Keeper of the Peace (Graveyard Guardians #2)

by Jennifer Malone Wright

  She shook her head and took one more swig before answering. “Just go sit down like he said.” She waved dismissively at the van.

  She worriedly gazed at the bruised and swollen face of her lover, and hoped that he would stay with her after he heard everything about her.

  “All right.” Hannah stood in front of David and inhaled deeply. “First things first. Do you love me?”

  David’s eyes flicked back and forth between Hannah and the rest of the group, who stood around her like they were about to hear an exciting campfire story. “Yes. I always have and always will.” He answered calmly and then countered with, “Do you love me?”

  She nodded. “Very much, which is why I’m about to tell you what I really am.”

  His expression changed from nervous to confused. “What you really are?”

  “Don’t worry, not like an alien or anything.” She paused and then decided it best to outright say it and then deal with the details later. “I’m what is called a Keeper. My whole family is. We protect the souls of the recently passed from the soul eating Reapers, until they can cross over.”

  Hannah sucked in her breath and waited for it. “Uh …” David’s eyes grew wide. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You heard me. I protect souls.”

  “Like, ghosts?”

  She nodded. “Yes, like ghosts.”

  “From Reapers … who eat souls?”

  “Yes.”

  She could feel it. This wasn’t going in a good direction at all.

  “And all of you are Keepers?”

  Hannah shook her head. “The Estmonds are and so is Ethan, but Jack and Aiden are not.”

  “We are Reapers,” Jack added and Hannah shot him a glare. “What?” He shrugged. “He may as well know it all if you’re telling him anyway.”

  David began to look as if he wanted to get up and slowly back away. “I … um, I thought you were enemies with the … uh, oh for fucks sake, with the Reapers.”

  “We are, but Jack is a special case and we just acquired Aiden in the mix. That is a story for another day. All you have to know is that they are good guys.”

  “Okay. I need to back up for a minute. Can you all see ghosts?”

  Hannah nodded. “We see souls, yes.”

  He opened the beer Jack had given him and chugged half of it down. “I am having a hard time with this. I am a detective. I go on facts, so I can’t believe what I don’t see.”

  Hannah knew this part was coming, so she approached him and knelt down in front of him, taking his hands within hers. “I understand. We have dealt with this our entire lives. But, you can see them too, if you try hard enough.”

  He stared into her eyes and she saw disbelief layered with concern. “I can’t see ghosts, Hannah.”

  “You’ve heard stories about how children are more susceptible to seeing spirits haven’t you?” He nodded and she continued, “Do you know why that is?” This time he shook his head and she answered, “It’s because they haven’t learned not to believe. Their minds are open, young, and haven’t been bogged down with reality just yet.”

  “I don’t understand,” he told her and she nodded. As she continued to stare into his eyes, she knew that he was truly trying to understand her, he wanted to believe her, yet reality and the world had burned disbelief into his brain. “Are there ghosts here right now?”

  She glanced over and met her father’s transparent gaze. She looked beyond him and saw the glittering blue mist of the other souls gathered around the tombstones, wove in and out of the trees and a few solidified into their physical form, like her father could. “Yes, there are lots of souls with us.”

  “I can’t see them, or feel them, or anything.”

  She squeezed his hands and locked eyes with him again. “I want you to try. Close your eyes. Clear your mind and feel what is around you.”

  He followed her instructions without question. Once his eyes were closed, she kept her hands woven into his and whispered, “Feel the air, the energy … there are lots of souls here right now, I want you to open your mind to them and to the unknown.”

  After a couple of minutes, David slowly opened his swollen eye lids and peered over Hannah’s shoulder. “I don’t see anything.”

  “It’s all right. We can’t expect it to happen on the first try. I’m just happy you are trying to accept this instead of shipping me off to a mental institution.”

  He smiled and leaned over, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I would never do that. I want to try again.” He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

  While he was focusing, Greg Sr. appeared beside him. “David.” He reached out to touch his shoulder. His semi-transparent fingers couldn’t actually make contact and all but disappeared within David’s skin. David shivered in response. “I know you and my daughter are meant to be together. I know you will love her regardless of if this works or not, but hear me … feel me.”

  “I feel strange,” David whispered.

  Her father moved his face a bit closer. “Hear me … feel the energy of my soul surrounding you.”

  And suddenly … David’s eyes shot open. “Your father!” he shouted.

  Hannah had never felt such relief as she did in that moment. It crashed over her in a wave of warmth and love. “Yes!”

  CHAPTER

  26

  DAVID

  Maybe he died back at the trailer. Or maybe he was in some kind of weird ass coma dream. That would be an answer to what was happening right now.

  His eyes were closed and he was doing as Hannah asked, opening his mind to the unknown, to what he had been taught not to believe. The fact that he loved her was only part of why he wanted so much to believe what she was telling him. The other half of it was that he had known her since they were kids, and even then there were a few things that were off about the whole family. Not to mention they lived adjacent to a graveyard. That had always creeped him out.

  Now, here he was, sitting in that very same graveyard in the back of Liv’s van, trying to open his mind and see some ghosts.

  He claimed that he had to see to believe and in a sense that was true. But in reality, he didn’t discredit the existence of spirits. He had merely come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t see them.

  So, with his eyes closed, he tried to clear it out, to think of nothing and no one. He even blocked out Hannah and tried to focus on the energy all around him. On the second try, his body began to tingle and the words ‘feel me, hear me,’ kept rising to the surface of the thoughts he was trying so hard to clear.

  And then, suddenly, his mind snapped and he recognized the voice. It was Hannah’s father, Greg Sr. “Hear me … feel the energy of my soul surrounding you.”

  His eyes flew open and he turned to stare at Hannah. “Your father!”

  “Yes!” Her eyes widened and filled with love as she grasped his hand even tighter.

  And then it all came into focus. Little shimmers of misty blue formed in front of him, Hannah herself had a silver glow floating around her. What in the world was happening? He thought as he pulled his hand from Hannah’s and reached out, trying to touch the glittering blue in front of him.

  “Don’t think too much,” Hannah told him softly. After a moment, his focus cleared even more and the blue mist took the form of a man, took the form of Hannah’s father. “Mr. Estmond …” His voice barely a whisper.

  Hannah’s father smiled, causing the wrinkles on his transparent face to crease and his eyes to light up. “He sees me.”

  “I can see you,” David blubbered. “You’re a ghost.”

  Mr. Estmond nodded. “I am a soul, stuck here in the graveyard since I can’t cross over yet.”

  David shook his head. If he was hallucinating … or dreaming, he wanted to snap out of it right away. Mr. Estmond smiled at his actions. “I’m real, son. Well … sort of.”

  Then, he heard Jack’s voice cut through the night. “This is as good as television. I feel like I need some popcorn.�
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  “Shut up,” Lucy scolded.

  He tore his gaze away from the Mr. Estmond and found Jack in the crowd. He had his own aura, only it was a sparkling red mist, floating around him. Aiden had the same. “Reapers,” he whispered to himself, but Hannah nodded acknowledgement of the statement. “Yes. Can you see their aura?”

  David nodded.

  “Can you see mine?”

  “Yes,” he nodded, “It’s beautiful, silver and shimmering, just as I imagine your aura would be.”

  Lucy stepped forward and knelt down beside her sister. “There’s more.”

  How could there possibly be more to it than this. The love of his life saw ghosts and protected them from soul eating Reapers, except for the Reapers who just so happened to be their friends. “Okay.”

  Hannah took a deep breath. “Not everyone who can see the souls can be a Keeper. Keepers are a born race, we are guardians and it is something that is passed down throughout the generations. We have been trained to protect souls since we were born. All of us,” She gestured to her brothers and sisters. “This is our graveyard, our station to guard.

  “When our father passed away, we found a trunk in the attic with some heirlooms inside, but we also found the prophecy hidden within.”

  David painfully raised his eyebrows. “Prophecy? Like a legend.”

  Lucy and Hannah both nodded and Hannah continued. “The legend says that the seventh child, from one of the seven original lines of Keepers, born on the seventh day of the seventh month, is the chosen Keeper who will bring forth an end to the Reapers.” She glanced at Lucy and then added, “And Lucy is the Chosen One.”

  David felt like his brain was going to explode from too much information. Good Lord, how had her family been hiding all this for so long?

  “The Keepers and the Reapers have been warring for generations. Now, the Reaper society is after the Chosen One, since they too know of the prophecy. Jack’s mother is the Empress of their faction, their leader.”

  He closed his eyes, trying to process the information. “Okay, so if you all are enemies, and Jack is the Reaper prince, why is he here?”

  “Jack came here to kill Lucy, but when they saw each other …”

  “Nothing else mattered, except keeping her safe and making her mine,” Jack finished, for her.

  “Jack,” Lucy whispered.

  He shrugged. “What? It’s true. If you had told me to go away and never come back, I would have done it, but I would have been miserable for the rest of my life if I didn’t have you with me.”

  Hannah smiled and continued. “Anyway, when a Keeper and a Reaper touch, there is a burn. It can be a weapon of sorts, or a hindrance, but Lucy and Jack don’t have the burn. They are meant for each other. Soul mates. Lucy was kidnapped by the Empress and we got her back, but not until after Jack renounced his title and his family for her … for us. That’s why Jack is with us.

  “But, there is still the issue of Lucy being the Chosen One. We have to keep her safe until we figure out how she will bring an end to the Reapers and fulfill the prophecy. Until then, we fight the Reapers, chase them away from the souls and try not to kill them in the process.”

  Oh, well fucking hell. Everything clicked into place at that moment. “The case … the murder, he was a Reaper, wasn’t he?”

  Hannah nodded. “It’s a risk we take. If I hadn’t killed him, he would have taken my soul and killed me in the process.”

  “Shit.” He wished he had more words to express exactly how that made him feel. He’d known that Hannah was innocent to begin with, but he had also known that she was holding something back from him and now he knew why.”

  “You understand why I lied about that now, right?” she asked him in a soft voice.

  He nodded. “Of course I do. I understand why you never said anything to me about any of this.” He glanced at Mr. Estmond, who grinned at back at him. “It’s not something you can just spring on someone.”

  “Exactly.” She paused and then tilted her head, her hood hiding her hair and shadowing her eyes. “Do you still love me like you did before we started this conversation?”

  What the hell? Was that even a question? He leaned forward and took her chin between his fingers. “I love you the same, if not even more. You are a brave, warrior woman who protects the souls from evil.” He grinned. “I guess you’re not the only one who has a thing for protectors and guardians.” With that, he leaned in and found her lips.

  She eagerly responded, kissing him back with fervor. God, he loved her so much. He practically dragged her into his lap trying to get closer to her.

  “Holy shit, man, her dad is right there!” Jack hollered. Hannah waved the Reaper away and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Forget it. Come on you guys, we have to get these holes dug even faster now.”

  After the group went back to the task at hand he pulled out of the kiss and looked deep into her eyes. She lifted her hand, bringing her fingertips to his cheekbone. “I still think you should go to the hospital.”

  “I’m fine. You can stitch me up if I need it.”

  “How will you explain it at work?”

  “I don’t know yet.” He would figure that part out when the time came. Right now, they had enough crap to deal with. They needed to seal this deal with the bodies, get Hannah cleared and get life a little bit back to normal.

  “I was afraid you would leave me again when I told you the truth.”

  He pulled her tight again. “I am never going to leave you again. I’m so sorry, for all the pain I caused you over the years.”

  Even though he saw sadness in her eyes when she thought of it, she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. “It’s over now. I know I said we can’t just forget what happened in the past and start over. But, I think we can. It’s gone. It’s in the past and now and you know the truth about me, so now we have no lies between us.”

  “I am yours forever, Hannah.”

  She grinned. “There was never anyone else for me anyway.”

  He leaned back with her in his lap and stared out at the shimmering variety of colors. The silver of Keepers, red of the Reapers, and the glittering blue souls. Some of the souls weren’t solid like her father was. They were like ribbons of mist, weaving among the tree limbs and tombstones. “It’s so beautiful. Will I always see them now?”

  Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. It’s hard to say.

  “I hope I do. It’s amazing.”

  She laughed and leaned back into him. “It’s not always this amazing, but I think it’s great that you want to.”

  “Hey, love birds,” Dan called from one of the holes. “Get your asses over here and help us!”

  “Looks like we better get to work.” Hannah slid off of his lap and held out her hand. “Come on.”

  CHAPTER

  27

  AIDEN

  Just before sunrise, they all trudged back to the Estmond house covered in soft wet earth from the graveyard. Aiden had never felt so out of place as he did once they entered the yellow farm house and fell, exhausted, onto whatever furniture they came across first.

  The bodies were buried and would hopefully be forgotten by the world. At least that was one thing off his plate for the time being. Not that it took care of his problems by any means. His problems were actually just beginning. Somehow he had gotten himself in deep with these Keepers and he wasn’t exactly sure yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  He was going to come forward as a witness for Hannah, and he didn’t know why the hell he had agreed to do that in the first place.

  For Jack, that was why, and for himself. This was the beginning of his new life and part of that life was making sacrifices for other people, and his sacrifice for the day had been killing two would-be murderers to save a cop.

  No big deal.

  “Hey man,” Dan opened the fridge, “we’re out of beer, but we have soda if you want one.”

 
“Nah,” Aiden shook his head, “I’ll just have water.”

  “Here.” Dan pulled out four waters and set them on the table while he went back in for more.”

  Greg, the oldest brother, had taken a seat at the table and gestured for him to sit as well. “Grab a chair, we have to talk.”

  Lucy groaned. “Greg, can we do this in the morning? I’m so tired.”

  “We all are Luce, but we need to make sure we have all this taken care of.”

  Aiden pulled out a chair across from Greg and balanced his large frame into it. “Look. I know you’re worried. She already gave me the third degree earlier.” He motioned toward Hannah.

  “Oh, it’s not a matter of you proving to us that you’re on our side.” Greg paused. “No, that’s a lie, maybe it is. We know what you did today was an ultimate act of selflessness and, as per the deal, we owe you protection from the Empress.”

  Aiden shook his head. “You only owe me protection after I come forward as witness for Hannah.”

  “Well, it may as well be now,” Greg countered, “if you are going to do it anyway.”

  Aiden took a deep breath, hoping they believed what he was about to spring on them. “I am going to do this for her, you can trust me, but I can’t stay here. I may need help later, but until then I think it’s best if you don’t have me under your roof.”

  James leaned on the counter next to his twin. “Or near a graveyard full of innocent souls.”

  “That too,” Aiden agreed. “I just don’t think anyone would be very comfortable with this right now.”

  Dan leaned on the table. “Honestly, dude, I’m more worried about you not staying here, but pretending to be our friend and going back to the Empress with every little tid bit of information. You not staying here is the perfect set up to be a spy.”

  “I’m already a spy for you,” he told them. “I should keep up that pretense until she figures all this out.”

  “Okay … okay.” Jack held his hands up “Hold up. So, I think what Aiden is trying to say is that he is going to be a double agent. Working from both sides … you know?”