Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1)

by Cecilia Robert

  “Ready for what?”

  “The Resurrection,” Schulz says. “A time when we will win and reinstate our people, led by Elias. Sinteler promised a war, if it ever comes to that. That is why he is amassing everything he can. To make sure the Resurrection never comes to fruition.”

  “But how will he use the souls without bodies?”

  Schulz laughs bitterly. “That is not a challenge for him. With so many deaths all over the world, he can acquire bodies anywhere. As a spy, I have first-hand information that he has found a way to insert souls inside bodies, both living and dead.”

  Sinteler would use the souls on decomposing bodies? A shudder wracks my body. “You spied on him?”

  Schulz nods, his eyes gleaming. “Someone had to keep tabs on him. And now,” he says as he spins me once, then pulls me back to him, “I’m positive an invitation card to his birthday party won’t be arriving in my post box anytime soon.”

  I blink at him, not sure whether to laugh or be shocked. When did Schulz find his funny bone? Then the meaning of his words slams into me. “He found out you were spying on him?”

  Schulz nods once. “And now he is keeping tabs on me. That is the reason I stayed away. To keep you safe until you complete the time Grim has set out for you in order to release your family’s souls.”

  “But you are here now,” I say, frowning.

  He shrugs. “It was either that or go insane wondering what was happening. We don’t want to take chances this time around. Besides, I am your mentor.” His lips curl up slightly.

  “I will pass the test.” Then Grim won’t have anything to hold over my head.

  Schulz gives me a strange look I’m unable to interpret. “As Zaynab said, follow your heart. After Ernest’s test, I can strike a new deal with him. Stay far away from Rolf and Sinteler. Did Sinteler, by any chance, make skin contact? Touch you?” I nod, remembering his hands on my face. Schulz curses several times under his breath and slows to a stop. He lets go and runs a hand over his balding head. “You and Rolf are linked. Soul-bound. Sinteler forced the connection centuries back as a way to keep tabs on you and Elias’s son. When Sinteler touched you, the connection increased tenfold, although he would have invaded your mind anyway. You are linked to his son. If you sense him in your head, block him—do everything to throw him out.

  “This might be our only chance before he wipes us off the face of the universe. Try, Ana. For the sake of a race, try everything. Ask your friend, Siegfried, to take you to Bastian. He can help you. I will be in contact with him, if you need anything. Sinteler has spies all over the place. You remember the man outside your school, the one who played the accordion?” I nod, my eyes growing wide. “Him and Frau Ivasec, although she plays a bigger role in his new regime.” Schulz is no longer the arrogant, forever-glaring man. He has been reduced to this: creased forehead and red-rimmed eyes. “Find the rest of the Elite. If he catches even one, we’re doomed.”

  I’m beginning to panic at Schulz’s urgent tone. “How do I do that?”

  He halts. “I will communicate with you through Bastian when I can.” The energy holding the shield shifts and disappears. He holds my gaze briefly, then turns around.

  “Herr Schulz, wait.” He shifts to face me. “Rolf. I know he’s good. Can’t we… save him?”

  Schulz shakes his head. “Don’t go chasing a dream, Ana.” And with that he leaves the dining hall, abandoning me on the dance floor. Alone. The song trills to a stop. My face heats up in the wake of his departure as everyone stares, faces filled with pity and some superiority.

  Schulz broke the dancing rule. He, as my dance partner, didn’t escort me back to my seat. Someone shrieks as a bow connects with the strings of a violin, striking a galliard tune. I stumble back to the table, thoughts thrashing inside my head. My soul is bound to two souls. Rolf isn’t Rolf. He’s Sinteler’s son. We are Restless Souls. Where the heck is Elias’s son?

  When I return to my seat, Zig takes one look at me and pours wine in my glass. He pushes it in front of me. “Drink.”

  I shake my head. I need to clear my mind. To think. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.” He pushes the glass of wine closer. “Drink.”

  ***

  Hours later, Zig escorts me to my room. I sink on the seat next to the computer, dropping my head in my hands.

  Everything in my sight spins and doubles in quantities. And here I thought I’d drink Zig under the table. At least getting buzzed pushed the evening’s events to the edge of my mind. I lift my head to find Zig crouched beside me with a glass of water. I sip from the glass, then glance at my bed and freeze. The vapours in my head clear immediately. I put the glass on the table and grab Zig’s hand, pulling him from Reiner’s sight.

  “Thank you, Zig. I think I can take it from here.”

  Zig pulls back. “You can hardly walk a straight line. Don’t move. I’ll get you something to wear. Was good to see you loosen up. Turning eighteen is an astronomical leap to adulthood.”

  Doesn’t this guy know how to whisper?

  I glance at Reiner’s sleeping form. Zig follows my panicked gaze, eyebrows shooting up. “Didn’t take you long to find a new lover to warm your bed.”

  “It’s not what you think. Could you please leave?” His lips spread to a huge grin. “Please.”

  He leans down and whispers, “I was here. If you needed someone to warm your bed, you only needed to ask.” He pulls back, smiling wider.

  Surely, Reiner can sense us in the room, or at least hear us whispering like fighting squirrels. “He’s a friend. We’ll talk tomorrow, promise. Just leave.”

  The grin vanishes. He squeezes my hand and kisses my cheek. “I know you wouldn’t take another lover while I’m still around. Until tomorrow.”

  “Get over yourself, Zig.”

  He chuckles and vanishes, leaving a scent of citrus on his trail.

  After changing into my pyjamas, I slip into bed as quietly as I can. Some of the effects of the alcohol have evaporated. Everything zooms into focus, and it hurts so much. The only people who are connected to me and know what’s going on have vanished. I don’t know what to do.

  Bastian. No wonder he seemed reluctant to explain much.

  I force my mind to the problem at hand: Reiner. At least this one I can solve. I rub my eyes with the heel of my hand and shift on my side.

  Everything in me freezes as my gaze collides with dark, wide-awake eyes.

  REINER DOESN’T BLINK, and neither do I.

  Was he awake the whole time? Did he see me shift? Did he see Zig?

  I swallow hard. My heart bobs in my throat. “Hi.” I clear my throat noisily. Is there a chance he’ll think I just woke up? “How are you feeling?”

  Reiner just stares. He saw me. It’s written all over his face. “Ana—” He pulls the covers to his chin, shivering. “I saw… Maybe I’m dreaming. Yes. That’s it. Dreaming.”

  My pulse pounds louder in my ears. He seems to be waiting for me to say something, but I can’t come up with the right words.

  The bed sheets rustle, and his hand finds mine, squeezing it. “I’m sort of waiting for you to confirm I was dreaming. Because what I just saw cannot be possible. Right?”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. It would be wonderful to share this with someone. A friend. But Reiner? Not now. He has so much going on.

  He sits up on the bed, pulling my hand with him. My eyes snap open to find him searching my face. “What’s going on? You can tell me, Ana.” His fierce whisper doesn’t match his shivering body. He’s scared.

  “It wasn’t a dream. What you saw was… me. Real.” I can’t look at him. I don’t want to see him fear me, hate me. “I don’t want you to be scared of me, Rein. I’m already scared of myself. I need some normalcy, someone to look at me like I’m still human.”

  His hands slip from mine. “You’re not human?”

  All I want to do is clutch my stomach and double over. Instead, I slide my legs out of bed and sit on th
e edge, leaving space between us. “Please, forget what you saw. Forget we had this conversation. Let’s go back to being best friends.” I turn away, so he doesn’t see my face. Man, this hurts. “Could you do that for me?”

  He edges closer. “Does Lea know?”

  I shake my head. “No one knows. You don’t need to either.”

  “I want to. I know I freaked out moments ago, but… I’m here, aren’t I?”

  I tug the covers to wipe my face. “Yes, you are. And I’m scared you’ll jump out the window when you get all the details.” The bed moves as he shifts, revealing his striped boxer shorts. I look up. “I see you lost your pants.”

  He ignores me. “I promise not to freak out again.” After what feels like a thousand years, he places his hands on my shoulders and turns me to face him. My body sags forwards as relief sweeps through me.

  Hope flutters inside my chest. I stuff my lungs with enough air to leap over the first hurdle and begin. I tell him everything, and his expression goes from disbelief to horror to sympathy. When I finish, I feel as if my lungs have shrivelled to the size of walnuts.

  Silence descends. I feel the weight of his stare on my face as he continues to stare at me. What is he thinking? Will he bolt for the window?

  “Monkey pants!” Reiner exclaims in his version of cursing. His voice drips with excitement, awe. I swing back to meet his narrow gaze. “This explains why you kept disappearing.” I nod. “And that blond giant you were with, he’s like Thor or something.”

  “He is a Berserker.” I explain what I know about Zig and Grim.

  He nods. “Grim sounds like a guy I’d like to hang out with. So Rolf is like the devil’s spawn, right?”

  I shift on the bed. “You’re forgetting I still love him.”

  “Sorry.”

  I run a hand down my face. “I can’t just delete him from my memories. And what makes it worse is his soul is linked with mine. What kind of father would do that to a child, force them to be bonded with someone else, unwillingly?”

  “Yeah, that sucks. Where is he now?”

  “I have no idea. Probably inside Sinteler’s underground palace. He kept telling me I could save him. I should have tried.”

  “He is what he is. Schulz said that, right? And talk of Schulz, Schuster too? Ana, do you know how out of this world this is? You, my best friend, saving a race?”

  I wipe the lingering tears off my face. “You seem to be taking this really well.”

  “Come here.” He pulls me into a hug.

  “You have to promise me what I told you stays here.”

  Reiner pulls back with a frown. “Don’t you think, as your best friend, Lea has a right to know?”

  “I will tell her. I just need time, okay? Besides it’s occupational policy. I can’t just go announcing that I collect souls. Do you know the kind of panic that would cause? Catastrophic!”

  Reiner kisses my forehead. “Thank you for trusting me with this. Even though you wouldn’t have told me if I never caught you red-handed. I promise. You’re not alone. You have me now.”

  I breathe out. My arms tighten around his waist for just a moment. He grabs his jeans and slides his lanky legs inside them.

  I bite the inside of my cheek, considering my next words. “Are you still, you know, dealing with whoever beat up Anton?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” I hug him one more time. “Ah, you won’t guess who I saw two weeks ago. Kimdane.” His eyes widen. “Imagine my surprise to see him stroll into the concert with that bodyguard of his in tow. Turns out he’s got siblings in my class. If that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is.”

  “You didn’t gallop after him? Girls go bananas over this guy.”

  I shrug, hoping to convey indifference. “Lesson number one: TV lies. He’s not as hot as they make him out to be on screen.” He’s hotter.

  Minutes later, he climbs down the tree, gets on his scooter, and waves before whizzing off.

  ***

  Summer drags on. Lea and I continue to email each other and I occasionally meet up with Reiner. He seems happy now that he no longer lives with his father. His mom, a graduate teacher, will be going back to work when the semester begins in September.

  My summer job consists of hopping between Mom’s flower shop and Dad’s bio foods company, helping with deliveries.

  Today it’s slow at Mom’s shop. Lucy colours a picture by the table next to the cashier’s counter. Mom’s in the back office discussing flower arrangements for an upcoming wedding. Anton is helping Dad with deliveries.

  I’ve been sneaking in and out for collections since morning. Thank goodness for conceal, shift, and jump. The frequency of the collections is increasing at a frightening pace. Mom and Dad look at me like they know what I’ve been doing, and it has me holding my breath.

  My mobile rings. Lucy hops down from the stool, snatches it from the table beside her, and brings it to the table where I’m arranging tulips.

  “Hello?”

  Heavy breathing. Sniffle. The line crackles, followed by the sound of loud music. I pull the phone from my ear and peer at the screen. The number is unfamiliar.

  “Hello?” When the silence stretches I say, “Whoever you are, call when you feel ready to talk.”

  “Ana?” The word is slurred, but the voice is unmistakable.

  My heart triples its beat, and I almost choke. The bouquet of tulips slips from my fingers. “Ro?”

  “Hmm.” A cough like his chest is exploding. “I’ve missed you so much, Engel. I need you.”

  “Where are you?”

  He burps. “Don’t know. There are pretty lights and girls, naked girls.” He giggles, then sniffs.

  Good Lord! “You’re in a strip club? Where is it?” I flinch as he shouts at someone, asking where he is. A woman with a melodious voice rattles the address. She sounds close. I imagine her lips touching his ear. My heart tightens, and I’m nauseous.

  My Rolf. Well, my drunk ex-Rolf.

  I hang up and grab my handbag. For just a moment, the thought of this being a trap teases my mind as Schulz’s warning buzzes in my head. It takes me all of one minute of debating with myself to decide I have to check on Rolf.

  Mom’s eyes shift to me quizzically when I dash in the office to tell her I’ll be back in an hour.

  ***

  I push through the black and pink doors. The smell of liquor, leather seats, and enclosed space slaps me in the face. I peer into the dim light, taking in the shiny seats at the bar and hot pink swirly things hanging from the ceiling.

  I finally locate Rolf, sprawled on a black leather seat, head tilted to the side. I dash to him and drop to my knees.

  “Such a sweet boy.” The same voice from before. A tall brunette sashays towards me. Her full lips are parted, eyes wide as if surprised. She’s beautiful. And leggy.

  “Is he okay?” I press my fingers to his balmy forehead. He feels cool.

  She studies me. “Ana, right? No wonder he kept chanting your name the whole night.”

  After that I don’t hear anything else she says. He was chanting my name? Maybe he doesn’t have to be like his father. Maybe I can save him. I squelch a grin and call a taxi for us. When it arrives, she helps me hoist Rolf to the car.

  “You’re pretty.” Her eyes latch on mine. “Extraordinary eyes. Could make us lots of money. Call me if you’re interested.” She thrusts a card in my hand and flounces off.

  Heat scalds my cheeks as I imagine myself in barely-there clothing. I shake the image away and dive inside the car, folding the paper in two. She thinks I’m pretty. I laugh and give the frowning taxi driver Rolf’s address.

  ***

  “Can you undress yourself?”

  Rolf blinks at me in slow motion, his eyes unfocused. He grabs my shoulders and hugs me until I feel my bones pop. I choke on the fumes wafting off him: bar and armpits and smelly socks. He needs a shower.

  “You’re here. I wasn’t dreaming.” He lifts his head, grinning sl
oppily.

  “I’m here.” I pull away. “Come on. Hands up.” He looks confused. I lift his hands, slip the shirt off, and gasp. He’s all bones and skin and has a tattoo on his hip. That’s new.

  Once he steps out of his pants, I push him inside the steamy shower, slam the door shut, and exhale.

  Well, that was uncomfortable. I never thought the first time I’d see him completely naked would be under these circumstances. After making sure he isn’t dozing in the shower, I hurry downstairs to put together a sandwich.

  His father isn’t home. Did he leave for Japan without him? Rolf yells my name in terrifying desperation. I tear upstairs. His eyes are wide and his lips tremble, as he clutches the towel to his chest. I don’t know how to handle this new Rolf. He lunges forwards, dropping the towel, and wraps his arms around me, his body flush against mine. I feel everything: his body trembling, quick breaths on my neck, sharp bones digging into me. All of him. I shouldn’t be thinking about that, but I am.

  I shake my head. Concentrate, Ana. I run my hands up and down his wet back. “What happened, Ro?”

  He exhales shakily. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I got in that club.” I pull away, scoot to pick up the towel, and pat him dry. By the time I’m through and he’s dressed, my face is a thousand shades of hot.

  I bring the sandwich to his bed and watch as he nibbles. “I saw the tattoo. Any particular meaning?”

  He stiffens. “It’s nothing.”

  It’s something. “We need to talk, Ro. I have so much to tell you.”

  He places the half-eaten sandwich on the plate and pushes it to the nightstand beside his bed. “Not now. Lie down with me, Engel. Please.”

  My body stiffens as he slips his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “I didn’t know who else to call.” His thumb traces swirl patterns on my inner wrist. Heat builds up within me until I feel as if I’ll go up in flames.

  After a few seconds, my body relaxes slightly, and I say, “I’m glad you called me, Ro.” Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me. After a few moments, I tilt my head up, determined to do the kissing. His eyes are already shut, his breathing steady, lips pulled into a tiny smile. My stomach sinks, cooling me off. I check the clock on the nightstand, slip out of bed, and brush my lips on his forehead.