1 Grim Tidings (21 page)

I glanced at
Cillian. “You’re on.”

Cillian
repeated the story of Genevieve Torth – not shortening it, even a little – and, when he was done, Griffin looked more confused than he had when Cillian started.

“You all believe in this?”

“We’re reapers,” I replied. “You’d be surprised at what we believe.”

“And what we’ve seen,” Redmond added.

“Oh, well good.” Griffin’s face went from disbelieving to weary as he sank back down in the wingback chair.

“I say we have some dinner,” Dad said. “After that, we’ll form a plan.”

“That’s the plan?”

Dad focused on his cherry cobbler – my least favorite dessert – and pretended he didn’t hear me. “This is really good tonight.”

“You know I hate cherries,” I grumbled, pushing my plate to the center of the table. You would think, after two near-death experiences in a row, that I would have warranted a blueberry pie or something.

Braden and Cillian both reached for my uneaten dessert.

“I want it,”
Cillian said, his mouth full.

“You’ve had enough,” Braden countered. “You’ll get fat.”

Griffin was still at the table, picking at his own dessert. I had risked a few glances at him over the meal, but never caught him looking in my direction. I’m guessing his “thinking” wasn’t going so well. Well, no matter, I never really liked him anyway.

“I’m still not clear on the plan,” I said.

“What part confuses you?” Dad asked.

“The part where I go home and do nothing,” I replied.

“You’re injured,” Redmond said.

“That won’t last forever,” I countered.

“It will last for the next week or so,” Aidan said. “Besides, if we keep you away from jobs, that might force the wraiths to show up when we’re covering. If everything goes as planned, we can pick them off one at a time. By the time you get back on the job, things will hopefully be more settled.”

“And you’re big, strong men,” I muttered.

“What?” Braden raised an eyebrow, challenging me to say more.

“And you’re big, strong men,” I repeated. “You can handle the wraiths while I lie on the couch and watch soap operas. That’s what you have in mind, right? That’s what you’re really saying.”

Redmond blew out a sigh. “You have got to get over this boys-against-girls thing. That’s not what this is about.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then why does it feel like that is exactly what this is about?”

“Because you’re all hopped up on estrogen and … PMS,” Redmond shot back.

“Not for two weeks,” Jerry said.

I wanted to crawl across the table and strangle him.

From his spot on the other side of the table, I couldn’t miss Griffin’s smirk as he silently laughed.
Great.

Cillian
wrinkled his nose as he regarded Jerry. “How do you know that?”

“I live with her,” Jerry said, nonplussed. “It’s pretty obvious when it’s going on.”

“How?” Braden looked mildly curious – and majorly grossed out.

“The garbage can,” Jerry said.

“Eww,” Aidan said.

“Can we not talk about this while I’m eating my cherry cobbler?”
Cillian asked.

“Can we not talk about this ever again?” Redmond chimed in.

“I wish I was an only child,” I said.

Dad rubbed his forehead wearily.
“On days like today, so do I.”

ONCE
dinner was over, Griffin announced he was leaving. He leveled his gaze on me, forcing a tingle to course from my head to my toes. “Do you want to walk me out?”

Well, that was a loaded question. I could feel every set of purple eyes in the room boring into my back, causing my neck to heat up as I considered an answer.
“Um, sure.”

“I’ll show him out,” Redmond interjected. “You need to rest.”

“I can show him out,” I protested. “I’m not a child. It’s not like he’s going to jump me in the bushes in front of the house.”

Dad cleared his throat but didn’t offer an argument. I met Redmond’s eyes, challenging him to offer further complaint, but he wisely stepped back.

“Fine,” Redmond said. “If you need me … .”

“I’ll yell,” I finished.

I turned to Griffin, moving toward the dining room door and leading him away from the overt anger emanating from the men in my life. Once we got to the door, I opened it and let him walk out in front of me. I shut the door behind us, making sure my brothers couldn’t interrupt whatever sterling conversation Griffin and I were about to embark on.

I expected Griffin to yell at me for spilling about our tryst, but he seemed uncertain when we were finally alone.

“Well, what do you want to talk about?” I prodded.

“I’m not sure,” Griffin admitted.

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to smack him across the face and then jump his bones while he was still reeling from the blow. Seriously, what is wrong with me? I sighed. “I’m sorry I told Aidan and Jerry what happened,” I said. “I didn’t plan to; it just kind of spilled out when we were fighting last night.”

Griffin shrugged. “It’s not like I’m ashamed.”

His comment surprised me. “It’s not? You couldn’t get out of my place fast enough. Shame had to be involved in that decision somewhere.” Do I sound bitter? I feel bitter.

“Not shame,” Griffin corrected. “More like guilt and worry.”

“Guilt?”

“I didn’t go over to your place with the intention of, well, doing that.”

I laughed, the sound hollow in my ears. “It’s not like I think you’re some sort of sexual predator.”

Griffin shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he tried to gain control of his emotions. “Good. I just don’t … this is all really strange to me.”

I tried to put myself in his place. “I understand that,” I said. “I’ve turned your whole world upside down, challenged your belief system and made you rethink everything you thought you knew about the nature of life and death.”

Griffin chuckled. “That’s a little heavy-handed, don’t you think?”

I shrugged. “My family says I’m the dramatic one.”

“Your whole family is dramatic,” Griffin replied. “I don’t think you’re on the top of the
Grimlock list when it comes to drama.”

I smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I guess not.”

“Aisling, I don’t want you to think that I don’t find you attractive,” Griffin said, trying not to choke on the words. “I do. That’s why what happened the other night happened. Since the minute I saw you, I couldn’t help but be drawn to you. It’s been building inside of me.”

That was nice to hear. I think.

“I also don’t want you to think that I can just accept this all in a matter of days and sign up for the Grimlock crazy parade,” he continued. “I need to sort this all out.”

His words hurt, even though I don’t think that was the intent behind them. “
It’s fine,” I said, trying to project an air of breeziness. “It’s not like I’m sitting in my bedroom crying about you while listening to sappy love songs.”

Griffin inclined his head. “I would be okay with that if you were,” he said.

“How so?”

Griffin puffed out his chest. “If you were pining for me, I would be okay with it.”

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. “Typical man.”

“I have a feeling you’re used to being around men and the strange ways they think,” Griffin said. “At least I have that going for me.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“Still, I don’t know how this is all going to go,” Griffin said. “I just want to get through this and then we’ll see … we’ll see where things are when I can wrap my head around everything, when I’ve had a few days to breathe.”

Something about his statement hit a nerve. “I’m not going to sit around waiting for you,” I challenged. “You’re not that good in bed, no matter what you may think.”

Griffin’s eyes widened, surprise and hurt warring for control. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” I said, taking a step away from him. “You need to think. No one is stopping you. I’m not asking for anything from you. I’m a big girl. It’s not like I’m looking for wine and roses.”

It was pride talking. I knew that. I didn’t know how else to handle the situation, though. Being close to him was doing weird things to my head – and my heart – and things were getting jumbled.

“So, you don’t want … you just want to forget the other night happened?” Griffin looked pained.

That was the exact opposite of what I wanted. I couldn’t tell him that without laying myself bare, though, and I couldn’t bear the thought of being vulnerable and letting him have all the power. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say the words I knew I should.

“I think you should take some time and think,” I said finally. “When you figure things out, when this is all over, we’ll see how we both feel.”

Griffin’s eyes searched my face for a moment. “I need you to be careful,” he said.

“I am careful,” I said. “It’s not like I go out looking for this stuff, no matter what my brothers say to the contrary.”

“No,” Griffin agreed. “It seems to find you, though. It’s like you’re a magnet for trouble, and that scares me. Even with all this stuff going on, the one thing I’m sure about is that I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

His words warmed me. “We can both agree on that.”

“That we don’t want anything to happen to you?”

I nodded, smiling despite myself. “Absolutely.”

Griffin reached out, taking my hand in his. “Just be careful.”

I tried to tamp down the warmth creeping up my body at his touch. “You, too.”

“I don’t think I’m the one in danger,” Griffin said.

“You’re a cop,” I replied. “Aren’t you always in danger, especially in Detroit?”

“I guess,” Griffin agreed. “Somehow, I think the danger I’m in on a day-to-day basis is a little different than the danger you’re in.”

“Not usually,” I countered. “When wraiths aren’t around, being a reaper is pretty boring. It’s kind of like being a travel agent – without the free first-class upgrades.”

Griffin smirked. “That’s an interesting way of looking at things.”

“I’m nothing if not interesting,” I teased.

Griffin, still holding my hand, reached up with his other and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “This is all going to be okay, right? Your family will be able to handle this and things will be fine.”

I didn’t know who he was trying to convince, himself or me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I had no idea how this would end so I did what came naturally: I lied. “It’s going to be fine.”

Griffin pulled my hand up and pressed a quick kiss into my palm before turning and moving down the front walk. “Don’t forget what you promised,” he called back.

“And what did I promise?”

“That you will be careful.”

“I won’t forget.”

Griffin was almost to his car, which was parked at the curb in front of the house. “Oh, and
Aisling,” he said, turning back to face me. “You turned my world upside down before I knew what you were. Don’t forget that.”

My heart flip-flopped as I watched him drive away.

Crap. I’m in so far over my head here.

Once back at the condo, I left Aidan and Jerry to watch a movie – and whatever else they had planned (which I didn’t want to know about) – and climbed into bed. My body was still sore from the wraith attack, but for the first time in days I felt a sense of hope.

Unfortunately, that hope was wrapped around Griffin, which made me feel a little pathetic. When you grow up in a family of men, you learn at an early age that you don’t want to give a man the power in a relationship. Where Griffin was concerned, I felt utterly powerless. And, while that’s exciting in some ways, it’s terrifying in others.

Despite my busy mind, I dropped off to sleep relatively quickly. At some point in the night, though, something woke me. I bolted to a sitting position, my heart racing, and wracked my brain to remember what I had been dreaming about.

Then it hit me: The symbol. The symbol burned into Brian Harper’s body. I knew where I had seen it before.

I tossed the covers off and climbed out of bed, pushing the pain in my knee out of my mind. Aidan and Jerry weren’t in the living room. A quick look at the clock told me it was almost 2 a.m. They were probably in bed. I could only hope they were sleeping.

I made my decision quickly. I would go and check my hunch. It wouldn’t take long and, if I was right, I could tell Aidan about it in the morning.

I dressed quietly, climbing into simple yoga pants, a tank top and a dark hoodie to ward off the cold. I grabbed my keys from the hook on the wall and let myself out of the condo carefully, making sure not to make any noise as I exited.

Once in the car, I jumped on the freeway and headed toward Detroit. It took me fifteen minutes – the roads were mostly empty at this hour – before I finally got to my destination: Eternal Sunshine Cemetery.

The gate was locked, so I had no choice but to park on the street and slip through the gate bars. It was a tight fit. For the first time tonight I was glad dessert was so gross that I hadn’t eaten any.

You would think that a reaper has occasion to spend a lot of time in cemeteries. You would be wrong. By the time bodies get to cemeteries their souls are long  gone. So, no, I wasn’t familiar with this cemetery because of my work. I was familiar with this cemetery because this is where my mom was laid to rest.

Eternal Sunshine is big – one of the biggest cemeteries in the area – but I knew exactly where I was going. The ambient light from the streetlights on the road surrounding the cemetery allowed me the ability to navigate the cobblestone paths without tripping.

My mom was in the family mausoleum, located in one of the older sections of the cemetery. Grimlocks have been laid to rest in it for more than a century, but I visit only on my mom’s birthday to leave her a bouquet of lilies. They were her favorite, and that’s not just because she was named after them.

It took me a few minutes to find what I was looking for: the Olivet mausoleum. It was two spots away from our mausoleum, and I had seen it so many times that I couldn’t believe that the symbol etched on its door didn’t jog my memory when Griffin was passing around his phone earlier.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and tapped the flashlight app just to be sure. As soon as the light fell on the door I felt a chill rush through me.  I turned the flashlight app off – it drains your battery pretty quickly – and considered my options.

A smart person would turn around and go home, I told myself. She wouldn’t go into that mausoleum – in the dead of night – and snoop around. I reminded myself of my promise to Griffin, forcing my body to reluctantly turn and walk away. I was a smart person, no matter what the rest of my family thought.

I was twenty feet down the path when another thought gave me pause. It couldn’t do any harm to look. Maybe if I saw some other occult symbols inside the mausoleum I would be able to help Cillian with his research. What? That’s a valid reason to look in that mausoleum. I’m certainly not doing it to prove something to anyone, especially my brothers.

Yeah, I don’t believe it either.

Still, I’m not a complete idiot. I pulled the phone out of my pocket again and sent a short text to Aidan.

I found the symbol. It’s on the Olivet Mausoleum – in the same row as our mausoleum.
Going to check it out. Be home soon.

I flicked the button on my iPhone so it wouldn’t alert me to any incoming texts or phone calls and then slipped it back into my pocket. There. I covered my bases. Odds are I’ll be
back home, in bed, before Aidan even sees the text.

I strode back to the mausoleum, took a deep breath and turned the door handle. It was locked.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. People break into these things to steal all the time, especially in a city as economically depressed as Detroit. Still, I couldn’t quite swallow my disappointment. I shouldn’t have sent the text. I could hear Aidan howling about my stupidity now.

I tried the door again – not that I was expecting a different outcome – and then blew out a frustrated sigh as I turned to leave. Well, at least I had found the symbol. That
was something. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all I found. When I turned, I realized I was no longer alone – and in a lot more trouble than I initially thought possible.

“Hey guys,” I greeted the two wraiths with faux enthusiasm.
“Nice night, huh?”

The wraiths stood like twin pillars of dark death. I guess when you start sucking souls in an attempt to hold on to a life that is no longer yours the sense of humor goes first.

I bit my lower lip, considering my options. If I fled in the opposite direction I would be heading deeper into the cemetery. I had never been to the far end of it, but I was pretty sure the same brick walls that covered the front surrounded the back. Otherwise, the gate wouldn’t be necessary – and locking it would be a moot point.

On the flip side, even if I had a weapon – which I didn’t think to bring (so much for being smart) – I couldn’t guarantee my ability to fight off two wraiths in the dark. I could try to track a wide circle and get behind them, but I wasn’t feeling all that comfortable with that scenario either.

Well, crap.

“So,” I tried again. “I don’t suppose you guys are just out for a midnight stroll and I can just be on my way?”

No answer, just that airy hiss that was starting to invade my dreams nightly.

“How about a truce,” I offered. “We all can just agree that it’s late, we’re tired and we’ll pick this up tomorrow. We can even set up a meeting time and place and the fight will be so much more interesting after a full night of rest.” What? It might work. Wraiths aren’t admitted to Mensa
membership  on a regular basis.

Still nothing.

“Okay,” I held up my hands in surrender. “Take me to your leader.”

The wraiths remained where they were, not a hint of movement or understanding emanating from them.

Maybe they’re confused? Maybe they don’t know who I am? Maybe I’m deluding myself? That sounds more likely.

I took a step to my right. The wraiths remained immobile so I took another step, and then another. I almost convinced myself that I was going to be able to get away, that they were going to just stand there while I moseyed out of the cemetery. That’s when I noticed another pair of wraiths standing beside a large willow tree about twenty feet down the path.

Well, double crap.

“Did someone forget to send my invitation to the party?” The fear in my voice was evident despite my feigned bluster.

I glanced around, peering into the dark to see whether I could find more hidden wraiths. After a few moments, I was fairly sure that it was just the four of them. That was still four too many.

I was out of options. I could run or I could die. Maybe, if I was lucky, I would be able to hide in the cemetery until it opened the next morning. The wraiths would be less likely to show themselves once the groundskeepers and visitors started to arrive. Plus, once Aidan got the text, he would call the rest of our family and they would come. I just needed to hide for a few hours.

I edged over to my right, making sure I had a clear shot around the mausoleum. It was now or never.

That’s when someone else joined the party.

“Freeze!”