Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1) (27 page)

“Dad, I am not taking Dan wine tasting. That is an accident waiting to happen!”

Lucy crossed her arms as she argued with her father in the graveyard. He frowned at her with his shimmering and transparent face. “You
need to have more than one person with you all the time, Lucy.”

“I’m fine. Jack is with me and we are both prepared for anything.”

He shook his head. “Nope, you’re not going to Napa without protection.”

Lucy looked to the heavens. “You would think out of six brothers and sisters and Ethan that
someone
would be able to go besides the town drunk. Ugh!”

Maybe she could just tell him that they were taking Dan and then go by themselves. Yeah, that would probably work.

“I don’t think so Lucy Mae.”

She made a face and wiped some of the sweat off her forehead. Damn it was muggy out
. It only got like that in Summer Hollow when a storm was heading their way. She even had on a cute little summer dress that was loose and flowing, as well as wearing her hair up in a bun, and she was still sweating. “What?” she demanded.

“How many times do I have to tell you that it is impossible to lie to me? No, you can’t tell me your taking Dan and then go without him.”

“Sometimes it’s awfully hard being your daughter,” she told him in a flat voice.

“Well, the feeling is mutual honey, raising you hasn’t exactly been a piece of cake.”

Good grief, like it wasn’t enough that she couldn’t go to classes alone. Well, the actual classes she attended alone. But Jack and one of her siblings were always standing right outside the door when she came out.

Greg Sr. moved his gaze from her to the house where Jack stood on the porch watching them. “How is your friend doing?”

She shrugged. “I think it’s been harder for him than he lets on. You know, cause he’s so big and tough. But, he lost his parents and his best friend. He doesn’t have a job and can’t work because he’s always guarding me, which I hate by the way. Aside from me, he doesn’t have anything anymore.”

Her father nodded. “At least he moved in, that make
s it easier if he doesn’t have any bills.”

“Yeah, easier financially
, but not for him. He doesn’t like taking from us and not contributing.”

He shot her a look of concern. “But, he is contributing, he is working … by helping take care of you.”

“Try and tell him that.” She rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t consider being with me a job, so it doesn’t count.”

“Well, I can’t say that his outlook on that disappoints me. I rather like it that he treats you like a queen.”

Lucy’s hands went to her face. “Oh, please don’t use that word.”

Her father didn’t say anything more, he knew she was talking about the reference to the fact that Jack was a Reaper prince. Even though he renounced the title it didn’t change the bloodline.

She turned. “I’d better go and
fine
, I’ll take Dan.”

He waved and blew her a kiss. “Have fun on your wine tasting trip. Stay in a hotel if you drink too much.”

She turned and waved back at him. “Love you, Dad.”

Then, she jogged the rest of the way over to the house. Jack stepped off the porch and let her run up into his arms. “You ready?”
he asked, leaning down for a kiss.

When their lips separated, she inhaled deeply to catch her breath, and then nodded. “Yes, I’m ready, let’s go.” Then she turned and opened the back door and stuck her head in. “Dan! We’re leaving
,” she hollered.

Ethan came out of the house before Dan did. “Hey,” he greeted her and then nodded at Jack. For the first time in their lives, her relationship with Ethan was rocky. They had made up, sort of … but, they mostly walked on eggshells around each other now. He accepted Lucy being with Jack, but she knew he secretly hoped that it wouldn’t last.

“Hey,” she smiled, “I thought you would be at work already.”

He shook his head. “Not yet, I’ll be heading that way soon. I just had to swing by and pick up my tool belt.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.

He turned to go back in the house. “You guys have fun and be careful. I’ll stop by after work.”

“We will,” she assured him. “See you, later.”

With that he disappeared into the house. Lucy let out a sigh, wishing their relationship were on better terms.

She didn’t have long to dwell on it though because Dan appeared in the doorway, wearing that god-awful trench coat even though it was a freaking sauna outside. She made a face that clearly displayed her disapproval. “Why do you insist on wearing that thing?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I like it. What do you care, anyway?”

“Because, Dan, we have to be seen with you.”

“Yeah, so.” He took a pair of dark tinted sunglasses out of his pocket and slid them on.

Jack laughed and Lucy stared, mouth hanging open. “Really?” she finally asked.

“It’s to complete the whole look
,” he told her and then sauntered off to Jack’s truck.

“Dumbass
,” Lucy muttered, following Dan down the porch steps. Jack was right behind her, laughing. “Don’t laugh,” she chastised. “That only encourages him.”

They arrived at the truck and Jack opened the passenger door for Lucy. She grabbed the inside door handle and hauled herself up. She smiled when Jack “helped” her up by giving her ass
a push.

Dan was already in the back seat, putting his ear buds in his ears and searching his playlists for a song he wanted to listen to. That was fine with her, since he was still being an asshole to Jack every chance he got. Jack slid behind the wheel and fired up the engine. She immediately pushed the button to roll down the window. The warm outside air was better than the hot air inside the truck.

“I’ll have the air conditioner going in a few minutes,” he reassured her.

She told him it was fine
as they pulled out of the driveway and headed for Napa. Thinking about Napa, and grapes and vineyards, only made her think about being kidnapped by the Empress.

They had never heard from Emily, not that they had expected to, but everyone had agreed that she probably had information they might need. So, they were going to start searching for her.

“Hey,” she said, getting Jack’s attention.

“Hmmm.”

“You heard from Aiden at all?” she asked in a low voice.

He shook his head. “Nah, and I don’t expect to.” I think I’m going to have to call that a loss. “Besides. He can’t call me anyway, my phone is disconnected.”

“I gave you a phone,” Lucy pointed out.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t have the number. Damn, what … do you want me to talk to him or something?”

She leaned back in the seat, knowing that the topic irritated him. “No … I don’t know.” He had told her how close he and Aiden were growing up, so what happened over her and the whole deal with the Empress was pretty fucked up. But still, she felt bad that her man had lost his best friend. That shouldn’t happen to anyone.

“Well, I’m not going to try and contact him. That only puts you in more danger.”

“Jack, he knows where we live.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. We are supposed to be having fun today.” He took his eyes off the road for a second to catch her eye. “Well, more fun. This morning was pretty fun.”

“Okay, I can hear you, mother fucker,” Dan chimed in from the back seat. “Don’t ever talk about sex with my sister in front of me again unless you want your ass beat.”

Jack chuckled. “Keeper, you threaten to beat my ass about six times a day.”

“I mean it this time.”

Lucy shut her eyes and shook her head. “Knock it off guys.” She scooted closer to Jack and leaned on his shoulder while he drove.

The first stop on their day of wine tasting was the Beringer House, one of the oldest and largest wineries in the area. Lucy had seen pictures before, but seeing it in person put the photos to shame. No photo would ever do justice to the beautiful architecture of the historical building.

They took the tour of the Beringer House first. Jack and Lucy walked together, holding hands while Dan tagged along behind them. He still had his sunglasses on and earbuds in. Geez, people probably thought he was some wannabe secret service agent or something. Good grief. Lucy tried to ignore the fact that he was there at all.

After the tour they had a short break and sat down at one of the tables on the grounds. Lucy felt the air cool just a tad and looked up into the sky. It had completely clouded over while they were getting the tour of the house. “Damn,” she said, feeling the first drop on her shoulder. “It’s raining.”

“We need it,” Jack pointed out.

She frowned. “Yeah, but the one day we get to go do this and it freaking rains. Not a good sign at all.”

“We’re still having fun. Looking at all this historical shit couldn’t be more up my alley.”

She smiled. “You are such an ass.”

After the break they went over to the Old Winery for wine and chocolate pairing.

“I still think this is for chicks,” Jack told her during the tasting. “Wine, I can do, but wine and chocolate together … just get me a package of tampons and I’m good to go.”

“Shut up
,” she scolded. “You wanted to come too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I did and I’m actually having a good time
, only because you’re here.” He looked around. “Can you imagine trying to do this by yourself? How boring.”

They wrapped up the wine and chocolate pairing and headed into town for some lunch. Since it had only sprinkled a little bit, Lucy chose a nice little restaurant where they could sit on the patio. The patio was like those you see in commercials or ads for trips to Greece. A lattice work with grape vines woven into it shaded the entire patio. The tables were iron, with glass tops and cushions on the chairs.

Made her feel super classy, sitting there with her big ass, fancy water glass.

Jack looked around the place and didn’t seem fazed. Yeah, he’d probably been to places like it all the time, growing up the way he did. Dan kept to himself, which was fine
, and ordered light, which was better. What made her happiest was that Dan was actually keeping his mouth shut and letting Lucy and Jack have their day. She would have to thank him for that later.

Just as her food was coming, a crack of thunder sounded and the sky opened up its fury on the Napa Valley.

“Shit!” Lucy cursed. “I really wanted to eat out here.” She stood and grabbed her purse. Then, she heard her phone ring inside the damn thing. “Ugh, hold on,” she told Jack and Dan, who were already heading for the inside of the restaurant. Luckily, most of the rain wasn’t getting through the patio cover of grapevines, but even a little bit was still enough to make you want to eat inside.

She pulled her phone out of the bag and saw Hannah’s face on the screen. “Hello
,” she answered.

“Lucy?”

“Duh, you called me.”

“Lucy. I need help … you guys have to get her
e right now.”

Alarms went off inside her body as she listened to h
er sister’s words and the frightened waver in her voice. “Hannah, what happened?”

“Luce, I killed a Reaper. I need help
right now
.”

“I’m coming … we’re coming. Call the others
,” Lucy ordered, already heading out the door.

Jack and Dan were right on her heels as she ran out the door. “What’s going on?” Jack asked at the same time Dan wanted to know “What happened?”

The wind and rain whipped at her, soaking her skin and clothes as she pulled the door of the truck open and looked over at Jack. “New mission, this time we are going to save my sister.”

Sweltering heat emanated from the searing flames. Alex ignored his blistered skin and burnt clothes. He plunged both arms into the blazing orange inferno without a second thought for his own well-being. His hands frantically flailed until he found what he searched for. He pulled the charred remains up and hugged them to his chest before he gave a desperate glance toward the others.

Smoke curled into his mouth and nose and made it nearly impossible to breathe.

“Hurry, hurry. Get out now,” a gentle voice whispered into his ears. “You must go right now if you want to live.”

However, he couldn’t leave them behind.

“Go now,” the voice whispered more urgently.

Sparks flew when a giant log broke in half and fell from the ceiling. It crashed onto the floor less than two feet from where Alex stood. Flames engulfed the fallen wood and created yet another obstacle.

The voice tried again, crying out, “Hurry, Alex!”

Alex knew he needed to move if he wanted to live, but he paused for a moment to question whether he even wanted to bother. The flames grew while Alex stood motionless, undecided. Suddenly, a great push from behind thrust him forward toward a wall of fire.

Alex stirred in his mahogany coffin, one of the best money could buy. He felt the soft, white velvet lining rub against his cheek, but it didn't comfort him. He panted like a thirsty dog and writhed helplessly inside the narrow wooden box.

His eyes snapped open. First, he checked his hands for burns, but he found none. He groaned while he became more aware, and realized he'd had another nightmare.

He sighed, wondering if the recurring dreams were going to last forever. He reached up and unlatched the locks he’d installed for his own safety, or at least his peace of mind. He pushed open the lid and sat upright. His gaze wandered across the room while his mind tried to fight off the feeling of dread he had about the night ahead.

In the center of a large stone room that was buried deep beneath his house, his coffin rested on a massive stone slab with Egyptian hieroglyphic carvings around its edges. The carvings read, ‘Death is not but eternal life.’ The slab and coffin were the focus of the room, with the only other items being his slippers and a small table that held a candelabra and a box of wooden matches.

Alex lit a match and touched it to the candle wicks. A soft glow lit the room and let him safely climb out of his coffin. When he slammed the lid shut, the hollow sound reverberated off the stone walls and quickly died. He wedged his large feet into his slippers, padded to the wide steel door and punched a series of numbers into an electronic keypad. The door emitted a soft whooshing sound when the lock released.

Yawning, he stepped through the door and into a maze of tunnels that worked their way into deadly traps scattered throughout his underground chamber. Another whoosh signaled the door locking behind him. With the candelabra in his right hand, Alex moved through the maze and watched the flickering shadows play on the walls.

Alex stopped short and blinked. He saw what he thought was Malcolm's face, shining menacingly in the light ahead. He held the candles out toward the face, but the image wavered in the candlelight and disappeared.

Hmmmm
, he thought,
perhaps the night ahead will prove eventful after all.  

Except for his echoing footsteps, the tunnels were deadly silent. Once he reached the end of the tunnels, he faced yet another heavy steel door with an electronic lock. Again, Alex entered a code on a keypad and exited the tunnels into a small closet.

Finally, he came to a thick oak door that simply needed a key. He removed the key from the pocket of his pajama shirt. Alex unlocked the door, entered the actual bedroom of his house, and relocked the entryway to the tunnels like he always did.

More out of habit than concern, Alex scanned the room with all his senses. Despite popular legend, the many mirrors in the room reflected his image off each other.

Alex gazed longingly at the four poster bed in which he never slept. The thick mattress was clothed in burgundy blankets with piles of decorative pillows scattered across the head of the bed. Burgundy and black dominated the color scheme: black carpet, burgundy walls, and sheer black curtains shading the windows.

Preferring the softer light of candles, he bypassed the light switch and went to the dressing table. He placed the candelabra on the table and picked up a candle that stood in a golden holder with biblical carvings on its base. Each time he lit the candle he was reminded of his time in Rome. The things there were so beautiful he couldn’t resist bringing something home for himself.

Alex knew his hobby of decorating bordered on obsessive. He brought back things from his journeys all over the world to put in his main house in Reno. But his house was finished.

On top of that, his casinos practically ran themselves. His place on the Higher Collective only occupied him every now and then.

He found it an awful feeling, having no purpose.

He tried to ignore the weakness that plagued his body with pain, indicating it was time to feed again. Glancing at his nightstand, he noticed the blinking red message light on his cellphone. Pushing back the pangs of hunger, he checked the messages.

Damion’s smooth voice came through the earpiece. “Hey Alex, I’ve set a Collective meeting for tonight. Something is going down with Malcolm ... I really don’t like the feel of it. I think we all need to get together to talk about this one. Eleven, conference room.”

Clicking his phone shut and throwing it on the bed, Alex went to his closet and rummaged through his clothes. With exacting care, he chose a black Armani suit, complemented by a dark red dress shirt. Dark red was his power color, and he loved to feel powerful.

In the connecting bathroom he stripped out of his pajamas. The reflection staring back at him was one that would never change. Until the end of his existence, each time he looked in the mirror, he would see a twenty-eight-year-old man. His harsh Russian features would forever remain without wrinkles, and his coal black hair would never gray. His eyes, though, told the story of his age, and even he could see the stories in them.

His bare arms and chest still held the large muscles of the hardworking man he had been as a mortal. Although, his chest now bore the one mark he had allowed himself to get. He ran his fingers over the red longevity symbol. He had chosen longevity as a marker for being immortal. Like it was yesterday he remembered China and the tattoo shop where he had received the tattoo. As a last minute decision he asked the artist to add the three koi fish in a circle around the longevity symbol because the koi fish were associated with life-long good luck. And he felt like he sure need some of that.

Alex continued to think about China and its rare beauty while he carefully applied a dark, skin-colored foundation to his face and hands to cover his paleness. It was worth the effort to prevent mortals from questioning his light skin. After checking himself in the mirror again, Alex donned his black leather overcoat, a long flowing garment that swept the floor.

He allowed himself one last approving glance in the mirror, grabbed his briefcase off his dresser, and left the room.

He opened the garage door and sighed with pride. The room glimmered with glossy paint and shiny chrome from the many vehicles. He chose his orange ’69 Mustang, because he wanted to stop at the church before the meeting, but he didn’t have much time to spare. He slipped into the driver’s seat, set his briefcase on the seat beside him, and then, with the turn of the key, the car came to life. After he backed out of the garage, he shut the doors with a remote and roared his way out of the long driveway.

At that hour of night, the pine-tree-lined streets were deserted. Alex liked that. Living outside the city, between Reno and Lake Tahoe, gave him more privacy. Although it was raining, he opened his window halfway to let in the fresh scent of the rain-washed earth.

When he approached the city, he took in the view of the lights. For Alex, each time was like the first time. The lights were like beacons, calling to him, enticing him. For that matter, he thought the lights were like vampires, deceivingly beautiful, alluring, and full of promise.

Until you’re bitten,
he thought.

Unable to help himself, he chuckled and continued the drive into the city. Traffic there was crazy compared to the lonely streets near his home. Among the multitude of hotels and casinos dominating the city, he kept his focus on the Lucas Hotels and Casinos—the massive towers stood tall and proud—while he drew closer to them.

He passed the exit and kept going for a few miles until he came to a stop in front of a large brick church. He parked the car, ran through the rain, and ascended the cement stairway. Alex found the church deserted and locked, as it always was that time of night.

Taking out his set of lock picks, he thought about the old days when churches were never locked. They were always open for the public whenever someone needed to be close to God.

Upon entering, he felt a presence; not God, but something else.

Danielle.

She had always had a habit of following him when she was invisible. Although he knew she was there, he rarely let on. He couldn’t think of any reason why she would want to keep herself secret from him, since she knew he would tell her anything she wanted to know. Besides, she could read minds.

Although the bricks muffled the sound of the rain, its presence was evident. It drizzled down the outside of the multicolored stained glass windows.

It’s like they are melting,
Alex thought as he stared at them.

An aisle separated two sets of pews, and at the far end of the church, behind the podium and the large choir section, was the baptismal area.

Following his usual ritual, Alex knelt in front of the podium at a short wooden table that, without fail, held a fresh flower arrangement. It also held a large leather-bound Bible, always opened to the same verse: John 3:16.

Alex lowered his head and spoke aloud to the empty church, his voice echoing in the darkness. “Lord, forgive me. I have sinned. I live a life of sin. Yet, you let me live. Again and again, I ask how that can be. How is it that you could let something as evil and corrupt as I live on this earth and walk with the humans you created?"

He dropped his head lower.

“I still don’t understand a lot of things you have shown me, Lord. I'm depressed. I've never asked for anything from except guidance and strength, but it's time I humbly ask, just this once, for you to bless me with something to give me the will to go on.”

A clap of thunder shook the walls of the church.

“This depression has become too great. I can barely rise from sleep when the sun sets. None of the hobbies that previously occupied me so well interest me anymore.”

Alex paused and took in a deep, shuddering breath.

“I would never try to bargain with or demand anything from you. I would never be so bold as to assume I'm owed anything. All I ask is for some kind of meaning to this life, or after-life; whatever you wish to call it.

“I need a reason to persevere. After all, I no longer have a family. The only thing I have, besides a few friends, is the everlasting torment of being one of the most unholy creatures to walk this earth.

“Please hear me and consider the needs of one of your servants. Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you have given me. I would do anything for you. I am yours in all ways, and I am yours in everything.

“In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.”

When Alex rose from his knees, contentment flowed through his veins and filled him up. He felt the same every time he prayed.

A moment later, he rushed out the door, stopping only to relock it like he always respectfully did.

“Do you think he’s ready?” Damion asked.

“He’s past ready,” Danielle murmured while she slipped off her perch on the railing that separated the choir area from the rest of the church. “Damion, his depression has to end.”

She felt Damion follow her to the front pew, on the right side of the aisle. She wanted to sit so she could see the altar.

He sat next to her. “I know Alex was chosen for this, but how do we know it will cure his depression? It could end this present situation, but begin another lengthy and dangerous one. How do we know this will not be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?”