Reaping the Immortal

by Pamela Labud

"Not really. Just, possibilities."

  "Then, whatever it is, I hope it works out for you."

  And that's when she knew she was doomed.

  "I do too."

  They were so close now. Nose to nose. Breath to breath.

  Holly's heart beat faster and her breath came short. Part of her wanted to fall into his arms, to once again taste his kiss, to forget everything and just melt into his embrace. And, she probably would have too, if the train whistle hadn't sounded announcing the next train's arrival.

  "I guess your friend is arriving."

  "Right."

  The spell between them was broken for sure. But, as they stood up, he held his arm out for her. "May I escort you?"

  Smiling, she agreed. "Thank you."

  It was a short walk to the gate and they watched as people started to disembark from the train.

  "So," he started. "This friend of yours. You never told me very much about him. Well, other than he dresses well, is extremely old and has a creepy henchman."

  Reality hit her like a ton of bricks. Fate had taken over both of them and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The one man who would accomplish what she could not. It was time to put away her ridiculous thoughts and face up to what lie ahead.

  "I have a confession to make," she told him, her heart suddenly squeezing in her chest.

  He tilted his head, and she saw the hint of disappointment lingering in his eyes. "I know whatever you've done, it's because you had to."

  "I told him I was giving up the Reap. Giving you to him." she said. "Of course, now I know you better. I won't do it but he'll do his best to convince me that it'll be for the best."

  "There's my girl," a familiar voice said behind her. "So good to see you again."

  A stab of pain went through her and she wished that she'd never come to this magical place. Or, that she'd never become a Reaper in the first place.

  Under any other circumstances, she knew that Max was a man she could spend eternity with.

  But now it was impossible.

  "Master Renault," she said, doing her best to keep the emotion from her voice. "This is Maximillian Hyland. He's the Immortal I was sent to Reap."

  And just like that, the being who'd taken her under his wing so many years earlier, who'd taught her everything about Reaping and encouraged her still to that day with birthday cards and letters of encouragement, stood before her.

  Around six-foot tall, Master Renault was lean and slightly stooped over. He had a squarish face, silver hair and a rather thick mustache. But, instead of exuding the presence of the powerful mage he was, her former mentor instead gave off the vibes of a friendly grandfather. He even walked with a cane.

  Of course, she knew that he could run faster and jump higher than most twenty-year-old athletes.

  Why he'd chosen to retreat into such an elderly, helpless identity had been quite the surprise. There were some that said for a Reaper, he'd barely reached middle age.

  But, their profession was not an easy one, and the weight of it was far heavier than most physical beings could even attempt, let alone master.

  A huge grin spread across his face when he saw her, showing a mouth full of perfectly white teeth with a single gold tooth in the front. He also wore his traditional opaque monocle in his right eye. The legend was that he'd taken on one of the most dangerous Reaps of all time, another powerful Reaper, in fact, and had lost his eye in the final struggle.

  But, none of that history was apparent now, as he'd taken on the guise of a kindly older gentleman.

  "Ah, the stubborn one, eh?"

  Max didn't even look at Holly but instead stepped forward. "Ordinarily, I'd greet you with a handshake, but I believe it'd be safer for me to not get too cozy here. Seeing as you might take my attempt at cordiality as death wish."

  The older man laughed. "Of course. But, what's done is done, young man. Unfortunately, you're only putting off the inevitable."

  "Really?"

  "Indeed. Holly is an excellent clinician, but she doesn't have the strongest of powers when it comes to the really big jobs."

  "So, I take it, Reaping healthy young Immortals is more your speed? Rather than ninety-year-old humans in nursing homes?"

  Holly stepped forward, suddenly aware that they were drawing attention. "Gentlemen," she started. "I think we should take this conversation elsewhere."

  The two men squared off, Max to her left and Master Renault to her right. Holly literally felt the electricity building in the air around them.

  "I suppose that's wise," Master Georges said at last. "Wouldn't want to cause a scene in public, now would we?"

  Max crossed his arms. "I know the local sheriff and they don't take kindly to bad press."

  "Understood. Shall we go?" Holly wanted to get the two of them as far away from each other as possible.

  Renault nodded. "Of course. My man is retrieving my luggage and we can be off."

  He turned and walked to the car where the suitcases were being loaded onto carts.

  She turned back to Max, who now stood stone still, staring after the Reaper. She could see by his tight expression that all of his congeniality was gone.

  "Max, I'm truly sorry."

  He didn't look at her, but kept his gaze trained on the old man.

  "I hope you won't mind finding a ride back to the funeral home. It shouldn't be hard to get a taxi since it's still early."

  "What about you?"

  He did look down at her then. "I find I'm no longer in a mood for company." He let out a breath. "Please, go on without me. I feel the need to be on my own a bit."

  With that, he turned and walked away. She saw by the way he held himself tall and stiff that whatever friendship or connection they'd formed was now over.

  She didn't blame him. He was in a fight to stay alive.

  Reality slammed against her like a wrecking ball on the side of a building. She'd do all she could to save him. Go against the High Council if she had to. Surely, they would see the error they'd committed.

  After that was done, she'd go back to being a Reaper and he'd be just another client. It was how it was supposed to be. Then, she'd go on to another city, another job. Her problem here would be solved.

  She should have been cheering, happy that Maximillian Hyland would live.

  So why did it feel like someone just ripped her heart out of her chest?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "The game is on," Max said as he stepped out into the night. Pulling up his collars against the wind, he hastened his steps meaning to put as much distance as possible between himself and that ancient Reaper. "Kindly old gentleman, my foot."

  Picking up his pace, he went to the one place where he was sure he could find an ally. Of course, he and his twin couldn't exactly be called friends, but they were two of a kind, so to speak, so if anyone could help him figure things out, it was Matty.

  A steady rain had just begun to fall when he arrived at the infamous biker bar night club, Howlers. Ducking inside the darkened club, he took a moment for his vision to adjust. Fortunately, that wasn't too long, since he felt every eye in the room land on him.

  The usual crowd was gathered. A couple of bikers were playing pool in the next room, two women sat arm in arm at one end of the bar. And assorted tables were filled with every sort from suit and tie bad boy wannabes to some of the local talent. Werewolves and vampires were among the majority, but a few humans had wandered in wanting to prove that they had the stones to even come to one of the most edgy clubs in Nocturne Falls.

  "Hey, stranger," the bartender called from behind the bar. "Long time no see."

  He sent her a respectful nod and took a seat that didn't have him too close to any of her other patrons. There was only one person he wanted to mix it up with tonight.

  "Can I get a shot of Patron?"

  "Holy cow," she said, sending him a wide-eyed shocked expression. "Who died?"

 
He let out a huff. "Nobody. Yet."

  She set his drink in front of him and stood back. "Um, before you try to run up a tab, you need to know that last week I had to throw your brother out. He was trying to pick a fight with one of the local vamps who bet him that he couldn't make enough blood to survive a good feeding. Damn near killed him, too."

  He waved her off. "I know, too much alcohol even for an Immortal is not a good thing. I only want this one and then a glass of tonic water to nurse the rest of the night."

  "Sure thing. So, what has you gracing us with your presence."

  "I need to talk to my brother. Did you ban him after his bout of bad judgement?"

  She gave him a dry laugh. "No. But I should have. That guy was really ticked off that I wouldn't let them finish their wager. But, if Matty boy come back in here with any more harebrained ideas, I might not be inclined to intervene."

  As if summoned by magic, Matty appeared, wearing his faux biker clothes with his little witch ladies on each side of him. He stopped short when he saw Max sitting at the bar.

  "What the hell?"

  Pulling his girls in, he whispered something at them and then sent them on their way.

  "Brother," Max said, after he threw back the shot of tequila.

  His brother crossed his arms and stood back a minute. "Be still my heart. My big brother in a bar and partaking in booze, too? Is this Armageddon? Something cataclysmic must be about to go down."

  Max cleared his throat. "I don't like this any more than you do. But, I'm in bad trouble and unfortunately, there's not a soul I can turn to except you."

  Suddenly, his brother's sarcastic expression changed. Every doubt clouded his sapphire gaze and his face paled visibly. There was only one explanation for that.

  Fear.

  It didn't matter if the two were fast friends or mortal enemies, there was a connection between them and though each had tried to free himself from the other on more than one occasion it always came back to one thing. Kill one, and the other would perish.

  Max knew that his brother's concern wasn't for anyone's benefit but his own, but that didn't bother him too much. Although, he liked to think that despite their differences, Matty valued his brother's existence beyond the thought of his own mortality.

  "Spill," was all he said after waving off the waitress.

  "I have another guest coming to the manse. Another Reaper, in fact. One of their muckety-muck higher ups, I think."

  "What makes you say that? Was he wearing a badge, or something."

  "Let's just say it's how he looked at me, you know, much the same way you look at the cow when you're about to sit down at a steak dinner."

  His brother blew out a puff of air. "That is bad news."

  "No kidding."

  "So, he tried to take you already?"

  Max shook his head. "Thankfully, no. We were in public and there was no accident or anything that could justify my sudden death. Too many non-magical people about, I'd imagine."

  "So, let me get this straight. After you invited one Reaper into your home, pop, another one shows up and you say, I dunno, 'Why don't you come have a sleepover at my house? It'll be fun?'"

  Scowling, Max crossed his arms to keep from doing bodily harm to his sibling. "It wasn't like that. Holly doesn't look like she could harm a flea, and..."

  "Wait. The Reaper is a chick?"

  Max did his best to clamp down on his temper. Not just at Matty, but at himself as well. "I know it sounds bad, but nothing can be done about it now."

  "Is she cute?"

  "Breathtaking, but that's not the point..."

  "Ha! A beautiful woman wants you dead but that's not the point? Bro, you disappoint me."

  "Will you please get serious? The fact is, she's a good person, aside from her choice of profession, that is. She's a Reaper because she cares about people. Wants to ease their passing."

  "So, a friendly Reaper. That's just perfect."

  "All I'm saying is she's a good person and I doubt she bore me any ill intentions — especially once we became more acquainted."

  Matty sat back. "Oh, you sly dog," he snickered. "Just how 'acquainted' did the two of you become?"

  His stomach clenched at his brother's insinuation. "Not that much. I mean, we barely even kissed..."

  "Oh, yeah right. You are either a liar or a fool, my bro."

  Glad that he didn't have the propensity for blushing, Max waved his hands. "You're off track. Can we please get back to my problem? That is, unless you want to join me in a dirt nap."

  Matty cleared his throat. "Right. Let's get serious. What can you tell me about the new guy?"

  "I'll do better than tell you," Max said, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket and handing it to his brother. "I took a snap of him when he got off the train."

  "Right."

  Max held his breath for a moment, hoping his brother would not just understand, but also see the importance of this new development.

  "Wow," Matty cleared his throat. "What are you thinking?"

  Max let out a breath. "I think his arrival has signed our death warrant, that's what I think."

  "There are rules."

  "Rules?" Max shrugged. "I beginning to think they're more like guidelines."

  Matty let out a breath. "Well, I've not gone against any mandates, lately, have you?"

  Max dropped his gaze to his clenched fists on the table in front of him. It was the one question he didn't want to answer, but he had no choice.

  "Not lately," Max said after a moment. Closing his eyes, he recited the words his father had taught him centuries earlier.

  "Immortals can go on living if they don't do three things. Harm a magical. Harm themselves..."

  "Or harm a human," Matty finished his sentence. "My god, Max. Tell me you didn't..."

  That was when he realized exactly why he was about to be Reaped. It happened a long time ago. A very long time ago. Before he knew he was immortal. Before he even knew the rules.

  Max lifted his face and looked his brother straight in the eyes. "I can't lie. I am guilty of harming a human. But, I didn't just harm him. I killed him..."

  #

  Holly looked up from her lap. She was sitting in the back seat of the taxi with her oldest friend and mentor. She should have been happy to see him. She should have been laughing and reflecting on old times. But, somehow, when Max left her, all the gleeful anticipation did too.

  Well, that wasn't entirely true. And, to be honest, she didn't blame him for bolting. After all, Master Renault was the one Reaper in all the realm of magic who could end him. With a drop of his hand, in the space of a breath, the Immortal would be forever gone from this plane of existence.

  Moreover, though it had been the one thing she'd come to Nocturne Falls to do, she'd been dreading it almost since her arrival.

  "You like him, don't you?" Renault said.

  Suddenly her mouth went dry. To be called out so suddenly for something she'd thought very protected inside of her, well, that was downright unsettling.

  "I beg your pardon, Master Renault, but how I feel has no effect on my mission. Isn't that what you taught me?"

  He laughed. "A lesson you well remember."

  "I remember all you taught me."

  "Even the things you don't agree with?" he let out a breath. "It's all right for you to disagree with me."

  She watched him for a moment. "All right, but not proper. After all, you are one of the oldest Reapers in the realm. Your teachings must be right."

  He nodded. "Oh, they are. But, as you said, they were my teachings. My body of experience, knowledge and beliefs. Still, you do well to follow them."

  "Yes. I know." Holly looked down at her hands again. "But, teacher, what if you know the mission is wrong?"

  His eyes narrowed in contemplation and he sent her a sharp stare and she felt the cut of it on her skin.

  "Is that what you think about the Im
mortal? That he transcends your mission somehow? Or, is it your betters who don't know what they're doing?"

  Though his tone was soft, it scraped on her skin like dull razor. "No, it's not that at all..."

  "Isn't it?"

  She let out a breath, and then another. "Perhaps it is. And, I'm not ashamed to say it, but Mr. Hyland is a decent man. He cares for others and serves human and nonhuman alike..."

  "That has nothing to do with the Council's decision. Perhaps you've forgotten, but it isn't your job to decide who lives and who dies."

  Holly swallowed. "I haven't forgotten." She glanced up at him, meeting his gaze. "You're right. I do have feelings for him. Complicated feelings. Is that why I have no power over him? Why I couldn't Reap him the night we met?"

  The older man waved her off. "I doubt it. You didn't even know him then. You were just acting as someone with your level of talents and strength would do. He's a powerful being. His abilities are far beyond what the High Council suspected."

  "Oh." That did help to lessen her shame, somewhat.

  "The question is, can you overcome your feelings to do what must be done? If not, then I am more than happy to get the job done. You will, of course, have to give me permission to do so."

  "I know."

  Holly watched something alarming slip into his expression. Joy? Eagerness? Or, was it possibly glee?

  Whatever it was, it slipped away almost as quickly as it appeared, and the calm, self-assured expression returned, a pleasant countenance that she'd always known him by.

  Yes, this was the man she'd known for many years, her teacher and friend. But, who was the other? She didn't know for sure, or even if she'd imagined it. Whatever it was, she felt the danger that now hung in the air between them.

  The cab pulled up to the Funeral Home's entrance. She went to open the door, but felt his hand on her arm.

  "I hope you don't mind, but I've decided to find lodging elsewhere. I need some distance to clear my thoughts. There are too many shadows of the souls who have passed through those halls still occupying this place."

  She tilted her head. "Souls? There's only Mr. Hyland and his cook that I've seen. Oh, and Artemis."

  He smiled. “You don't recognize them, do you?"