Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1)

by Jennifer Malone Wright

  Jack had followed him into the living room and sat down beside him. Aiden knew him well. He understood that Jack hated life with the Reapers. Mostly, he disliked it because of his mother and father trying to raise him to be the next ruler. If there were any way that Jack could leave, and not live under the radar of the Reaper Council, he would probably do it. He tipped his beer and finished the last of it. “After we take care of this tonight, we leave right away and never come back here. I don’t care what you tell my parents but I am going to find a way out.”

  “Out?” Aiden raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, out. It’s not so much having rules or doing the things, like this, that I don’t want to do. I want out of the Reaper society because I’m tired of living someone else’s life. Everything I do is what someone else thinks I should do to become the person that they think I should be. I have no goals, no skills, nothing that will help me out in the real world because I’ve been raised in a fucking mansion with people waiting on me hand and foot. I want to live my own life.”

  Oh fuck, cry me a fucking river. Jack couldn’t believe what had just come out of his own mouth. Next thing you know he’d have a carton of Ben & Jerry’s and a box of tissues while watching a chick flick on the tube.

  At first, Aiden didn’t respond. Jack leaned back into the cushions and closed his eyes wishing he hadn’t spilled his lady guts to his best friend. Dudes just didn’t do that, there was a code for that, a bro code, he was sure of it.

  “I’ll help you,” he heard Aiden’s voice after a moment. “I’ll help you get out.”

  His lids snapped open. “You will?”

  His best friend nodded and brushed his blond hair back with his fingertips. “Yeah, I will. This last mission is something that needs to be done, though. I know you don’t like it, but we are talking about the Chosen One here. We can’t risk our entire race being wiped out because you didn’t do the job.”

  At risk of continuing to sound like a little bitch, he opted for keeping his mouth shut. He had to do it. “Like I said, after tonight I’m done.”

  Aiden nodded, signaling that he understood. “Deal.” He worked his way out of the couch cushions and stood up. “I’m going to shower and take a nap so I’ll be good to go tonight. You got a place where I can crash here?”

  “Bed’s in there.” He pointed in the direction of the bedroom. “Go ahead and use that, I have to look a few things up on the computer and then pack so we can leave right after it’s done.”

  “Good plan,” Aiden called as he strode toward the bedroom. “I’ll be in here if you need me for anything.”

  After the bedroom door clicked shut, Jack hurried over to his laptop and logged in. He googled the Estmond family and Summer Hollow. He needed to find out if Lucy was the seventh child in the family’s bloodline. He sincerely hoped that she wasn’t the Chosen One.

  No such luck. He pulled up the obituary for Gregory Estmond, their father, and found that he was survived by seven children, Lucy being the youngest of the seven.

  “Shit.”

  Time to man the fuck up and do this last job. Aiden said that he would help him get out, and he knew that his friend would keep his word. His mother, on the other hand, would probably fly off the handle and send out the armies in search of him. So as easy as getting out of the life may sound to some people, it wasn’t going to be an easy task at all. He would probably spend the rest of his life in hiding and on the run … well, the rest of her life anyway.

  Or maybe she wouldn’t care at all. He didn’t know which of the two options was worse.

  Lucy stepped out into the night.

  Beyond the white picket fence, sheltered only by the trees and the Keepers, the blue mist of the souls danced among the darkness like the galaxies on a clear night sky. Watching the souls at night was her favorite thing. It was the time when they looked most alive. The time when they shone the brightest.

  The summer air was warm enough that she didn’t need a hoodie or even a long sleeve shirt. She wore a black tank top with spaghetti straps and a pair of jeans. Her shoes were the ladies combat boots that she always wore when she went out to patrol the graveyard. A knife was tucked into one of her boots, secured by an ankle sheath. In her right hand, she carried the antique bow she’d found in the attic trunk. The silver arrows were fitted into a belted quiver made of hard leather, which she wore at her hip.

  Nightly patrol was part of the job, but tonight, she was hoping to get to talk with her dad. As mad as she was that he had done what he’d done by not crossing over, she still ached for him. Losing him had been the hardest thing she’d ever been though. Now, she would have to go through losing him all over again when the time came for him to cross over.

  She trekked her way across the lawn and onto the cemetery grounds. Even though it was dark, she could see by the dim lamps that were posted along the well groomed trails of the graveyard. Her father had placed the lamp posts there before she was born. However, over time some of lamps had occasionally needed to be replaced. Lucy had gone with her father to the hardware store in Santa Rosa to get the supplies and then helped him replace the posts.

  The entire Estmond clan had been responsible for cleaning and upkeep of the graveyard. As the heir to the estate, it was now her sole responsibility. Although it was hers alone to take care of now, none of her brothers and sisters … or even Ethan, had abandoned their responsibilities. All of them still came by and did their jobs with the upkeep. Mr. Dawson, the funeral director, employed the workers who came to dig the graves and work the burial vault, so the family didn’t have anything to do with that part of keeping the graveyard.

  She made her way along the trails, thinking about those little things and watching the beautiful blue mist of the souls.

  “Dad,” she called out softly. “I know you’re here somewhere.”

  The souls didn’t always learn to solidify themselves into their previous human form. Most souls usually passed on right away. Some of them just didn’t have the urge to return to how they had looked when they were alive, but then there were the ones that had an urge to communicate that wouldn’t go away, so they learned to make their mist appear as their shell had.

  Her dad seemed to have learned how to do it pretty quickly, but apparently it drained his energy and it took a while to rejuvenate it.

  “Da…addd.”

  He didn’t appear. Oh well, she knew that he would come to her the moment he could solidify. Continuing her walk, the cemetery trails moved upward into the older part of the cemetery. She liked the older part of the grave yard a lot. Most of the headstones were large and gothic looking, made of aged stone. The modern markers used for graves nowadays were simple plates in the ground. The actual headstones were made of granite or marble. Sure they looked nice, but they all looked the same. The older ones each had a personality all their own, like the person buried beneath them.

  “Hi there, Lucy Mae.”

  She spun, knowing her father’s voice instantly. “Dad!”

  Her father stood there, the blue mist of his soul still swirling around him in effort to remain solid. He wore the same thing he was buried in, making Lucy want to giggle at the sight of her father’s ghostly image in khaki shorts and colorful Hawaiian shirt. He even had the flip flops to top off the whole ‘vacation of a lifetime’ look.

  He gave her a small smile and nodded at the bow in her hand. “I see you found the trunk.”

  “Yeah, we found it all right,” Lucy scoffed. “So, I’m the Chosen One. I am the prophecy. Honestly, I don’t think it changes much, Dad.”

  He nodded. “I figured you would react this way.”

  “Well how else am I supposed to react? The legend doesn’t say how the Chosen One is supposed to bring an end to the Reapers, only that they will. No when, no how, no reasonable life changing information whatsoever.”

  Her father shimmered, his body flickering and making some of the solid parts invisible. “Lucy, fate will show itself in due time. There is no
reason for you to change what you do or who you are. This is a destiny that you will eventually fulfill.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes and shifted her bow to the other hand. “Well, a little more information would have been nice.”

  “Of course it would have. But, do you honestly think that taking down the Reapers, with whom the Keepers have been fighting for generations, would be a simple task? It is not meant to be known how the Chosen One will accomplish this great feat, only that they will.”

  This was getting ridiculous. “Well, what’s the point of the whole prophecy thing then?”

  Her father shook his head. “Lucy Mae, sometimes your common sense concerns me. The point is to give us hope. To know that someday all of the fighting, all of the sleepless nights protecting the souls, and all the generations of loss will eventually account for something. That is what the prophecy is meant to do.”

  Her father’s words stopped her. It hadn’t occurred to her that there was more to the prophecy than the foresight of the future. “I never really thought about it that way.”

  “Well, it’s time you did start thinking about it like that.”

  He was right, she was looking at the legend like it was an instruction manual for the Chosen One. A prophecy in itself was mystical, brought forth from someone who could see into the future, so obviously every single detail would not be foreseen.

  “Yes,” She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll stop taking things so literally.”

  “Good girl.”

  “Dad, you know you didn’t have to keep from crossing over because of all this. You could have left a note … or something.”

  Again, he gave her a soft smile. Even though he was what some would call a ghost, the lift of his lips brightened his eyes and crinkled the creases around them. “Ah, don’t you worry so much honey, this isn’t so bad.”

  “But you never know when you will be able to move on. You might be stuck here for a lot longer than you wanted to be.”

  He waved her off. “I told you before, this was my decision to make. I will move on when the time comes for me to go.”

  Lucy couldn’t bring herself to say it, but she was most afraid of a Reaper somehow getting to her dad. They had lost souls to the Reapers before, but she had never lost one who was close to her.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Lucy Mae.”

  She shook her head. “No you don’t.”

  “Don’t you doubt your old man, I’ve known you all your life and I know every expression that pretty little face of your makes.”

  Defiantly, Lucy straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. “What was I thinking then?”

  “You’re worried about the Reapers. You think I’m vulnerable since I am now a soul and not a Keeper.”

  “You will always be a Keeper. Always,” Lucy told him in a low voice. “Don’t talk like that.”

  “But, it’s true. All of it is,” her father insisted.

  Lucy wanted to hug him so badly. What she would have given at that moment to throw her arms around him and lay her head against his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” she told him. “I have this taken care of out here. There isn’t a chance in hell a Reaper will get ahold of you.”

  “But, Lucy, they are going to be gunning for you if they find out that I’ve died.”

  A flash of that sexy Reaper came back to her ‘Are you the Estmonds?’ Were they here already?

  “What is it?” Her father’s voice washed away the image of the Reaper she and Liv had met.

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

  “Damn it, Lucy Mae.” His hands were on his hips now. “I told you I know when you’re lying.”

  “Sheesh, fine! Liv and I were at the bakery today and a Reaper came in. He seemed surprised to see us there, but he did ask if we were the Estmonds.”

  “They are after you.” Lucy watched her father’s cheerful eyes darken. “There is no other reason that a Reaper would ask for you by name.”

  Lucy agreed. “Yeah, it didn’t occur to me until you mentioned it. I guess I’m just used to people knowing who we are.”

  Her father nodded. “I can see how that could happen. Just be careful, if they’re asking for you by name it can’t be that long before they try to attack.”

  “I’ll be fine, Dad!”

  He didn’t look convinced. “You make sure that from now on you have one of your brothers or sisters with you … or Ethan.”

  “I can handle myself, you know that.”

  “Lucy Mae, you listen to me. All the Reapers you have ever defeated were only after souls. These Reapers are after you. Do you hear me! They want to get rid of you.”

  “Dad…”

  “No,” he cut her off. “This is not up for debate. You don’t patrol alone, got it.”

  Lucy looked at the ground, knowing that she wouldn’t win this one. “Fine. I’ll bring someone with me from now on.”

  “Lucy, you know that this means you need to be prepared to be just as lethal to the Reapers. If they are trying to kill you, you aren’t going to be able to just run them off. They will be back. If you kill one, they will probably send more.”

  “I know Dad.”

  She understood what this meant, however, it didn’t mean she liked the idea of it at all. But, if someone tried to murder her, or one of her loved ones, there was no way in hell she was going to let them live to try it again.

  “Don’t be stubborn, Lucy Mae.”

  She sighed. “I said I wouldn’t come out alone.”

  He finally appeared convinced enough to let the topic go. “Tell me what’s going on with everyone. How are your brothers and sisters?”

  Switching the cross bow to her left hand she ran her hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. “All right I guess. Dan is still drinking like crazy and picking fights at the bar. But, everyone else is just dealing. Losing you was hard … too hard. Greg hates being away from home, but I think he likes his job over there.”

  She didn’t want to make him feel bad, but she didn’t want to lie either. The Estmond clan didn’t really make it a habit to lie to each other, they just didn’t think there was a need for it. She watched her father’s eyes reflect mixed emotions.

  “I didn’t want to leave you, Lucy Mae.”

  “Dad, we all know that.”

  “It was just time to go.” He moved his gaze away from her, looking off into the distance beyond the headstones. “But, now … now I am free of the pain. My body doesn’t feel like every move is an accomplishment. I have finally escaped the prison I was living in.”

  Fucking tears. She wiped her cheeks with her free hand, brushing away the evidence of how much she hated that her father was gone, but how happy she was that he wasn’t going through everything that he went through before he died. Cancer is a bastard. Fuck Cancer.

  “Don’t cry, honey. I’m better now than I have ever been. Even if I am just a shadow of who I once was.”

  “You are still you,” she told him, trying not to choke up. “A soul never changes.”

  “Well, stop the tears then.” He reached out, as if he wanted to wipe them away himself, but then he stopped before he was close enough to make contact. She looked up and saw pain in his eyes and realized that he knew he wouldn’t be able to touch her, even though he wanted to so badly.

  “It’s all right, Dad. I’m okay.” She forced the emotions back. No more crying. “Everyone really wants to see you tho…”

  “Lucy!” he hissed, his voice barely audible. “Look.”

  She searched the graveyard in the direction her father was pointing and saw what he was trying to tell her. “Fucking Reapers,” she mumbled under her breath when she saw the red flashes out in the trees to her right.

  “Lucy!”

  “Not the time to reprimand me on my language, Dad.”

  “There are two of them.”

  “I know.”

  “Be careful, honey.”

  “I will. You know I can do it.” She
shifted the bow back to her right hand and headed off to a more open area.

  Their auras were one of the things between the two factions that were a blessing and a curse at the same time. The red and silver shimmering auras allowed them to identify each other immediately, which was usually a good thing, like earlier in the bakery. However, it was times like this when you wanted stealth and the auras just wouldn’t allow it. They were all glowing like beacons in the night.

  May as well have been holding a big flashing sign that said ‘come and get me motherfucker.’

  Once she was in the larger open area, she lifted the cross bow and let it rest against her shoulder. She watched as they crept across the graveyard, trying to stick to the trees. What, were they drunk? Did they actually think that they were hidden and she couldn’t see them?

  Finally, they were close enough that she aimed the cross bow at the red targets and called out. “I can see you.”

  One of the Reapers shot off to the left and the other went to the right. Lucy cursed and picked one to shoot at. She should have just taken the shot while they thought they hadn’t been seen. It’s a lot easier to hit a target that’s not moving.

  She pulled the trigger and waited. Nothing. “Shit.” She must have missed. Quickly, she fitted another arrow into the cross bow and took aim on the same one she had just fired. She had just gotten him within her sights and her finger was tickling the trigger when she heard her father call out.

  “Lucy, behind you!”

  She was only able to turn slightly when someone, most likely the other Reaper, slammed into her body and took her down onto the soft earth floor. Her cross bow slipped from her fingers and skidded across the dirt, coming to a stop completely out of her reach. “Owww, shit!” She turned and struggled trying to get out from beneath him.

  “Dad, get out of here!” she screamed. “Disappear! Hide!”

  She didn’t care what he did as long as he got the hell away from these Reapers. But, he was her father and he probably wasn’t going to go far.