Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1) (18 page)

He glanced at her again and she shrugged. “Maybe … maybe not.”

A few minutes later he turned into a pullout a ways down from Lucy’s house and killed the engine. Then, he reached behind the seat and pulled out his hoodie. Slipping it on, he made sure that it was zipped and the hood was up.

“Put your coat on. I don’t want anyone to see us.”

She did as he asked, but kicked up her chin in defiance. “I don’t need you to walk me, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m walking you at least until I can see that you’ve gone into the house.”

“I don’t need you.”

“Shut up, Lucy. This is happening.”

He didn’t really expect her to shut her mouth
. He barely knew her, but from the small amount of time he had spent with her, he did know that she was stubborn and used to fighting to get her way. Surprisingly, she kept silent as she slipped down from his truck.

She had covered her hair and face with that giant hood, which, ironically, reminded him of the Grim Reaper. He followed behind her as she cut through the woods. His eyes were everywhere, searching for any movement or flashes of color. At this point the color didn’t matter, both red and silver were just as dangerous.

As the farmhouse came into view, she stopped at the edge of the trees and turned to face him. He could barely see her with her hood pulled up, but he could see the tiniest bit of silver floating on the warm summer air.

“We’re here.”

Fucking right they were. And the shittiest part about it was that now that they were at her house and he had to send her back inside, he didn’t fucking want to. Whatever the hell was happening to him seemed to multiply every time he saw her, but when he was with her it was even worse than that.

When he didn’t say anything, she turned back toward the house. “I’d better go now. Sorry you had to do this.” With that, she stepped out beyond the trees.

Aw, fuck it. “Wait!” He reached out and grabbed her arm, dragging her back toward him.

“What?” Her head was tilted up and he could see her eyes underneath the hood, they were wide with surprise, but he didn’t sense or see any fear from her.

He pulled her back a little bit further so that they were completely out of view of the house. What was he going to say to her? Shit. He didn’t have a clue, the only thing he knew was that he didn’t want her to leave him. Not yet.

So fucking strange when
, not a half an hour ago, he had basically kicked her out of his house.

“Jack?”

“I … I just needed another minute.”

She glance
d back at the house and then back at him. “I’m glad. I don’t know why. But, I am.”

God
, her voice was just as sexy as the rest of her. “I want you to do what your family tells you to do.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

“But…”

He held his hand up to stop her protests. “But nothing. They are only doing what is best for you. I will be helping find the Reaper who is after you. Hopefully soon, this can all be over.”

“And then you will leave Summer Hollow?”

He nodded. “I think that is probably what’s best.”

Then she smiled. “This is like some fucked up movie about two
very different people falling for each other for no reason, isn’t it.”

He let out a low chuckle and tapped the top of her hood. “Hey, we even sparkle, it must be fate.”

“Don’t even go there!” 

He paused and then reached down and found her hand, which was buried within the confines of her sleeve. It was so odd, not having the burn when he touched her. “I am an asshole, this isn’t just my reaction to you. It’s just how I am.”

She gripped his hand tightly and then found his other hand and took hold of that one too. She held fast to both of his hands. “Crazy thing is, I really don’t care if you’re an asshole. We are supposed to be enemies, but right now, maybe we should just concentrate on our common goal.”

He loosened his grip and flattened his hands against hers. “What exactly is our common goal?”
God, how he loved the feel of her skin against his. Not exactly the thought of an asshole, now was it.

She moved their hands up a little, so that they stood face to face with their hands pressed against each other. “To find out what is going on with us.”

He shook his head. “No. The fact that someone is trying to kill you is more important.”

He wanted to send her away, to shove her back and force her into the house, but at the same time, he wanted exactly the opposite of that. “I’m fucking confused about all this, so just do what your family tells you to do, all right.”

He could barely see it, but she offered him a small smile. “I can’t make any guarantees, that’s just how I am, but I’ll try. Okay?”

“Okay.” He pretty much had to summon the willpower to pull his hands away from hers and take a step back. “You should get in there before they realize you’re gone.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again, but I’m sure I will.”

Suddenly grim, he found that he couldn’t fucking wait until the next time he saw her. “Go.” He waved her off. “I don’t need your family out for my blood.”

She turned toward the house and then paused, appearing to contemplate leaving, but after a few seconds she hurried off across the expanse of lawn to the safety of the yellow farmhouse.

He moved to a spot where he could see the side of the house that her bedroom was on. Vaguely, he could see the dark shape climbing up the low branches of the tree, up to the second floor window where he finally saw her crawl inside. Once she was safely in her room, he released a breath that he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

Wow. Shit certainly wasn’t going the way he expected.

The next morning, Lucy woke to her alarm, even though she had no reason to get up. Still no classes for her since she was on Estmond family lock down. Not quite ready to get out of bed yet, she lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Jack.

This was so wrong … sooooo wrong, and she totally knew it. But, on the other hand, she had never felt so attracted and connected to one person in her entire life.

Sure, she and Ethan had a connection, but what she felt with Jack blew Ethan right out of the water, and that was saying a lot.

Of all the men in the world
,
this
was the one that she had to go and feel something for.

Like he said, he was an asshole
. She could tell that from the very beginning when she met him in the bakery. Or maybe not quite an asshole … most likely just a smart-ass. But, damn, he was hot. When she was around him, there was something else there ... something that was missing when she was with anyone else.

And ... he had kissed her. Sure, it was meant to prove something to her or some shit, but she didn’t care. It was phenomenal. If he had kissed her much longer
, she may have taken things into her own hands and tried to get him to sleep with her. Yeah, it was that fucking good.

This was almost like
Romeo and Juliet
, two houses at war and two people forbidden to be together. Damn, could she possibly get anymore chick flick over this? Where’s the chocolate and wine when you need it.

“No more
,” she said out loud as she sat up and flung the comforter away from her. Ugh, time to think about something else.

After a long shower, she went down to the kitchen for coffee and found Greg underneath the sink with only his legs sticking out.

She headed straight for the coffee pot. “Hey bro, what are you doing under there?” she asked as she poured her coffee into a large mug.

There was a grunt and a shift and then
, “I’m relaxing. Seriously Luce, what the hell does it look like I’m doing?”

She shrugged
, even though he couldn’t see her, and then pulled out a chair at the kitchen table.

“I’m fixing the leak that you never told anyone was leaking for God knows how long. Now there’s damage under the cabinet.”

Fuck. “I’m sorry, Greg. I didn’t even know that it was leaking.”

“We can all fix this stuff for you, you just need to keep an eye out and let us know when shit goes wrong.”

Shit was going very wrong lately.

“I said I was sorry. I’ll keep a better watch on things from now on.”

Greg pulled himself out from under the sink and sat up. His hair was sticking up in some places and his eyes were wide with mock surprise. “What, no arguments?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “Nope.”

“I don’t understand.” He kept up the rouse, feigning confusion. “You,” his hand went to his heart, “you agree with me?”

“Knock it off before I change my mind and give you a run for your money.”

Greg laughed and disappeared back underneath the sink.

“Where are James and Ethan?”

“Sleeping. They were up all night on patrol.”

“Oh
.” Of course they would be sleeping off their all-nighter. Thankfully, whatever they were doing, neither of them caught her sneaking in or out of the house, or realized that she was gone. Thank goodness. She hadn’t wanted to leave Jack, but she was sure relieved when she was safely back in the house.

She sipped on her coffee some more and stared at the kitchen table. “I’m going to go check out that trunk some more. See if there are any clues.”

Greg’s muffled voice floated out from under the sink. “Ok Velma. Make sure you keep an eye on Fred and Daphne when you split up.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“Have fun. I’ll be here.”

They had stashed the trunk up in her room, having decided it was hers since she was the Chosen One and all.

She stood in the doorway of her room staring at the ancient trunk. Her crossbow was sitting on top, the pouch of arrows resting beside it. She hadn’t needed it for anything since the night she had been attacked, since no one would let her out of the house.

Moving the crossbow and its arrows aside, she lifted the lid and then pulled the white silk completely out of the trunk. The book lay exactly where they had left it, as well as the parchment, which had been carefully re-rolled and the ribbon tied back around it.

Lifting the book out, she set it on the floor in front of her and ran her hand over the emblem on the cover. Apparently, this was their family symbol. It was weird that neither she, nor her siblings, had known about the family symbol. It wasn’t important really, but drove home the fact that her father had kept this from her.

Opening the book, she carefully turned the old pages one by one, looking for any entries that she would be able to read. As the pages flipped by, she noted the handwriting changes and the type
s of ink were different. She couldn’t read any of it, until about three-quarters of the way through.

The first English entry which was legible was dated 1892.

My name is Amelia Estmond, daughter of Thomas Estmond, and this entry is the first of my language in the Estmond family records. It had been passed into my hands several years ago. However, no ink has stained this parchment until now. I give no excuse to my neglect, and shall get to the matter of recording my endeavors as a Keeper.

This day was not a day I wish to repeat. I was forced to kill my first Reaper. I shall never forget, for the bloodshed is written in my memory forever. Now, it will be written here as well.

We, the Keepers, do not wish to kill. We only wish to save the souls. The souls, if taken by a Reaper will never cross over to wherever it is they are destined to go. If a Reaper takes them, from what we know, they are then consumed into the body of the Reaper forevermore. Therefore, we must protect them at all costs.

My life as a Keeper thus far has been simple
. Battle the Reapers and they shall eventually run. The Reapers are not afraid of us, and they would simply rather not have to make acquaintance with a Keeper at all.

Each day that passes, there is yet another death. People are being murdered
, and are frequently falling ill with disease so terrible that death finally takes them. I have no husband, no children, so my life is committed to protecting the souls in the crude and ever growing graveyards.

This night, the Reaper came looking
, and came upon me before he found a soul. I carried twin daggers, the blades of which were silver. I fully admit to having stolen the items from which they were forged. In any case, I drew my blades and ordered him to leave the graveyard.

He charged me, wielding his own large knife. We fought, both giving and receiving wounds
, which weakened us. In the end, it was my dagger which struck the final blow.

I cannot put into words exactly how it feels to have taken a life, even the life of a Reaper. However, I shall honor my commitment just as my ancestors have.

We are born Keepers, it is a calling which lies in our blood. Some of our line thus far have chosen to ignore the calling and attempt to live what they think is a normal life. Sadly, they eventually discover that it is not something which can simply be discarded.

The souls are everywhere and they cannot be avoided, even if you try
to pretend they are not there. Yet, where there are souls, there are Reapers, and no matter how hard one may try to deny the urge, a Keeper will act on instinct to protect those souls.

I do not like the things I have to do, especially when I must act as I have this eve, but I will never turn my back on my commitment to the souls. I do not deny my calling.

So, in closing to this first entry I must say that I do not regret having to take a life. Not one ounce of regret lies within me, because I know that I saved a soul in doing so.

No, I do not wish to kill again … but I will if my hand is forced to do so.

Lucy looked up from the pages of Amelia’s first entry. It was pretty cool to read about how her ancestors had fought, and how they perceived the life of a Keeper. Her father had never really told them much about any of their relatives, except for their grandmother.

She was beginning to think that her father had intentionally tried to keep them secluded from a lot of the Keeper heritage
, but why? That was something she was definitely going to have to ask her dad about next time she saw him.

Sitting on the floor was beginning to get uncomfortable
. She picked up the book and took it over to the window seat so she could sit on a cushion and lean back. After she had settled in, she found another entry from Amelia and had just began to read when soft knock sounded on her bedroom door.

“Come in
,” she called, looking up expectantly.

The door cracked open and Ethan poked his head in. “Hey, just checking on you.”

“I’m all right, just checking this out.” She gestured to the book before her. “It’s a record from the Estmond Keepers.”

He entered the room and bent down beside her. “Really? That’s pretty awesome.”

Ethan knew just as much, or as little, as she did about the Keepers of the past, so it probably was pretty exciting for him too. “I found some of it in English, not much, but there are some that we can read. Check it out.” She patted the cushion next to her, motioning for him to sit.

She turned back to Amelia’s first entry and let him read it for himself. “Wow,” he said when he was done. “She is certainly committed to the life.”

Lucy nodded. “Yeah, we all are, but, I sort of feel like living in a small town has secluded us from a lot of what happens in the real world, with Keepers and Reapers. Not that I’m complaining or anything, I just feel like there is a lot we may not know.”

Ethan shrugged. “I don’t mind this. If we don’t know what we are missing
, who really cares.”

“Yeah … you’re probably right
,” she agreed.

“That stuff she wrote, about Keepers denying their calling
. Have you ever felt like you wanted to be normal, you know, not see the souls?”

Like when she is going through
a relationship crisis, and there is no one to date because the only available Keeper in the area is her best friend, and even though she loved him, she didn’t love him like that. Yeah, that would be one of those moments. “Yes, I have, but it’s never lasted long. I love my life.”

“Back when Mom and Dad were around, I used to wish that I wasn’t able to see them. But, now … I never do.”

Man, Ethan had had a tough life, she often wondered what would have happened if the Estmonds hadn’t taken him in. They didn’t usually bring up his parents or how she and Ethan felt about each other, but Lucy suddenly felt like apologizing to him and it was out before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and managed to look sincerely confused. “What on
Earth are you sorry about?”

“I don’t know … about your parents, about us … about everything.”

“I don’t know why you would bring all that up, but as far as my parents go, you and I both know I’m better off without them. If they hadn’t been such shitty parents than I wouldn’t have become as close to you and your family as I am. You are my family, they aren’t.” He paused, as if contemplating on continuing. “And as far as you and I go, we’ve had this discussion. You know my stance.”

“I wish i
t was different.” Lucy turned away and stared out at the graveyard. The sun was peeking through the fluffy clouds that filled the brilliant blue sky.

Ethan reached over and gently touched her chin with his fingertips, turning her head toward him so that he could look into her eyes.

God, his eyes were such an intense shade of blue.

“I wish it was different too
,” he whispered. “You feel how you feel,
I
know how you feel, and that is just the way it is.”

Lucy looked into his eyes as he spoke and knew that this was a man who loved her. Maybe, just maybe, she could force the feelings for Jack away by trying to feel something for someone else.