by ID Johnson
Cutter laughed. “Because we don’t operate that way. And that would be hard in other realms. We could also accidentally shoot the person the Reaper is trying to collect. We just… don’t kill them so much as banish them.”
“Okay,” Ru said, accepting that answer even though she’d have to think on it more. “And what about the good Reapers?” she continued.
“What about them?”
“I think Nat said now they’d be all messed up, too, unable to get directions on which bodies to claim. He made it seem like closing this portal would make things worse.”
“Of course he did,” Cutter muttered, dragging his hand down his face. He had a bit of stubble along his jawline, and Ru couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked unshaven. “Listen, Ru, whatever he did to get you in a situation where he could speak to you, he did it in order to make you feel bad for what we’d done and to confuse you. Reapers know who is marked and who is unmarked the same way that we know when a Reaper is nearby. We feel it. They don’t need orders. The only Reapers who need to check in with Azrael or anyone else in Hell are the ones who are up to no good.”
“So, Azrael doesn’t send out instructions every day to each one of them?”
“No,” Cutter assured her, a smirk of amusement on his face which echoed of disbelief.“Are you sure?” She seemed to recall Nat trying to convince her that she couldn’t trust the Keepers to tell her the truth because they weren’t really the “good guys” they pretended to be.
“Yes, I’m sure, Ru. He’s just trying to confuse you. He still wants your power. If they had you, not only could they use your powers against us, they’d also be preventing you from harming them. He can see the writing on the wall. They’re not meant to be doing what they are doing, and eventually, it will be corrected. Taking you out of the picture eliminates the most real threat to their existence there has ever been.”
His words made perfect sense, and she wanted to believe everything he said. Certainly, Cutter had proven himself trustworthy time and again while Nat had lied to her and betrayed her trust. Still, there was a small nagging in the back of her mind. What if Cutter didn’t know the truth?
“And that was not your father at the portal opening, Ru.”
Her eyes flew up to meet his. “What do you mean? The man trying to get through the portal?” He nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think so either. I mean, not after a few minutes anyway. But who… what was it?”
“It was a demon trying to trick you. Demons feel different than Reapers. I’m sure you sensed that.”
Ru nodded. Last night had been her first experience with demons, that she had recognized anyway, and she distinctly remembered the sensations coming from the bull and bird-creature being different than the Reapers. “Why was it easier for me to send the demons back to Hell than the Reapers?”
“Because the Reapers were ready to fight. Those low-level demons weren’t aware of what was happening. They just saw an opportunity to escape.”
“Those were low-level demons?” Ru asked, surprised.
Cutter nodded. “The more powerful ones will be more difficult to capture and destroy.”
Ru shook her head in disbelief. She hoped she would never come face to face with any of them, but something told her when she found the next portal, there’d be a lot more chaos there to greet her.
“Come on, Ru,” Cutter said. “Let’s head back to the house and get some sleep. It’s almost midnight.”
He started to stand, but she grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled him back down. “Wait. There’s something else I need to ask you about.”
Cutter raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s that?”
With a deep breath, Ru said, “Your sister. Did… that is… Cinder knows about my mom, right?”
His forehead knit together in confusion. “Yeah, she knows.”
“Cutter, Cinder is the one who told Sky about Maggie’s whereabouts.” She said the words without a hint of doubt. It had become very clear to her that Cinder was the only possibility, and she felt confident in revealing her discovery, despite the fact that he wasn’t going to like it.
“What?” Cutter asked, already shaking his head. “No, Ru. She wouldn’t do that.”
“She did, Cutter. I remember now. I know I saw her on the beach.” Even though she hadn’t recognized her at the time, she was certain it was Cinder who’d been chasing Nat.
Still shaking his head, Cutter said, “Ru, I think Nat has tricked you into thinking you saw something that you didn’t see.”
She could see the conflict in his eyes and didn’t want to make him feel that way. “Maybe,” she said with a shrug, though it was a concession, and he could probably tell. “Nevertheless, I need to speak with her. I promise, I’ll be nice, but I want to see if she’ll tell me the truth if I confront her.”
Cutter opened his mouth as if he would protest, but then he closed it. Inhaling sharply, he dropped his eyes to the ground and then slowly nodded his head before saying, “Okay, Ru. If that’s what you want to do.”
“That’s what I want to do.”
He was quiet for a moment before saying, “I’ll check on your mom when we get back. I’m sure Sky’s been cordial, but I know you’re worried.”
“Thank you.”
He gave her a weak smile, and Ru realized he had to be just as exhausted and sore as she was. He also had a head injury that might need stitches. “Ready?”
“Yeah,” she replied, locking eyes with him once more. His smile widened and then he looked away.
Cutter was able to get up much more quickly than Ru was, and once he was standing, he offered her both hands, which she took, and he pulled her up. As she stood, he pulled her closer, and Ru stepped in so that she was only about an inch from his face. An awkward giggle escaped her lips, and Cutter laughed as well. But then his expression went serious, and Ru felt the intensity of his stare. She held his gaze as his hand came up and brushed her hair back again, but this time his hand lingered on her cheek, and Ru leaned into it. His thumb brushed her cheekbone, and Ru raised her hand to cover his, holding it there.
Ru’s breath caught in her throat as Cutter’s eyes fell to her lips and then met her eyes again. She placed her free hand on his chest, inhaling him. No longer the fresh scent she was used to, there was something about the smell of his sweat and blood that made her long for him even more. He’d certainly proven his loyalty to her on the battlefield. Now, Ru felt even more ready than she ever had before to acknowledge that his feelings for her were reciprocated.
As his lips came down to find hers, Ru slipped her hand up around the back of his neck. His mouth was warm and soft, just as she’d imagined it would be. She parted her lips to let him in. The electricity she felt each time they touched intensified as his tongue danced along with hers and his arm came around her waist to pull her closer. The rest of the world melted away as Ru was enveloped by Cutter, his arms creating a safe haven in an otherwise uncertain world. He had been the anchor in her storm, the one who had believed in her before she even believed in herself. Now, locked in his embrace, Ru had a moment of clarity unlike any she’d ever felt before. For the first time in her life, Ru knew where she belonged.
Cutter released her lips and rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes flickered open to find his closed, as if he was breathing her in. It was difficult to tell from his expression whether he was regretting his decision to kiss her or if it was something else. “Cutter?” she whispered. He made a small noise to let her know he was listening. “Are you okay?”
His eyes opened and fell on hers. “Yes,” he replied. “I, uh….”
“You’re not going to apologize, are you?” Ru asked quietly, a small smile beginning to play at the corners of her lips.
“No?”
Ru couldn’t help but giggle. How had she become the confident one while he was teetering on the brink of uncertainty? He looked confused, as if he couldn’t quite figure out what was funny. “Come on. Let’s go home.” Ru grabbe
d his hand and pulled him along for the first two steps as he pondered her question.
They approached the edge of the ravine, and Cutter seemed to snap out of his stupor. “Oh, let me go up, and I’ll help you.”
“That’s okay,” Ru replied. Without putting too much thought into it, she imagined herself levitating, and in an instant, her feet were off the ground.
“Hey, when did you learn to do that?” Cutter asked, floating up beside her.
Ru shrugged. “I figured it out.” She turned and smiled at him, still gripping his hand tightly in hers, and Cutter returned the grin. Once her feet touched down on the ground again, Ru let out a sigh. Never in a million years would she have ever imagined this life for herself, but this is where she was, and as much as she missed teaching, she didn’t regret her decision—for now anyway. Perhaps someday she’d find a way to live both the lives she loved.
“You ready to head to the house?” Cutter asked, observing her with that puzzled expression on his face.
“Yep,” Ru replied and began to walk along with him again, but in her heart, she knew she was already home.
Chapter 7
Accessing Hell from a portal wasn’t quite possible from Nat’s current location, so when his father had summoned him, he’d had to comply through other means. Meeting Azrael, even in another realm, could be both uncomfortable and dangerous, so as Nat waited in what appeared to be an antechamber in a palace he’d never visited before, he paced the floor.
The room was poorly lit, with black marble flooring which transitioned to dark stone where it met the walls. There were no windows, and even the ceiling, with its ornate flying buttresses, was ominous. The gloominess matched his mood, and he feared, would fit his father’s disposition as well.
Failing at holding Ru off under the circumstances was almost inevitable. He’d been demanding more assistance from other realms for weeks as she grew stronger. It seemed those who commanded the demons felt there was little use in wasting their resources on an elementary school teacher who didn’t even know how to levitate, but they were proven undeniably wrong, and now Nat feared he wouldn’t be the one sounding the alarm but rather the scapegoat.
The solid bronze doors in front of him opened, and he knew that was his signal to enter. With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders, resolved to meet his demon father with confidence, even if it was all a façade.
Azrael was in his human form, though it was just one of the many he could take. He preferred to appear as an older gentleman with graying hair and a full beard and mustache, though he could choose whichever face he wanted. Today, the face he wore was angry. He sat on a throne, high up on a dais, and Nat assumed that was so that he could peer down at him like a boy with a magnifying glass inspecting an ant.
“You requested to see me, Father?” Nat asked, tipping his head in respect, though he didn’t bow. His father wasn’t a ruler, after all.
Azrael cleared his throat and stared for a moment, his green eyes boring through Nat’s head. “Thanatos,” he said slowly, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his elaborate chair. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Would you care to enlighten me as to how a band of misfit Keepers, led by Michael’s reject grandson and a schoolteacher, managed to decimate your troops yesterday and obliterate one of our last venues between worlds?”
His father had a flair for the dramatic. Cutter was hardly a reject, and Michael’s great-great-great-grandson at best. And Ru—he definitely had her wrong. But then, his father had refused to see how dangerous she was from the very beginning. “The girl,” Nat began, trying to focus on the information his father needed and not her stunning face or long blonde hair, “she’s immensely powerful, Father. She has the talents of a Keeper as well as the sheer power of a Reaper. It will take something much stronger than my ragtag group of Reapers to stop someone like that.”
“Clearly.” Azrael replied, rolling his eyes.
“Father,” Nat said, taking a step forward. “As I’ve been saying all along, Rune’s power is beyond anything we have yet to experience. We desperately need for her to connect with her Reaper half so that we can wield that power against the Keepers. If we can find a way to harness….”
“Have you not tried that already?” Azrael asked, his booming voice cutting Nat off. “Did you not attempt to bring her under your wing?”
Once again, the sting of failure hit Nat in the gut. He remembered how close his ruse, pretending to be Kyle, had been to working. Ru had developed true feelings for him. If only he had taken his time and prolonged things a bit more, perhaps she would have completely fallen under his spell. “I have,” he admitted.
“And what of the child you attempted to take? She foiled that, too, didn’t she?”
Nat thought back to the night he’d threatened to claim Ira, the little autistic boy Ru cherished. She’d found a way to escape him then, as well. “I know I haven’t figured out a way to be successful yet, Father, but with some help from your world, I know I can be.”
“Help from us you shall have,” Azrael replied, “but not toward the goal you seek.”
Confused, Nat studied his father’s face for a moment before asking, “What do you mean?”
“Thanatos, no longer will you pursue the daughter of Larkin and Seraphina in an attempt to secure her for our side. From this day forward, your mission shall be to destroy her.”
Nat felt his breath catch in his throat. He took a step backward, unable to believe his ears. “But, Father… we need her….
“I need you to do exactly as I say, Thanatos!” Azrael’s words boomed through the room, ricocheting off the marble hall, causing Nat to grab his head as the vibration turned to pain. “This game that you are playing has not gone unnoticed. We lost the opportunity to take her mother. We will not let her slip through our fingers as well. Now, if you are not capable of doing as I command, then I shall find someone else who can!”
“No,” Nat replied, shaking his head. How many times had Azrael threatened to take away his command? To banish him to the ranks of common Reapers? To lessen his power in favor of someone else? This time, Nat was sure this was not an empty threat, and there were others who would gladly fill his boots. “No, Father. I will do as you say.”
“Very good.” Azrael leaned back against his throne, apparently satisfied with his son’s answer. “Now, I have a legion of demons, Reapers, and other creatures forming to assist you. Do you think you can take out one tiny teacher with the assistance of three thousand of our kind?”
Swallowing hard, Nat nodded.
“I will send them through as soon as they are prepared. In the meantime, are you certain that she does not know the location of the two portals that remain?”
Once again, Nat’s head rocked up and down, slowly. “I’m certain she doesn’t know.”
“Should that change, you will find a way to inform me at once. That is understood?”
“Yes, Father.”
With a wave of his hand, Azrael said, “That is all,” and Nat wasted no time turning on his heel and heading toward the door. “Oh, and Thanatos,” his father called after him, causing him to pause and turn back to face him, “Don’t make me regret my decision. One way or another, Rune will be destroyed. It’s just a matter of whether or not you destroy yourself along with her.”
Ru opened her eyes to take in an exquisite sunset full of pinks and oranges beginning to slip beyond the horizon. Though she stood in a desert where the sand was painted in similar tones, there was a light breeze and she didn’t feel hot, nor was the air dry. Off in the distance, she spied an oasis and headed in that direction, her boots seeming to stay on top of the sand perfectly without a cloud of dust following.
The oasis consisted of four palm trees that shaded a center area where comfortable wicker chairs with plush white cushions sat at each corner, and a table full of fruit and tropical drinks sat in the center. Her hostess occupied one of the chairs and smiled as she approached. “Ru, how are you?”
; “I’m okay,” Ru nodded, taking the seat Cinder offered to her “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. How are you?”
“Busy,” she replied, though she smiled. “I hope this place is inviting enough for you. I know the heat can get to some people, but I’ve always loved the desert.”
“I suppose that makes your assignment to the Middle East ideal,” Ru replied, adjusting in her chair.
“Yes, it really does,” Cinder nodded. “Would you like a drink? Pineapple? Oh, the pomegranate is wonderful.”
Ru had yet to eat or drink anything in another realm, and she didn’t feel like experimenting with it now. “No thank you,” she said with a smile. “I know we both have things to do, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to go ahead and get to the topic I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Yes, let’s,” Cinder nodded. “Please, go ahead.”
It was difficult to tell if her politeness was a ploy or if this was how she always conducted herself in such uncomfortable situations, but Ru cleared her throat and plowed ahead. “I know that you informed Sky of my mother’s location on Holy Island, based on the information that Cutter entrusted to you, and I just wanted to know why you would do that.” Somehow, Ru had managed to control her own voice, keeping the hostility out of her tone and focusing on the facts.
“How, exactly, did you come to realize it was me?” Cinder asked, her hands folded around her crossed legs.
“You were there, on the beach, weren’t you?” she asked. “I didn’t see you exactly, but I had a feeling it was you.”
“And it took you this long to realize that?” Cinder countered.
Ru couldn’t explain why she hadn’t known right away that it was Cinder, but she’d had a suspicion all along. “Listen, Cinder, the past few days have been more than a little eventful. I don’t see why it matters how I knew or when I made the realization. The bottom line is, your brother trusted you with information that he believed you would keep to yourself, and you didn’t do that.”
