Finally, when most everyone was asleep, I dragged myself off the couch intent on bed. Exhaustion swamped me and I still needed to be up for shift the next day. After changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top, I climbed under the covers.
Now that I was alone, the terror I had suppressed since the attack came back. I started to shake, feeling chilled beyond measure. Bunching the covers around me, I curled into a ball and closed my eyes. Sleep was a long time coming.
***
“I gave my word to Rowen; her death will not be at the hands of young demonborn. Not when I can control the situation. I knew they were othersiding. I should have refused to bring the young ones until another night.” ~Caius
Chapter 12
The next day I sat in another hospital listening to Mary Anderson’s breath rattle in her chest. I didn’t know why she was dying at forty. I rarely knew why any of them died. I mean if they were hit by a bus or murdered or something like that, then it was pretty obvious. When it came to collecting souls from hospitals, there were just too many reasons to be dying there.
So I waited in the corner, while the guardian did his best to save Mary. A man who looked to be in his twenties sat at her bedside. Though he held her hand, he seemed angry. Maybe it was the set of his shoulders or the expression on his face.
Why he was angry, I had no idea. At the fact Mary was dying? It was possible, but I didn’t think so. Something in his demeanor said he was only there out of some misplaced sense of duty and not because he actually wanted to be. In fact, if I judged it right, I would say he was there to watch her die. Not as a griever, but as one who wanted to see a painful chapter of his life die with her.
Great, just freaking great. If I was right, if this woman had caused a lot of pain and misery in her life, then either I was going to have to battle an eater before I could get her soul to the banks of the River Styx, or I wouldn’t be paying the ferryman. One of the two, depending on how severe her crimes were.
Eaters would go after any soul, but they were drawn like moths to a flame to the souls that had a lot to atone for. Ugh. At the end of my list and after battling five eaters already today, I didn’t have the energy level left to hold on to Mary through a confrontation with another. Add in the five souls whose names had become faded on my list, indicating they were Lost, and this was not my day.
The machines flat-lined and the guardian moved on from the room to his next assignment. The man at her bedside practically flung her hand onto the covers. He stood and stepped back as hospital personnel came running in with a crash cart. He hovered out of the way, his face an impassive mask. After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts to revive Mary, the doctor finally called time of death.
With a look that was twisted somewhere between relief, unquenchable anger, and grief that obviously wasn’t expected, the young man strode from the room. I didn’t know his story and never would.
I waited for Mary to separate until she stood confused and afraid a few feet away. She noticed me immediately. “Where am I? What happened?”
“You are dead.” I waited for it to sink in.
She looked around, her movements hesitant. “A hospital is the afterlife?”
“Not exactly. You always start where you die.” I motioned to the door. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll get you to where you need to be.”
“And who are you supposed to be?” A frown marred her sunken features.
“I’m a Reaper. It’s my job to get you to the River Styx so you can cross over.”
She folded her arms. “Well, I don’t want to cross over. There are things I want to do first. Things I have to do first.”
“Sorry, but you don’t have a choice.” Seriously? She was going to stand here and argue with me. Maybe I should get a scythe so I could threaten people with it. Souls didn’t get to wander loose on my watch.
“I may be dead, but I still don’t have to listen to some girl tell me what to do.” Mary planted her feet.
Caius strolled into the room before I could force Mary toward the elevators. My stomach twisted. Great. Just what I needed, a petulant soul and a demonborn. I stepped in front of Mary, placing myself between them.
An amused look flashed in his golden eyes as he nodded to me. “Josephine.”
I ground my teeth. I hated that name, but nodded back, glad for the irritation that dulled some of the sudden fear that dried my mouth. “Caius.”
“You know you don’t have the strength, or the energy, to stop me.”
What in the nine hells was he doing here? Was he there to finish what the blonde hadn’t the night before? Caius wasn’t someone who needed to hang around waiting to feed off the dead. I wasn’t about to let him see the terror flooding every fiber of my being though, so I snorted and glared. “You know it doesn’t matter, I have to try.”
“Are you truly ready to take your own trip across the river for the sake of this woman?” Caius looked past me at Mary and flashed her a winning smile.
I didn’t have to turn around to know she was dazzled by it. It was so easy to overwhelm mortals when your looks were perfect. I mean, yeah, Caius was sexy as hell, but it didn’t affect me the way it did mortals and their souls. Maybe it helped that I knew what he was capable of.
Caius continued to direct his attention at Mary. “I think she would rather come with me, wouldn’t you Mary.”
I reached back and grabbed Mary’s icy wrist. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Any other day, you know I would take her and you wouldn’t have the strength stop me. Even if your energy was flowing strong. Not like you are now anyway. Besides, she deserves it.”
Ignoring the truth of his words regarding my strength, I continued to glare at him. Wait, what did he mean not like I am now? “Every soul deserves a chance, no matter what they did in life.”
His grin made me think he saw right through my attempt to act unafraid. “You sound so like your sister when you say that. In any case, I’ll make you a deal this time.”
A deal? What in world was he talking about? Since when did demonborn make deals? I eyed him warily. “What deal?”
“We need to talk. Has Alaric spoken to you yet?”
“Alaric? No, and why would you care if he did?”
“Tell you what, I let you keep Mary and you agree to meet with me and talk after you’ve spoken with Alaric.”
“Why in the nine hells would I purposely meet with you much less talk to you about anything?” This had to be the weirdest day since I found out what I was.
“The Lost. There are more of them.” Caius’s eyes took on a strange intensity. “Talk to Alaric, but don’t agree to anything until we’ve spoken.”
I stared at him with my stomach turning at the thought of more Lost and the souls whose names were faded on my list. Wait, how many more were there? And could he get any more cryptic? “I…guess we could meet. It better be someplace public though. Really public. Like Grand Central Station at rush hour kind of public.”
“Demonborn Bridge, after you’re done.”
That wasn’t public at all. The twisting path that led to it was bordered by trees and bushes on both sides and the bridge couldn’t be seen from any distance at all due to the sharp bend in the river where it crossed. I could demand something a little more out in the open, but then I would sound like a coward. “My side of it.”
A smirk pulled one corner of his mouth up. “Sure, Josephine. Whatever you want.”
“Wait a minute,” Mary interrupted. “I want to go with you, not her.”
Caius shrugged. “Sorry, sugar. Not this time.” He flashed a sardonic smile my way. “Good luck getting her on the ferry.”
As he disappeared through the doorway, all I could think was how much I wished I had punched him or something. Was it so hard for people to call me Jo? Yeah, I know, there were obviously bigger things to worry about than how people said my name. Still, it was pissing me off.
If there was a
ny justice anywhere, Caius would have a ridiculous middle name I could poke fun at. However, there wasn’t any justice because no one on this side of the veil had a middle name or even a last name. They weren’t needed here.
Mary, trying to edge around past me, brought me back to my duties. I sent a glare her way. “Follow me. And this time, shut up and don’t bother arguing.”
“You should have let me go with that guy.”
“Oh, I should have?” My blood boiled. “Why, because he’s handsome? Sexy? Because when he looks at you, it’s like his eyes contain liquid gold? You have no idea what you would have been walking into.”
Mary turned and stalked toward the door. “I know it was better than you.”
“Oh really?” I followed her. “Would you have still felt that way when he morphed into the demon he is and consumed your soul? When he used all except the smallest spark of your soul’s energy? After which, and only then, would your soul even begin to be able to start paying for the crimes committed in life?”
I grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the elevators when she would have gone the other way. She fought me briefly before realizing that her strength was no match for that of a reaper, then followed with a sulky look on her face. I mashed the button several times in irritation and then turned to look at her while we waited for the car. “What I said is true. You would have suffered more years of torture than you can begin to comprehend.”
Mary didn’t answer. A moment later the doors slid open. I gave her a nudge and she reluctantly stepped into the waiting elevator car. The doors shut and it began its downward journey.
When the door opened and we stepped onto the soft black and gold sand, I kept my eyes on Mary. She didn’t change. Her hair remained thin and wispy, her face more wrinkled than it should be for her age, her thin shoulders hunched. Somehow, I knew this would be how it played out. I had done everything I could for her. At least this way she could begin paying for her sins immediately.
As we crossed the sand toward the river where the ferryman waited, the collector demons closed in. Mary edged closer until she practically clung to me. “What’s happening?”
I stopped and pulled out of her desperate grasp. “Sometimes I don’t pay the ferryman.” I gave her a sympathetic look, unable to hide the sadness I felt for her. “This is one of those times.”
“What?”
The collectors pounced, latching onto her arms.
“No, wait! I didn’t mean to! I couldn’t help it!” Her screams cut through me as they dragged her to a heavy wrought iron gate. “Please! Let me go back and fix it!”
I watched them drag her through the gate and into the ground in silence. She would still cross the river. She would just be taken down so low first that she passed underneath it. I gave a halfhearted wave to Charon and started toward the waiting elevator.
My list was finished. It was time to go home, replenish my energy, and try to find out why a demonborn wanted to meet with me.
***
“She is difficult and stubborn. I can only hope she listens.” ~Caius
Chapter 13
The elevator doors opened to the Reaper Offices. As usual, everything was busy but well-ordered. I made my way through the controlled chaos and dropped my list in the chute. The Department of Records would carefully log each name and whether or not Charon had been paid.
Next, I dumped my coins and empty vials in their respective places before turning toward the elevators, hoping to escape unnoticed. If I didn’t talk to Alaric then I wouldn’t have to meet Caius. Alaric’s voice stopped me. Though I wanted to, I couldn’t ignore the Head of Reapers. Damn. Sighing, I changed course and walked into his office.
“What’s up?” I said, flopping uninvited into one of the chairs in front of his desk.
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on my lack of ceremony as he pushed the door closed before sitting down at his desk. I guess he’d gotten used to me. “I have an assignment for you.”
“I just got off shift.” I hope that didn’t sound as curt to him as it did to me. In the back of my mind, Caius whispered, After you talk with Alaric…
“I am aware of that. It does not begin until tomorrow. I assume you will be able to handle it then.”
“You know what they say about assuming,” I mumbled.
“I do not, no. What do they say?” He looked genuinely interested.
I sighed. I shouldn’t say it. “It makes an ass out of you and me.”
Did I really just say that? I glanced at his face. Yep, I did. I waited for his reaction.
Alaric surprised me by laughing. “I have not heard that one, but then I have been out of the field for an exceptionally long time. Are you ready to hear about your assignment now?”
I nodded. What else could I say? It wasn’t like I could tell him that after battling five eaters that day, dealing with a soul that was a bitch, and agreeing to meet with a demonborn, I couldn’t care less about whatever assignment he seemed ready to throw at me whether I wanted it or not.
“Good.” Alaric’s face grew grim. “The numbers of Lost keep growing, despite our efforts. We have begun to think someone or something is funneling the souls away from the reapers and soul eaters alike. More than that, someone is keeping many of those that are becoming Lost from showing up on the lists to begin with.”
I frowned, truly confused. “But who would do that? Why? How?”
“I do not have the answers to those questions. That is why I called you in here.”
I stared at him. “You don’t think I have something do with it, do you?”
“No, Josephine, I do not.”
I swear if one more person called me Josephine, I was going to drown them in the River Styx. “Then why am I here?”
“I have been consulting with Sinmar, the Head of Demonborn.” He held up his hand at my disgusted face. “Do not look at me like that. This affects both reapers and demonborn, it needed to be done.” He frowned. “The guardians insist the problem has to be somewhere on our end since they do not deal with souls after the body has died. So it is up to the reapers and demonborn to fix.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“We have decided to put together a task force of those we trust explicitly to have no hand in creating the Lost. You will work together to stop the Lost.”
“A task force?” I didn’t have enough experience to be on a task force, no one would listen to me. “How many are going to be on it?”
Alaric cleared his throat. “Just two. You and a partner.”
Oh nine hells, I could see where this was going. “Who is my partner supposed to be?”
“The demonborn, Caius,” Alaric said. “I am aware you two have had issues; however I trust you will set that aside and work together as instructed.”
Issues? Was he talking about the night before? Or all the times Caius lurked along my routes? “Yeah, I’m sure we’ll be bosom buddies.” Though I wanted to roll my eyes, I didn’t. Alaric had overseen the training that allowed me to use my angel heritage to summon my staff. I’d learned it wasn’t a good idea to push him too far. “How do I work this in around my list?”
“You will only have a half list tomorrow. After that, you will be free to work with Caius. None of the other reapers know of this, nor are you to tell them. In fact, since we do not know where this is coming from, you are to tell no one else. At this point only myself, Sinmar, you, and Caius know. It needs to stay that way.”
“Okay.” I nodded to reinforce my agreement.
“One more thing…” Alaric shifted in his chair and ruffled through some papers. “There is the matter of your security while working in such close contact with a demonborn.”
I frowned. “You worried he’s going to knock me into the River Styx, drink my blood, or something?”
“Always a possibility when dealing with the demonborn. Normally, I would say your soul would be safe, however, Caius is not an average demonborn. So it has been decided the best
course of action is to, um…” He squinted at the paper in his hand as if it was the most important document this side of the veil. “Partially bloodbond you.”
“What?” My shriek made several people on the other side of the door stop and glance through the window as I jumped to my feet. My minimal knowledge of bloodbonds was enough to know it was a crazy idea.
“Now, Josephine, calm down.” Alaric stood and walked over to close the blinds before settling back in his seat and picking up the papers again. “It will prevent him from harming you since any harm that comes to you would also reflect back on him. In theory, it should not cause any problems at all with anything else.”
“In theory?” I glared at him horror. “What do you mean, ‘in theory’?”
Alaric licked his lips and reshuffled the papers without looking at me. “I mean there is plenty of literature about partial bloodbonds, but it has not actually been done before between two hybrids, or even those with traces of immortal blood. Or if it was, the record has been lost.”
“Did it ever occur to you that the record was lost because it has been tried and failed miserably and they were hoping no one ever came up with such a moronic idea again?” My brows were drawn so tight together I probably looked like I had a unibrow.
“Please calm down, Josephi—”
“Jo! My damn name is Jo!”
He blinked at me, confusion clear on his face, though his tone was stern when he began to speak again. “This type of behavior is unbecoming of a reaper. Sit, Josephine, and think for a moment. You will be working extremely close with Caius. A powerful demonborn who, by all accounts, could be Head if he wanted it. I refuse to take chances with your soul or your body. This will offer you protection against any lack of self-control Caius may be tempted to succumb to.”
I sank into my chair. Caius’s words echoing in my mind. Don’t agree to anything until we’ve met. Was he already hoping I would come unprotected? If that’s what he was aiming for, why not take me out earlier when my energy was too low to fight him? Or why not just let Blondie finish what she nearly started? He had to know I would take care of my lack of energy before I went to meet him, not that it would matter when it came to the likes of someone like Caius.
Unveiled (Raven Daughter Book 1) Page 9
