hold.
“Be still,” he commanded as I ceased my struggles.
“The companion of Death. The harvester of souls. The harbinger of impending demise.”
I tilted my head to the side, contemplating his answer. “You’re the Grim Reaper.”
He smiled a wide toothy grin. “Not the Grim Reaper, only a Reaper. We are many and serve the ultimate harvester of souls – Death himself.”
Death nodded, pleased at the Reaper’s obvious allegiance. “He is first of my Reapers. An honor he has earned.” Turning away from me he addressed the Reaper. “You will mentor her.”
The only reaction was a stiffening of the Reaper’s towering frame, consisting of bone and meager flesh that attached his body together. No actual lungs for breathing air. No actual heart to pump blood throughout his body. No actual brain to control his movement and speech.
He was muscle, sinew, bone, and ligaments – but nothing else...
And yet here he stood.
I might have been frightened if I wasn’t so completely mesmerized.
The Reaper seemed amused, getting over his temporary anger. I knew he wasn’t keen on the idea of mentoring me but he would do what he was told. The consequences would be severe. No one needed to tell me that for the truth to be understood.
“I will mentor her.”
“Good.”
“Give me your hand.”
My wrist rose in obedience when Death suddenly caught it and sliced across my palm. Before I could do more than whimper in alarm Death had sliced his thumb and placed it over my cut. I knew the second his blood mixed with mine I would be forever changed. Heat coursed through my veins, burning and singeing at the nerve endings as my entire body felt scorched by the agony of Death’s poisonous blood. When mixed with the Taint now present on my soul, I became a different person than I was prior to this night.
I was altered.
Even as I felt the burning subside I knew the changes taking over were not finished. My palms were itching, to the point of scratching off my skin. They began to burn like my veins but instead of slowing ebbing away the heat began to build and glow a brilliant fiery red. Flames appeared over my skin, licking their way to the surface and hovering, as if this was perfectly normal.
I flung my hands away from my body. In horror I watched flames burst from my skin and hit the bodies of several demons, scorching them on the spot. They burst into clouds of ebony soot. I gaped at my palms, totally shocked.
“You have some of my power now. You will wield the flames of Death to do my bidding. Other powers may manifest. If they do, inform me at once.” Death was speaking to the Reaper.
“Yes, master.”
Death spun and quit the chamber, his light laughter echoing down the halls.
“What now?” I asked, watching the flames as they danced over my skin.
“We finish your initiation.”
I really didn’t want to ask. “What’s that?”
The Reaper shook his head, pulling me along. “You’ll see.”
“NO WAY,” I ANSWERED, folding my arms across my chest. “I won’t do it.”
The Reaper narrowed his dark eyes. Funny, you wouldn’t think he would have them, but he did. There certainly wasn’t a kind soul lingering in his body but I detected the presence of an old spirit deep inside him.
My jaw dropped.
I detected the presence of his soul. I could see his aura!
Wow, he was one dark guy.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed in excitement.
“What now?”
“I can sense your soul!”
“Is it at all possible that you could stop being so excited about everything? This trial is supposed to be annoying and tedious for you. Why are you so....happy?”
He shivered as if the thought of happiness was evil. Perhaps it was his definition of it, in this hellish existence neither of us could escape. I bet he loved the carnage.
“I’m curious. There’s a difference.”
“Well, be curious about your mission, not my blasted soul.”
I giggled. “You’re easily triggered by your frustration, aren’t you?”
A low growl vibrated in his throat. “Calm down Reaper.”
He spun in a quick circle, shocking me when I looked up and saw a Reaper twice his normal size. A sharp sickle appeared in his right hand. Anger and cruelty vibrated from his frame. Even so, I wasn’t afraid.
“You’re much bigger now. How did you do that?”
He shrank before my eyes. “Does everything humor you?” Grumbling under his breath, he scowled at me like he was reprimanding
a naughty child.
I coughed to hide my laugh. “Where’s your sickle?”
“My scythe only appears when I am in a murderous mood.”
My loud laughter echoed across the forest. “That explains a lot.”
Despite his obvious attempt to hide it, the corners of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Come on, we have work to do.”
I dug my heels into the dirt. “Nope.” He almost made me forget. “I won’t do it.”
“You don’t have a choice little Hunter. You signed the contract in your own blood. That was the end of your free will.”
“Was it the same for you?”
“No,” he answered abruptly. “Stop asking so many questions and stalling. Your prey approaches.”
Damn. “What do I have to do?”
“First, shut up so you can concentrate. Second, use your senses.”
I closed my eyes. Using all of my senses, I could hear the sound of footsteps drawing closer. I could smell a faint scent of death and decay. Heavy breathing filled my ears, like the pounding of a horse’s hooves upon the ground.
“What do you sense?”
“I can hear footsteps and heavy breathing.”
“Anything else?”
“I smell something rotten.”
“Like sulfur?”
I nodded.
“The Taint.”
“What?” I asked, distracted.
“You smell the Taint of a tarnished soul.”
“Why does it stink like that?” I wrinkled my nose.
He chuckled. “Because it is marked for destruction. Only souls who have committed great crimes carry this smell. The stench is of the demons and malevolent of the Underworld, the mark of Death.”
“Huh, that makes sense.”
“Now you can finish your initiation.”
“How?” I asked, feeling frustrated.
“Hunt.”
It was that precise moment when I realized the sun had set and the surrounding area was cloaked in darkness but I had no trouble seeing everything around me. My vision was clear, precise, and perfect. So this was what Death meant. I was no longer blind. A fantastic perk of becoming a Shadow Hunter, I must admit.
