My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite)

by Dorothy Dreyer

  She scoffed. “As if.”

  “You can drop the hard-to-get act. Nobody’s buying it.”

  She put her lip balm away and faced me. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  I huffed a breath and rolled my eyes. “It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.”

  “Deal.”

  She opened the door and walked into the hall.

  “So does that mean you do have a crush on him? Like I have to ask. It’s so obvious.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have a crush on Hunter.”

  “Oh, please. You even say his name like you’re head over heels for him.”

  She laughed. “I do not.”

  We went through the second door. Then stopped short. We somehow had taken a wrong turn and ended up outside the building. We stood in the alleyway between the bar and the building next to it.

  “How’d we do that?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  I turned and tried to open the door we came out of, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Is it locked?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Here, let me.”

  She held her hand out, about to use her magic, when the sound of something banging into a garbage can stopped her. We turned to see a staggering man with a scruffy beard and dirty clothes approach us.

  I moved closer to Mara and clutched her arm.

  “Have you got any change?” The man hiccupped. He was just a drunk begging for money. I let out a breath.

  “No. Sorry.”

  His shadow on the building behind him morphed. The man’s eyes became more focused, his stare piercing. He took a step forward.

  “Mara, open the door.” I pulled at her.

  She quickly reached for the door and used her magic. It popped open.

  As a growl rumbled behind us, the door slammed closed again.

  Mara and I spun to face the man. She extended her hand out in front of her. Controlled by her magic, a garbage can swooped across the concrete and rammed into the man, causing him to double over. At the same time, I used my powers to get the door open again.

  We rushed inside and shoved the door closed. But we knew that wasn’t enough to stop a Reaper. Holding hands, we sprinted down the hall and rushed back to the table where Hunter and Gavin sat.

  “We’ve got to get out of here.” I said. “Now.”

  Without waiting for a response, I grabbed the car keys off the table and headed for the door. We charged down the street to the car.

  “What happened?” Hunter asked. “Did you clog the toilet?”

  “A Reaper.” I grasped the car key and dove forward for the lock. “Get in.”

  Once all the doors shut, I peeled out of our parking space.

  Mara leaned over the front seat. “Zadie, you shouldn’t be driving. You banged your head not too long ago; you might have a light concussion.”

  “No time for that.” I yanked the steering wheel to the right and changed streets.

  In the rearview mirror, a shadow floated over the street behind us. I clenched my teeth and begged my heart to stop hammering against my ribcage. Turning on to the next street, I pushed down hard on the gas pedal. The engine growled in protest.

  I passed two cars, ignoring the speed limit and the double lines in the middle of the road. Still the shadow came into view.

  “Hold on.” I took a sharp curve. The tires squealed as I skidded into the turn.

  When I righted myself, I checked the rearview mirror again. This time I didn’t see the shadow.

  A loud thump sounded above us. Mara screamed. And I felt like my head was exploding. Tiny pinpricks of ice stabbed my skin, and my eyes weighed a ton.

  Oh, no. Not now.

  My grip tightened on the steering wheel. But it wasn’t me who did it. It was the Reaper. He had control of the car.

  At his will, I pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The car inched to the right. The tires on the right dipped into the shoulder of the road. And then even farther until the car was completely on the shoulder, jostling over dirt and rocks. There was a signpost up ahead, not fifty feet from us.

  “Zadie, watch out.” Gavin grabbed the wheel.

  The car hit the signpost on the forward right bumper and continued to speed down the road. The Reaper made me let go of the wheel with one hand. I reached into my jacket and pulled out the switchblade Chase had given me. I held it up and snarled at Gavin.

  “What are you doing?” Gavin’s eyes popped wide open.

  With a flip and a thrust, the blade went into his arm.

  He pulled his hand back, holding his arm against his chest as he screamed in pain.

  “It’s the Reaper,” Hunter yelled.

  “Oh my God!” Mara cried.

  Hunter leaned forward and tried to grab the arm holding the knife. My arm flailed, while the hand on the wheel made the car swerve over the road. A car honked as we almost rammed into it.

  Mara started chanting.

  The Reaper took the next exit off the highway. It was the exit we needed to get to the Poulters’ estate.

  It knew where we were headed.

  My panic couldn’t be seen, but I was shrieking inside.

  The car climbed the hill and took the curves that led to the Poulters’. At this speed, we were sure to crash into the gate.

  “Mara!” Hunter yelled. “Use your magic.”

  Mara didn’t respond. I hoped it was because she was doing what he asked.

  The engine roared as we drove at full speed toward the black iron gates of the estate. If I could have closed my eyes, I would have.

  Then the gates swung open at the last moment. I just hoped they opened wide enough for the car to pass through without striking us. But even if we made it through, how were we going to stop?

  Please, Mara. Will the car to stop.

  Gavin’s leg pushed mine aside. I felt my arm rise, fear coursing through me as it plunged downward. But Hunter’s grip on my arm threw off my aim. The blade stabbed into the seat of the car. Gavin’s foot found the brake just as the car barreled through the open gate, but the car bounced so much his foot slipped off.

  Mara’s chanting became louder. I could feel my grip loosen.

  In front of us were the Poulters’ parked cars and Hunter’s motorcycle.

  Gavin found the brake again and rammed it into the floor. The car swerved and sideswiped one of the parked cars. Gavin fell into me, and my head smashed against the side window.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I grabbed my head, but the spinning didn’t stop. When I released my skull, the fingers of my left hand were slick with blood. With squinted eyes, I checked the other passengers. Gavin groaned, his arm clasped tight against his chest. There was blood all over him, seeping through his jacket sleeve. Over my shoulder, Hunter pushed Mara’s hair back. She let out a small moan and held her palm to her forehead.

  “Oh God, Gavin.” I was glad to hear my own voice, glad the Reaper had left me but totally distraught that I’d hurt my boyfriend again. “We need to get you inside.”

  My side of the car was up against the car we’d hit. There was no way Mara and I were going to get our doors open. We climbed out the right side doors and stumbled to the Poulters’ house.

  I was so relieved to find the door unlocked. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with the butler’s creepy glares. Not after barely escaping a Reaper-triggered car accident.

  But his glares were the least of my problems.

  Diana and Paxton met us in the foyer, scrutinizing our faces and our injuries.

  “What the hell happened?” Diana’s eyes narrowed.

  “Reaper attack.” Hunter supported Mara’s arm and walked by the siblings.

  “What was that crash?” Paxton didn’t pause, but headed straight for the door.

  “We lost control of the car,” Gavin said.

  Diana’s voice grew louder. “And crashed into what?”

  “Oh, crap,”
Paxton said from the front door as he looked out toward the cars. Then he turned to Diana and let out a laugh. I wondered if the car we hit was hers.

  “What?” She rushed forward. On the porch, she let out a scream of aggravation.

  When she jumped off the porch and disappeared from view, I helped Gavin to the living room. “We need to get you fixed up.”

  Paxton was right behind us. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Mrs. Poulter, who’d been sitting on the couch, rose to her feet when we walked into the room. “What on earth—?”

  Erina ran up to us. Paxton came back into the room with bandages and bottles of ointment. As the two of them patched up Gavin’s arm and my head, Diana stomped in. Her face was blotched red, and her hands were clenched into fists.

  “You idiots! First you leave without telling anyone, upsetting my mother and worrying Erina. And then you wreck my car?”

  “Diana, calm down before you hurt someone,” Paxton said. “Remember the mess last time? We had to repaint.”

  “No. They come in here expecting us to do everything we possibly can so they can be free from a curse that’s been around for centuries. But I say they deserve it. They’re nothing but trouble. They’ve only brought chaos and death into this house. What are we supposed to do? Lay down our lives just so they can sleep soundly at night?”

  Mrs. Poulter walked over to the window. “No one is asking you to sacrifice yourself, Diana. No one would ask that of anyone. We’ll think of something.”

  “I don’t want to think of something.” Diana stepped in front of me. “I want them gone. And so does my father.”

  I took a deep breath and shook my head. When I stood, Diana and I were eye to eye.

  “Don’t worry. You’re getting your wish. We’re leaving in the morning.”

  Mara stepped in next to me. “We’re just giving Chase and Lilura the night to rest. Then we’ll be on our way. We’ll figure this thing out on our own.”

  Mrs. Poulter turned toward us. Her brow was creased, and the way she wrung her hands, it looked like she wanted to say something. But she kept silent.

  “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Poulter,” I said. “I’m going to go pack now.”

  I charged out of the room, Mara in tow. We ran to the top of the stairs. When I turned to her, she had tears in her eyes. They matched my own.

  Mara pulled me into her arms. “Don’t worry, Zadie. We will figure this out. There has to be a way.”

  I clung to the back of her shirt, burying my face in her shoulder. Would we ever figure it out? We’d have to find another witch. Someone willing to summon Samael. Someone who didn’t hate Vila. And what about Lilura? Her health was failing. It wouldn’t be easy to drag her around to find a new witch. I closed my eyes and held Mara tighter, feeling hopeless and drained of energy.

  Wiping my cheeks, I pulled back from her. “I’m going to pack. And then sleep.”

  “Me too.” She pushed a strand of hair off my shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I flashed her a quick, understanding smile before I went into my room.

  Still a little dizzy from the crash, I struggled to pull my suitcase out of the closet. I yanked it onto the bed with a groan. I didn’t really feel like packing, but I had to be ready to leave in the morning. I didn’t want to spend another unwelcome moment in this house.

  I sorted my things and packed them away. The staff had washed my clothes. They must have had some product—store-bought or home-made—that helped get blood out, because the jeans I’d worn the night Helene died were completely blood free. They’d even patched up the hole the wineglass had cut into them.

  I rubbed my hand over the wound from that night. It was still sore, but the healing ointment Paxton had put on it worked wonders. I was sure it was the same concoction he’d just used on Gavin’s arm. Though the cut on my arm was still bandaged and healing, it was comforting to know we wouldn’t be going home completely broken.

  After getting everything packed, I rolled my suitcase next to the door. I pulled my crossbow and quiver out from under the bed and leaned them against the suitcase.

  Glad I was one step closer to leaving, I wandered over to the window. I pushed the curtain aside and took a last look at the Poulters’ garden. The fog had rolled in again. The woods at the back of the property were dark and foreboding, the dark statues like cloaked figures keeping watch.

  Movement caught my eye. Someone walked past the gazebo.

  I pressed my nose against the glass and strained my eyes to see who it was.

  Gavin? What was he doing out there?

  I opened the window and called his name. He didn’t react, but kept walking out toward the lake. Maybe I was too far for him to hear. Then again, maybe this had something to do with a Reaper. Fear seized my heart. I turned and rushed out my door, glad I still had my shoes on.

  Hunter and Paxton were talking near the back door when I opened it. I didn’t stop when they asked where I was going. Had they not seen Gavin go outside?

  Fog swirled around my ankles as I ran past the gazebo. He couldn’t have been far. He wasn’t walking that fast. He must have been nearby.

  His silhouette finally appeared in front of me.

  “Gavin, wait.”

  I sprinted up to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He stopped but didn’t turn around. He quietly hummed a tune, almost like a lullaby.

  “Gavin, what are you doing?”

  Slowly, he twisted to face me, still humming.

  In a flash, the tune suddenly became familiar to me. It was the same thing Mara hummed, huddled in her room, back when her Reaper was stalking her. It was the same song as the tinny melody from the music box Dad gave me. The music box that was exactly the same as one I had when I was young.

  My mind played back a quick memory that had been buried in my subconscious: Mom walking into my room when I was twelve and in bed, her face pale, her eyes vacant. Her grip on my music box as she flipped it open. The way she screamed as she hurled it across the room, smashing it into the wall. Dad bursting in and grabbing her, dragging her away. The way I cried myself to sleep, wondering what was wrong with her.

  I gasped, gaping at Gavin. Why was he humming that tune? His eyes were not his usual blue. They were black and unblinking, his brows drawn down in a menacing glare.

  I backed away from him.

  Oh, God!

  Gavin’s hand clamped around my neck. I tried to scream, but it was cut off from lack of air. I scratched at his fingers and flailed, trying to push him away. He shoved me backward until I was pressed up against a tree. I reached for his face, hoping I could break the spell. He smirked. Then he pulled my neck toward him and smashed my head against the tree trunk.

  I fell to the ground, woozy and unable to move. To my surprise, Gavin fell too, his eyes rolling back into his head just before he crumpled beside me. A shadow floated out of his body and morphed. The Reaper’s hands and cloak materialized, then his skeletal face and hollow eyes. He swooped down, fingers traveling over my body until he had a complete hold on me. He lifted me into his arms, his gray and ashen face twisted into an evil grin. I moaned, but he hushed me, placing his bony fingers over my eyes to close them.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I forced my eyes open. My lids were heavy, but at least I could see what was happening. The sky was red, the clouds like swirling balls of fire. The forest around me was made up of black trees and fog. Icy hands held my aching body. The Reaper, dark and silent and looming, carried me through the In-Between.

  Above me, large crows circled. I thought I would be bobbing up and down with every step the Reaper took, but instead we glided through the dark forest. The full, orange moon slid out from behind the clouds of fire, shining a radiant glow on the red sky.

  This was it. The Reaper was taking me to his Haunt to eat my soul.

  My mind flashed back to when Mara was taken to the In-Between. She had been unconscious. Shouldn’t I have been unconscious too?
Maybe, because Chase’s potion was still in my system, it kept me awake. Aware. Afraid.

  I tried to move my arm, but I could only wiggle the tips of my fingers. My energy was drained. I was doomed to experience the Reaper sucking out my soul, draining me of life, possibly being conscious for every excruciating moment.

  I didn’t want to die.

  Gavin, Mara, please find me.

  A low, echoing grown emanated from the Reaper’s chest. Had he heard my silent plea? A small ray of hope blossomed from my heart that my will still held magic. That because I willed Gavin and Mara to find me, my Vila blood could manipulate it to be. Which disturbed the Reaper.

  I had nothing to lose by going with that theory. Though limp, I concentrated on my sister, Gavin, and the Blacks. We had set out to save Mara the year before; I had to believe they would set out to save me.

  Come find me. He’s bringing me to his Haunt.

  The Reaper’s steel-like fingers pressed into my skin, the icy flesh stinging me. No, he wasn’t happy about me using my powers. But I didn’t care. I would deal with the pain in order to save my life.

  Hurry!

  Pain surged through my veins. It was as if red-hot razor blades were slicing away at my insides. Everything in my vision swam before me. Bile rose in my throat. He was really pissed now. I cringed in agony, unable to muster up my magic, unable to chant, unable to do anything but ache.

  I remained silent, inside and out, for what seemed like forever. The ache slowly diminished. Then something wonderful vibrated in my ears. Voices. They were coming for me.

  The Reaper swiveled swiftly to look behind him, making my limp arms flail along with his movement. I strained my eyes to see if they were near, but could only see black tree trunks and rotted leaves. Still, I heard their approach, and I held on to hope.

  The Reaper growled and dropped me to the ground. My shoulder burned as it twisted under me. Everything was sideways in my vision. Mara appeared, about thirty feet away, next to Chase.

  Chase? But he’s still healing.

  Mara held my crossbow in her hands, aiming at the Reaper.

  The Reaper lifted his hand. His scythe protruded from his hand, extending until it reached its full length, the steel blade catching the orange light of the moon.