The Incoming Room finally settled into being and I stepped from the doorway I’d come through. Another reaper came through one of the other free-standing doorways and hurried away without glancing in my direction. This room wasn’t used as much these days and those coming through were busy. It was the next room that worried me.
I crept to the door that led to the main reaper office beyond and peered around it. A crush of people greeted my gaze, all moving in different directions as they handed things in or picked up supplies and lists up. Shift change. Wow, I couldn’t have picked a busier time to show up. Hesitating, I debated whether to hide where I was until some of the people cleared out before realizing that lurking in the Incoming Room would look suspicious.
I slipped into the busy room, trying to work my way to the elevators without drawing any attention to myself. Maybe the overly crowded office would help keep me from notice.
“Josephine!”
Alaric’s shout carried over the din of voices making me cringe. So much for getting out of here unnoticed. I saw Bethany’s curly red hair as her head whipped in my direction. With a growl, I stomped toward Alaric’s office.
When I reached it, I shoved past where he stood in the doorway. After being in the Yukon, it felt entirely too warm in there. I pulled off my cloak and flopped in the chair while he shut the door. I glared at him as he sat down behind his desk. “Thanks for announcing my presence so thoroughly.”
He blinked, looking confused. “Were you hoping to go unnoticed?”
I gave him a flat look and crossed my arms. “Where am I supposed to have been the last few days? Why did I lie to Bethany? Or miss my appointment with Rowen?”
“Why are you asking these things?” Alaric frowned.
“Because those are the questions I’m going to be asked by Bethany, who heard you yell my name, by the rest of my friends who are going to wonder where I’ve been, and by Rowen. Since you saw fit to announce me, I assumed you had thought of reasonable answers to those questions.”
Alaric scrubbed one of his eyebrows with a thumbnail, looking rather abashed. “I thought you were finished with your task. Why else would you return?”
“My task.” The words tasted bland on my tongue. “Do you even have any clue what you sent me to do? What a convoluted trail you’ve set me to follow?”
“I knew it would not be easy…”
“It wouldn’t be easy?” I practically snarled. “You’ve sent me running all over the place with a demonborn chasing obscure clues, each one leading to yet another place. Did you know there was a three-part explanation for what the dagger does?”
Alaric opened his mouth as if to answer, but I kept right on talking, “And does the first Watcher know what that is? No, of course not. She only knows the first part of it. But, apparently, what we are using it for would only be a secondary use and not what the dagger was originally intended for.”
I leaned back in my chair, my glare pinning Alaric. “So, did you not know any of this, or did you intentionally keep it to yourself? And while you’re thinking of the answer to that, you can think about telling me why you didn’t teach me to use my power for anything more than a staff.”
Was I really accusing the Head of Reapers of lying? Of purposely keeping my potential from me? All of my misgivings came back to me and I realized that yes, that was exactly what I was asking him. Anger began to boil low in my gut as I watched him fumble for an answer.
Finally, Alaric pulled in a breath and let it out in a sigh. “You might want to calm down.”
“I am calm,” I snapped.
He motioned toward me and I glanced down at my crossed arms. Where my upper arms were exposed from the short sleeves of my shirt, faint, glowing markings appeared on my skin, matching those on Caius.
“What in the nine hells?” I leaped from my chair, trying to brush away the fading designs.
“Apparently, the bond is working a bit different than I expected.” Alaric rubbed his hands over his face. “I did not know anything about an explanation or another use for the dagger. As far as what else you might be able to do…you did not seem ready to learn that yet.”
The designs on my arms faded and I stared Alaric in the eye. His hesitation spoke volumes. There seemed to be too many missing pieces in the puzzle I was trying to put together. It sucked feeling suspicious of everyone. My mother’s last words floated across my mind. “Things are so different than how you think they are. Be careful who you put your trust in.”
“Is there something you know about my parents that I don’t?” I blurted out.
Alaric shook his head and began organizing the papers on his desk. “Your father is an angel, you mother a human mortal. What else is there to know?”
My heart sank even as I kept my features neutral. He hadn’t outright lied, but he didn’t answer the question either. And he hadn’t even looked at me. What else could there be? Was it something awful? All at once I wanted out of Alaric’s office. I wanted away from Midtween.
“Look, I still have to finish tracking down the first key and I could use some replenisher this time.” I crossed my arms again, determined to keep the sense of betrayal out of my voice.
Alaric nodded and stood. “I will be right back.”
It didn’t take long for him to return. I reached for the pack he held out when he came back, but he didn’t let go even after I took hold of it. His eyes searched mine for a long moment before he said, “I hope I did not make a mistake in trusting you with this task, Josephine.”
I pulled the pack from his grasp. “I hope the same. And my damn name is Jo.”
Without another word, I stalked from his office. Bethany already knew I was there, no sense in avoiding my apartment. At least I could change clothes, maybe grab something warmer.
When I stepped into the small apartment, Bethany stood in the middle of the room glaring at me, her arms crossed and her foot tapping ominously. With a sigh, I tossed the pack and cloak on the couch then spread my arms. “Go ahead. Yell at me. Get it over with.”
She surprised me by throwing a tight hug around me. A second later she shoved me away and unleashed the storm I knew was coming. “Where in the nine hells have you been?”
“I can’t tell you.” I glanced away, avoiding her gaze.
“You can’t tell me? First, you say you’re going to see your sister, then never come back. Your sister says she never saw you. Then, you don’t show up for shift for days! Miss an appointment with Rowen. And to top it off, Caius disappeared and has been the gods-know-where. I thought he’d hunted you down or something.” She stared hard at me, her blue eyes flashing.
What was I supposed to say? Alaric forbade me from saying anything. On the other hand, Alaric had basically lied to me. Screw it. At least if this all went down wrong, somebody would know what happened. “I was with Caius. Alaric and Sinmar have something they need us to do.”
I guess that was the last thing she expected to hear. The anger faded from her expression only to be replaced by disbelief. “Since when do the Head of Reapers and the Head of Demonborn work together?”
“Since now I guess,” I said as I took off my boots and walked to my room.
Bethany followed. “What do they have you two doing? And how can you stand to be so close to Caius knowing what he could do to you?”
I considered telling her about the bond before discarding that idea. No need to freak her out completely. A partial truth would have to do. “I guess my half-angel blood protects me or something.”
I shed my dirty clothes then headed for the shower. Even in there Bethany didn’t let up. She perched on the toilet after I stepped behind the curtain. I waved my hand over the shower head to turn on the water and let it soak me.
As I worked shampoo into my hair she asked, “If that’s true, then why didn’t it stop that demonborn when we were othersiding the other night?”
My mind scrambled for an answer. “That’s why Caius stopped her instead of letting her eat me.”
>
“Nice. Go ahead and lie to me some more, Jo. I’m only your best friend but you know, what does that matter?”
“I can’t tell you everything, Bethany. Alaric forbid it,” I said as I soaped my body. “Believe me, I wish I could tell you all of it. I will tell you that we are trying to stop the flood of Lost.”
“Why you?” Bethany sounded like she wasn’t sure if she believed me. “I can understand Caius, he’s second under Sinmar. By all accounts, he could take Sinmar’s place if he wanted to. But, why you? Why not someone older, more experienced?”
I rinsed and waved the water off, then reached for a towel. “Why do you think? My stupid half-angel parentage supposedly makes me perfect for this.”
After I dried and wrapped the towel around myself, I stepped out from behind the curtain. Bethany looked unsure but determined. Uh-oh, that look usually meant trouble.
She followed me back to my room. “I guess there is still more you have to do since you showed up with a pack of replenisher.”
Nodding, I pulled on a pair of leggings then a pair of jeans over them. “Unfortunately.”
“I’m coming with you.”
I tugged a cami down over my head and gave her a startled look. “You can’t.”
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin. “You shouldn’t have to do this with only a demonborn for help.”
“I don’t have a choice,” I mumbled past the t-shirt I was pulling on. A long sleeved shirt went over that. It was the best I could do. I wasn’t in the habit of othersiding to overly cold places. I wasn’t even sure how to layer enough for the kind of weather we might be facing. It could be chilly and foggy where I grew up, but it rarely dipped below freezing.
“Why are you putting on so many layers?” Bethany frowned at my clothing as I pulled on a fresh cloak.
“Because I just came back from the Yukon and I’m headed to southern Russia next. It's late fall in those areas. The latitudes aren’t that different so I’m guessing I’m about to freeze my ass off again.”
“You shouldn’t do this alone. Especially with a demonborn.” Bethany reiterated as she followed me from the room.
I told the kitchen I wanted chicken alfredo and iced tea, grabbed the plate when it appeared on the counter, and flopped on the couch. “What are you going to do against Caius?”
“I…” She sat next to me. “I don’t know. You still shouldn’t be alone with him. It isn’t safe.”
Stuffing a forkful of hot, creamy noodles in my mouth, I shrugged. Chewing quickly, I swallowed and said, “If he wanted to kill me, he’s had ample opportunity in the last few days. Honestly, I think Caius is the one person I can count on to keep me alive.”
She let out her breath in a huff, but didn’t say anything more while I finished stuffing myself and downing my tea in record time. When my plate and glass were empty, I pulled the pack over to me and reached inside. I withdrew one of the small vials, pulled the stopper off, took a deep breath and downed the contents, trying not to shudder at the nasty taste.
When I stood, Bethany did too. Shaking my head I said, “No. I’m not completely sure what this is all about. I’m pretty damn sure Alaric hasn’t been entirely truthful with me. I need you to stay here and tell Rowen what’s going on.”
“Why don’t you tell Rowen yourself?” Bethany crossed her arms and narrowed eyes.
“Because I have to go.” I grabbed the pack and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll be fine.”
She returned the hug. “You’d better be. James will have a fit if you aren’t. He’s been a little crazy, demanding to know what happened to you.”
“He has?” I stepped back. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“No, you shouldn’t. The whole crew is pretty upset. James is convinced the Heavens or Hells did something with you.”
“Tell him no such luck.” I turned and walked quickly out the door before I lost the false bravado I’d worked up and begged her to come with me.
In truth, I would have felt a million times better with her, Rowen, and the rest of them at my back. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Caius because, strangely enough, I did. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more people standing with me.
I walked alone to the elevator and told it I wanted off on the ground floor. To my relief, when I stepped off it the door to Rowen’s office was closed. Must have someone in for a meeting. Grateful for small favors, I hurried past.
***
“They know.” ~Caius
Chapter 27
Once outside I walked as quickly as possible without drawing attention to myself as I headed for the winding path that led to the bridge. Please let Caius be there. A worried knot started in my gut the closer I got. What if something had gone wrong on his side? He was Sinmar’s second, would anyone question him? And why did I even care?
I didn’t. Not really. I mean, other than the fact it would take both of us to get the dagger, it didn’t matter what happened to him. Right? I tried to make myself believe that and failed. In the end, Caius had hinted at truths being hidden from me. He hadn’t lied to me, and he hadn’t tried to harm me. In fact, if not for him, I would be dead. As unsettling as it was, in that moment, I trusted Caius more than I did Alaric.
Rounding the final bend, the bridge arched before me and my breath caught. It stood empty. I stopped in my tracks, staring stupidly at it as if merely looking hard enough would make him appear. Unsure what to do, I walked slowly to where the sand of the path ended and the wooden deck began.
Now what? I couldn’t leave without him. If we wanted to land in the same spot on the other side, we had to go together. Uneasy, I eyed the far side of the river. I couldn’t stand there all day. Though unlikely, given how little the bridge was used, someone could come along. Then I would have to come up with an excuse as to why I was hanging around it.
I walked around the end of the railing and down to the river bank. A few feet from the bridge, tall trees stood on both sides of the river, their bases hidden in the thick tangle of underbrush. Carefully pushing aside the thin branches of a bush, I squeezed myself into the small space between it and the trunk of a tree, sitting on the loamy forest floor.
Through the leaves, I could still see the end of the bridge. At least now I could watch for him without being seen by anyone else. I leaned my head against the trunk and stared at the bridge while the deep rush of the river soothed my nerves.
Caius didn’t get to be Sinmar’s second by being weak. In all likelihood, he’d gone straight to Sinmar to tell him of our progress and was probably still there, chatting it up.
My eyes drifted shut as the river whispered its song in my ears. I wasn’t tired, but it was still nice to close my eyes and relax. For all I knew, Caius was busy having blood cocktails with his demonborn buddies and would be a while. Though my mind drifted, my ears still listened intently for the approach of footsteps on the bridge.
Either the river was making more noise than I thought or Caius could move with the silence of a cat because I nearly jumped out of my skin when his fingers grazed my arm. My eyes flew open to see his, molten gold and storming with anger. His markings glowed faintly across the exposed skin of his neck.
“Up, Reaper. Time to go.”
I grabbed the pack of replenisher then shoved my way out of the underbrush. “What in the nine hells is your problem?”
He didn’t answer and strode toward the bank under the bridge with long strides. “Hurry up.”
“Hurry up?” I crossed my arms and stood where I was. “I’ve been hanging around here waiting for you to finally grace me with your grumpy presence and now you have the nerve to be pissed and tell me to hurry up?”
Before I could blink, he was towering over me, the markings climbing his neck glowing more brightly. I held my ground, glaring at him. Caius reached out and snatched my hand in his, dragging me toward the bridge. I twisted away from him. “Don’t manhandle me.”
Caius reclaimed my hand in a grip I knew I wouldn’t be
able to break away from as a shout went up on the far side of the river. “I am not angry with you, Reaper. If you value your life, hurry up.”
He turned and dragged me toward the underside of the bridge. This time I didn’t resist. We were almost under the edge when several demonborn leaped over the railing above, landing right behind me. Before I could turn and attempt to defend myself, Caius spun, sweeping me around behind him so that I stood between his back and the bridge, the arching underside only a few steps away.
The group of demonborn paused and studied us. “You know this is best, Caius,” the male who appeared to be leading the group said. “She needs to die. She’s too much of a danger to all of us.”
A low growl rumbled in Caius’s chest. “She’s done nothing to deserve it, Andre.”
“She exists, that’s enough,” Andre snarled back as the others closed in. “You are strong Caius, but are you strong enough to defeat us all? Strong enough to fight all of us at once and protect that thing at the same time?”
That thing? I was a thing now? And why in the nine hells did they want to kill me so much all of the sudden?
Caius morphed into his demon half in answer to Andre’s question. Andre and the others with him did the same. It still made me a little nervous to be so close to Caius when he was in that form, but I was more afraid of others.
“He won’t be defending her alone.”
I turned at the unexpected sound of Rowen’s voice. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or afraid as he walked toward us with at least thirty other reapers behind him. Ryan glanced at me and winked before turning his gaze to the gathered demonborn. Chelsea looked torn between coming to stand next to me and remaining next to Rowen. I didn’t see Bethany or James, or any of the others that still required a guide among the group.
Finally recovering from the surprise of seeing them I asked, “What are you doing here?”
Chelsea glanced at me, then at Rowen. “When Bethany got to Rowen’s office to tell him what was going on, Caius was already there.”
Dumbfounded, my gaze jumped to Caius. “You went to the reaper side?”
Unveiled (Raven Daughter Book 1) Page 17
