The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series

by Pierce, J. M.

  “I know you think that you’re an evil person, and I know you’ve done some horrific things. But I don’t think that’s who you are. You were forced to live that life in order to survive. You were deceived into thinking that it was the only way.”

  Pulling her arm away from Maggie’s touch, Lauren stood and walked to the dresser in the opposite corner of the room. With her back to Maggie, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I appreciate that, Maggie, but…”

  “But nothing. If you are the monster that you think you are, then why did you not kill my son when you first had the chance? It would have been easy for you?”

  Lauren turned, rolling her eyes, and replied. “Yeah, but instead of coming back to Lincoln when he needed me, I ran and hid like a coward.”

  “But you came back when he really needed it, didn’t you?” asked Maggie. “No one can blame you for protecting yourself, Lauren. The important thing is that you came back, risking your own life to save his. No one asked you to, you did that on your own. Would a monster do something so selfless?”

  Burying her hands in her face, Lauren began to sob heavily as Maggie stood from the bed. Standing in front of the distraught woman, Maggie parted Lauren’s hands and lovingly brushed her hair from her face.

  In a soft voice, Maggie spoke. “You have got to forgive yourself for the past that was forced upon you. In my eyes, you are an angel. Maybe a little brash at times,” Maggie winked, a corner of her lip lifting with a smile, “but I think you’ve earned the right to be that way.”

  Lauren smiled back. It was the deepest, truest, most heartfelt smile that she’d ever had in her life. As if hugging her own mother, she wrapped her arms around Maggie and held her tightly. Laying her head on the woman’s shoulder, she took a deep and cleansing breath.

  “Thank you, Maggie.”

  The tenderness of the moment was shattered when a man’s voice caused them both to jump.

  “Ladies, we have a problem.”

  Lauren lifted her head from Maggie’s shoulder and could see Cliff, slightly transparent, standing in the doorway to her room. As the two women released each other, he walked closer and became more solid with each step. Her mind was quick to come up with a smart ass reply, but she forced her mouth to filter it.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked as she folded her arms to her chest.

  Cliff briefly glanced to Maggie and gave her a nod. Looking back to Lauren, he replied. “It’s a long story, but I think the Reapers are trying to set a trap for Test.”

  Lauren straightened out her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “That wouldn’t surprise me. You and I both knew that they would come again.”

  Cliff shook his head and took another step forward. “You don’t understand,” he replied, giving Maggie a foreboding look. “They have bait.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Maggie, the strain of fear now present in her voice.

  “They’re going to use the Paxton girl.”

  Maggie gasped while Lauren responded with a series of frantic questions. “Who is she? What does she mean to Test? Where are they?”

  With a hand over her mouth, Maggie answered. “She’s his ex-girlfriend from Lincoln.”

  “Yeah, well now she’s livin’ in Kansas City, and she’s in a lot of trouble. Poor girl’s a mess. You’d barely recognize her ‘less you knew who you was lookin’ at.”

  “What happened to her?” asked Maggie.

  Caving under the strain of the past two days’ events, Cliff snapped. “What happened to her? Shoot, that girl went through hell and back in Lincoln and now she’s all by herself. Ain’t no one there for her! Her arms look like a breedin’ ground for injection marks and she’s so damned thin a stiff Nebraska breeze could blow her away!”

  Suddenly overcome with a need to protect Maggie, Lauren intervened with venom in her words. “Take it easy, old man. She couldn’t have known. Her life, or in case you haven’t noticed, her death, hasn’t been gravy since then either!”

  The red pulses of energy had begun to race down Lauren’s arms and she felt herself losing control until Maggie placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s okay, hon, he’s just upset.” She turned to Cliff and gave a weak smile. “We all are.”

  Cliff’s body seemed to deflate and he dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I truly am. A lot has happened to me in a short bit of time, but that’s no excuse to take it out on you.”

  With the spike in Lauren’s energy, Cliff became fully solid, and he watched remorsefully as the Shadow’s pulses faded. Without having to ask, she increased them once more to sustain him and Maggie at the same time.

  “Okay, let’s all just take a deep breath and figure out what we need to do,” said Maggie, a hand now resting on both Lauren and Cliff.

  Lauren tensed with instinct, but then forced herself to focus. “Well, my first thought is that we do nothing. If the girl is truly being used as bait, then they’ll expect us to come after her.” She glanced to Maggie with a look of compassion. “My second thought is that the right thing to do would be to help her.” A smile crept onto her face as Maggie rubbed her back in a circular motion while nodding in approval.

  Cliff raised an eyebrow as he replied. “That’s true, but I think we’ve got an advantage.”

  “What’s that?” asked Lauren.

  “There’s something you don’t know, and they don’t know that we know.”

  Though she tried her best, her patience for the old man’s confusing dialogue frustrated her.

  “Cut the crap, old man—what is it you’re trying to say?” barked Lauren.

  With the patience and wisdom that only a long life could have provided, he grinned and replied. “Life is sometimes filled with strange twists of fate. Some things was just meant to be.” His grin grew even larger. “I have a son. I ain’t never told anyone,” he nodded to Lauren, “’cept you of course. When I left here I went lookin’ for him—ain’t seen him since he was a little boy.” Both Lauren and Maggie listened intently. “Anyway, while I was lookin’, I happened upon young Miss Paxton. Like I said, I couldn’t place her at first—just knew there was somethin’ familiar about her. It wasn’t until I followed her home that I realized who this,” he turned to Maggie, “forgive the expression, ghost of a girl was.

  “She’d just injected herself with that poison, and I stayed the night to make sure that she’d be okay. The next mornin’ she got up and went to this coffee shop a short bit away. I stayed with her. I felt sorry for her and was tryin’ to think of a way to help her out.”

  “Does this story get to a point?” asked Lauren spitefully. She promptly received a tap on the shoulder and a scornful look from Maggie.

  Cliff wrinkled his nose and continued. “As I was sayin’,” he cleared his throat, “She was standin’ in line, tryin’ to get some food, but didn’t have any money. From nowhere this man came from the end of the line and paid for her food and a cup of coffee.”

  Lauren crossed her arms forcefully, her impatience lay heavy in the room.

  “Here’s where the fate comes in,” Cliff continued. “Turns out that man was my grandson.”

  Expecting an “aha” moment from the two women, Cliff waited patiently. When he didn’t see it realized, he continued once more.

  “If you remember, in my previous life, I had a gift. I could see things that hadn’t happened yet.” A quick look to Maggie revealed a twinkle of understanding in her eyes. “My grandson has that gift.”

  The two women were now completely focused. Tucking her hair behind her ears, Lauren began to shake her head.

  “When my grandson introduced himself as Thadeus Johnston,” Cliff continued, “Nicole immediately noticed something in him that reminded her of me. When she asked if he was related, he told her yes and she immediately took off for the door. I let her go, awestruck that I’d inadvertently found Thad.”

  In her best attempt at being sympathetic, Lauren spoke. “Cliff, this is all very—special—
but by the time you finish this story, Isaac is going to have killed the girl already.”

  Cliff responded with one of his trademark chuckles. “I’m getting’ there, I’m getting’ there.” He paused to remember where he’d left off. “Now, when Thadeus left the coffee shop, I went with him, for what I hope are obvious reasons. When we arrived at his apartment, I discovered a notebook that he’d been writin’ in. That’s when I learned he’d inherited the gift. For whatever reason, my grandson has been seeing visions of one of the Reapers taking Nicole.”

  Lauren immediately exploded with a question. “Does he know when?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Cliff replied. “The gift don’t really say when somethin’s gonna happen, just that it is. I do know where it will happen though,” he paused as a grim look came over his face, “and who the Reaper is.”

  Maggie watched their exchange with a twisted look of fear on her face. There was nothing she could do but listen.

  “Who is it?” Lauren asked though she already had an idea.

  “The Indian.”

  Lauren walked past the old man and stood in the doorway. “That’s what I figured.”

  “So,” said Cliff, “now what are we going to do?”

  Lauren stood stoically biting her lip as she stared at the floor. “We don’t have a choice, we have to go now.”

  Maggie began to walk towards the door. “I’ll go find Test,” she said.

  Lauren grabbed her arm as she passed. “No,” she replied quickly. “We’re better off if just me and the old man go. If Test sees this Nicole girl again, and if she’s as bad off as Cliff says she is, his emotions will get the better of him and it will leave him vulnerable.” She looked to Cliff with a quiet confidence. “We’ll take care of it.”

  Without a word, Cliff nodded back to her.

  Chapter 8

  Test and Alyssa had spent several hours walking through the majestic wilderness that was the Hoh rainforest. Few words were spoken, but the quiet time spent together was exactly what each of them had needed.

  As they stepped through the tree line and out into the clearing of Lauren’s back yard, Alyssa stopped and marveled at the beauty of the area. She then turned and examined Lauren’s home. While more extravagant on the inside than those who knew her would expect, the exterior of the home was nothing more than a rustic looking log home. The stain was faded and splotchy, and the uprights on the deck posts were bowed from age.

  Test interrupted her admiration, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Pretty nice place, huh?” he asked.

  Without taking her eyes off of the scene, she replied. “Yes. It actually makes me miss Wyoming a little.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he replied. “I really thought I could have a life there.”

  Sensing a downturn in his mood, Alyssa squeezed his hand and began to walk towards the porch, dragging him behind. “Do you regret going there?” she asked with a coy smile.

  Reflecting her smile back, Test replied. “Not a bit. You know,” he said with a pause, “Cliff would say that everything happens for a reason. I’m pretty sure that you’re the reason I was meant to go to Wyoming.”

  She nuzzled in close to him as they walked, and as they reached the steps leading up to the back porch, they saw Maggie standing by the back door.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, you two,” Maggie replied absently, her thoughts distracting her from the moment. “What have you been up to?”

  Test noticed something in his mother’s voice, but answered her question anyway. “We just decided to take a walk.” The two of them stopped as they stepped onto the porch. “What about you?” he asked carefully. “Everything okay?”

  Her motherly instincts kicking in, Maggie immediately forced a smile onto her lips. “Of course, everything’s fine. Just trying to unwind a little bit.” She stared off into the trees. “It’s really beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  “We were just talking about that,” answered Alyssa.

  Maggie walked to the two of them and placed her hands lovingly on one of each of their cheeks. “You know, I was thinking—why don’t I get lost for a little bit. I think you two could use a little more time alone.” Though she struggled to keep up the facade, she forced herself to do what she felt was right for her son.

  Test furrowed his brow, unable to get over the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. “What about Lauren?” he asked.

  “Oh, she’s gone off to run some errands,” Maggie replied, unable to look him in the eye. “She said she might be gone the rest of the day, so why don’t you kids cozy up by the fire and relax some?”

  A brilliant smile appeared on Alyssa’s face. With her eyes opened wide, she wrapped her arms around Maggie and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Maggie. That sounds amazing.”

  Test stood behind the two of them. For a moment, he swore he could see a tear fall down his mother’s cheek, but her face was quickly hidden from view by Alyssa’s hair. As the two women parted, Test stepped up to Maggie and took her hands into his.

  “You sure everything’s okay?” he asked.

  Maggie nodded her head quickly while biting her bottom lip. She released Test’s hands and replied while slapping him on the chest. “Yes! Now quit worrying about your old mom and have a nice day with this pretty young lady.”

  Test glanced down to Alyssa, her dark tanned skin standing out against the gray of the day. She was staring up to him with innocent eyes; eyes that made him melt inside. Suddenly he found himself being shoved toward the back door.

  “Will you listen to your mother for a change? Go on,” she lovingly scolded while pointing her finger towards the door.

  He turned back to her, and just as she was about to shove him once more, he leaned down to her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  Maggie’s eyes instantly welled with tears at her son’s words. “I love you, too.”

  Alyssa stepped forward and took Test’s elbow in her hand, gently turning him away from Maggie and guiding him to the door. As she reached for the doorknob, both of them turned around to tell Maggie goodbye, but they were too late. She had vanished.

  “Is she gone?” asked Alyssa.

  Test closed his eyes and tried to feel where his mother had gone. He could feel the pull that Alyssa created at his side, her closeness making him feel as though they were magnetic, but as he tried out his newly discovered power, he was unable to find his mother.

  “I think so,” he replied as he stared into the trees.

  “Good,” replied Alyssa playfully. “Let’s get you into something a little more comfortable.”

  Their eyes met and Test was instantly aroused by the tone in her voice. With the sudden excitement choking his words, he opened the back door and motioned for her to pass.

  ****

  Stopping only occasionally for her to recharge, Lauren and Cliff found themselves standing at Thad’s door several hours after they’d left Washington. Lauren had spent more time in the spirit realm in the past few days than she had in a long while and she found herself feeling weak. Though they really hadn’t discussed a game plan once they’d arrived in Kansas City, she knew that in her present condition she would be no match for Ikuhabe should they meet. She wore a long sleeved hoodie, hood up, in an effort to hide from the unknown. All she knew was that there was a chance that there were Reapers in the city, and if she stayed too long, especially knowing that she was going to have to fuel Cliff’s spirit at least once, it would be inevitable that they would find her.

  Hidden from the sight of the living, Cliff watched as Lauren lifted her right arm to knock on the door. With a dull thud, her knocking echoed loudly through the hallway of the apartment complex. As she raised her hand to knock once more, the door cracked open, the security chain allowing it to only open a few inches.

  “I don’t need anything,” said Thad as he peered through the opening. His words were slurred.

  With her hood and hair obscurin
g her face, Lauren replied. “We need you.”

  Thad positioned his head so as to attempt to see whoever else might be standing in the hall. Seeing no one, he asked slovenly, “Who’s we?”

  Her voice devoid of any emotion, Lauren replied coldly and in a matter of fact tone. “Me,” she paused, allowing the energy within to begin to pulse. “Me and your grandfather.”

  Thad watched as the empty space to the left of the woman began to fill with a small form. It began as a dark shadow, like he’d seen earlier that morning in his apartment, only this time the shadow continued to develop until he could see the whites of a man’s eyes.

  Terrified, he slammed the door. Lauren and Cliff could hear him shouting on the other side.

  “Holy shit! Holy shit! This isn’t happening!”

  Lauren turned to Cliff, who was now standing in full solid form next to her. “What do you want to do now?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” replied the old man. “I hadn’t counted on him being drunk. I don’t know what good it’d be to talk to him right now.”

  Frustrated, Lauren leaned on the door while everything on the other side had grown conspicuously silent. “Well damn, Cliff, I don’t think we have time to go and get a cup of coffee!”

  “Take it easy, Lauren, I figure we can handle this ourselves.”

  “What do you mean? You and I go to get the girl?”

  “Yeah, why not?” replied Cliff.

  Lauren removed the hood from her head and pulled the hair back from her face. In an effort to settle her reaction, she took a deep breath and replied. “That won’t work.”

  Cliff could tell that she was trying to stay calm, but he didn’t quite understand her reluctance. “Why not? I figure we just go over there and get her.”

  With the back of her head leaning against the door, she could hear Thad turn the deadbolt lock on the other side. She pushed herself away from the door, and with a grin, replied. “I’m weak, Cliff. If you remember, though I’m not human, I’m not a spirit either. To spend so much time on your side takes a lot of energy.” With each word spoken, her intensity grew and grew until she had finally begun to shout. “That, and now you’re sucking up more of it just by standing here! This is all a trap, remember? It may not be a trap for me, but I’ll sure as hell die just the same if I’m caught!”