My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) (13 page)

“Sure thing.” Mara led us inside.

“I hope your shoes aren’t muddy,” Candice said. “The other day, someone… came in here and got muddy footprints all over the place. Took me forever to get it all cleaned up.”

My eyes met Mara’s. So this was where I’d been. Something drew me here, made me come inside. Was I searching for something? Or was something searching for me?

“Nope, our shoes are mud-free.” Naomi’s eyes signaled for us to act casual.

“You could eat off my shoes,” Gavin added.

Candice narrowed her eyes for a moment, but practically forgot about us when a couple stepped in behind us. We quickly seized our opportunity and moved to the next room.

The house was mostly empty. The previous owner left a lonely couch in the living room. In the dining room rested a small side table filled with papers and pamphlets. The place was tidy, but it could have definitely used a coat of paint.

Mumbling from the hall made me look toward the staircase. The house had a second story and a basement, so we’d have to spread out. Lilura told us to search for clues—something that might tell us if a Reaper had been frequenting the house. She said if we could find him, maybe we could be the ones to attack him instead of the other way around. The problem was none of us were entirely sure of what clues to look for.

Candice handed her business card to the couple who walked in behind us, bragging about the wonderful neighborhood. Our group huddled together while she was busy pitching the house to them.

Naomi leaned in close. “What do you think, Zade?”

All eyes were on me. I hadn’t realized I would be in charge. Swallowing back my anxiety, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Gavin and I will take the top floor. Chase and Naomi check the main floor.”

Hunter slung his arm around my sister. “Mara and I will find the way to the basement.”

With just her thumb and forefinger, Mara removed his hand from her shoulder.

I locked eyes with Mara. “Text me if you see anything.”

She nodded. “I will.”

Thunder rumbled outside, and lightning flashed through the windows. It was raining harder now. The sound of it hammering the roof sent a shiver up my back. It was scary enough to think a Reaper might be hanging around the house; the thunderstorm only threw red-hot coals on the blazing fire of my fear.

Gavin took my hand and gave it a squeeze. It helped knowing he was with me. Not just because he was my Cation, but also because he always made me feel safe. When we got upstairs, I pointed right.

The first room we walked into was an empty bedroom. Rain pelted the windows, and the trees outside swayed in the wind. A strange humming noise emanated from the corner of the room. Hand in hand, we walked closer to the noise, but soon discovered it was just the drone coming through an air conditioning vent. I let out a sigh, but I didn’t know if it was a sigh of relief or impatience. Not finding anything of significance, we moved on to the next room.

The hall bathroom was bare except for a roll of toilet paper on the counter and a shower curtain hanging on a rod circling the tub. Lightning flashed in the window, illuminating the white material.

Gavin and I exchanged a look as his hand reached for the edge of the curtain. He hesitated when thunder rumbled through the sky, then grabbed the material and whipped it back. Staring at us from the tub’s ledge was a smiling rubber duck. After a second of letting the picture sink in, I burst out laughing. Gavin shook his head as he joined in my laughter.

We ventured off to the next bedroom, and I wondered if we were wasting our time. Except for Candice’s comment about the muddy footprints, there seemed to be no connection to a Reaper in the house. This could have just been some random place I wandered to that night. Other than the fact that my mother used to habitually meet her Wiccan friends here.

The bedroom had a queen-size bed in the middle of the room, but nothing else. Outside, the downpour pounded hard on the windows. I rubbed my hands over my arms and walked over to the closet door.

Gavin peered out the window. “What did Lilura say about the scythe? That it could help in defeating the Reaper?”

“She said that since it’s a magical item, there’s a possibility it would harm the Reaper if used against him. Chase is going to try to work it into our weapon plan. He wants to break it into pieces and integrate the metal—or whatever material it is—into our daggers and arrows. Not sure how he’ll do it, but I guess Chase has his ways.”

Gavin shot a quick look at me. I wondered what he was thinking.

He checked under the bed. “I still can’t believe it came through the wall like that. I feel like it was a dream.”

“It’s the same way Mara’s Reaper came through her bedroom wall when he grabbed her.” I shuddered at the memory. “I’m guessing that’s how the Reaper knife materialized way back when. Someone somewhere must have encountered a Reaper before and—somehow—gotten ahold of the knife. At least it gives us hope that there’s something we can do about it.”

“You think the Reaper wants his scythe back?”

I pressed my lips together, afraid of the answer. Did the Reaper need his scythe? Or was he just as lethal without it? I hesitated as I grabbed the closet door’s knob. What would the Reaper do to get his weapon back?

Swinging the door open, I held my breath. A few wire hangers hung on a rod, but otherwise it was empty.

Gavin stood and tapped his foot on the floor. “This floorboard is loose. Maybe there’s something under here. You know, like in
The
Tell-Tale Heart
?”

I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Great, Gavin. That’s just what I need: a little scare to get me motivated.”

He let out a small laugh as he bent down to inspect the floorboard. While he prodded at it, I turned my attention back to the closet. It was deeper than mine was. More square than rectangular. Big enough to fit a large desk in. Stepping into the closet, I found a door to the right. Inside the closet.

That’s a strange place for a door.

This door didn’t have a knob, but a rotating handle. I ran my hand over the smooth metal of the handle, working up the courage to press down on it. The closet lit up as lighting flashed in the sky. I needed to find out what was behind the door, but I couldn’t seem to move my hand.

Just open it, Zadie.
Swallowing my fear, I pressed the handle down and pulled on the door.

When my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, a set of stairs stood before me. Up to an attic, I presumed. Dull drywall flanked it, and a window at the top of the stairs let in a small amount of light. Having a moment of genius, I pulled out my phone, using it to illuminate my surroundings.

I gasped. Scribbled handwriting covered the drywall. I took a step forward, mesmerized by the amount of words written. Some of it I couldn’t read. But the handwriting I could make out caught my attention right away.

Oh, Supreme Goddess, at your mercy I ask

for unyielding power and an abundance of riches.

I scanned the other wall and found words like “everlasting youth” and “stop him from cheating.” Small phrases, lists, even detailed paragraphs lined the walls. It was like a diary or a wish list. This had to be the work of the Wiccan women Mom used to meet with. I reached for the wall, drawn to touch it but reluctant to get too close. Did Mom write any of these? And what would I find if I climbed the stairs?

The light from my phone faded out. I was about to turn around and get Gavin when another flash of lightning lit up the stairwell. Something glinted in the short blaze of light. A small, thin item halfway up the stairs.

My bracelet.

Was I here? I must have been. Why else would the bracelet be on the floor? What did I do here? Up here in the attic?

“Zadie?” Gavin called.

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Swallowing hard, I forced sound to break free from my throat. “Just a second.”

“Where are you?”

Instead of answering him, I climbed the first step, focused on the bracelet. Was that what it really was? Or was my mind playing tricks on me again? The second my foot grazed the next step, the door slammed shut behind me.

“Zadie!” Gavin’s voice was muffled, and the handle jiggled. But the door remained closed.

I flew to the door, fighting with the handle and trying not to hyperventilate. Lightning flashed through the window above me. I banged on the door as Gavin called my name. And then, all at once, the temperature dropped.

My breath came out in a frosty mist. I spun and backed up against the door, my eyes searching. But the storm outside played with my senses. My thumb moved over my phone, and I held it up to light the stairwell. But as the next crash of thunder vibrated through the house, I started and dropped my phone.

The light from the window disappeared. Plunged into darkness, I crouched down and searched for my phone. Something moved at the top of the stairs.

It’s here.

I had two weapons at my disposal: my powers and the switchblade Chase gave me. Not that the switchblade would do me any good in this situation. Squaring my shoulders, I took a step forward. I’d faced a Reaper before. Maybe there was some element here I could use to my advantage.

Thinking there might have been some kind of light source in the stairwell at some point, I reached out into the air in front of me. Chase said I should be able to feel with my powers. I raised my hand higher, allowing the energy between my Vila blood and the electric current to find each other. My blood warmed, and the small glow of electricity appeared above my head. It was the socket for a bulb. I willed it to brighten.

A spark of fire burst from the socket, popped and went out, and in that instant the shadow at the top of the stairs moved. With an angry growl, he lurched toward me. A force of energy hit me in the chest. It picked me up and threw me backward. My head slammed against the door, and I crashed to the floor.

“Zadie!” This time it was Mara’s voice. Gavin must have gotten the others.

I was about to answer when the shadow shifted above me. My fingertips touched something hard. I grabbed my phone, my head spinning. I couldn’t get my bearings straight enough to move. “Mara, help.”

My teeth chattered. As thunder boomed again, the house creaked, as if it was falling down on top of me. My head throbbed, tears breaking free as I peered through narrowed eyes at the top of the stairs.

“Use your powers,” Chase said from behind the door. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to Mara or me.

It was dark and dizzying, and I was losing control. I clapped my hands over my ears, begging my brain to stop whirling.

The door burst open. Mara yanked me up and out of the closet, then clung to me.

“Thank you,” I said into her shoulder.

Gavin ran a hand over my head, staring at me with panic in his eyes. Mara released me, and I crumpled into him. He gathered me into his arms with such force I thought my lungs were going to collapse under the pressure.

His mouth grazed my ear. “I said don’t go anywhere without me.”

I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Sorry.”

I was barely aware of Chase and Hunter as they swept past me into the stairwell, daggers at the ready. Naomi stood by the bed, hands pressed to her cheeks. Her eyes were so wide I thought they would pop out of her head.

Chase emerged from the closet. I faced him and he held his hand open. My bracelet was curled up in his palm. “This yours?”

I nodded, and Gavin took the bracelet.

“I didn’t see anything up there,” Hunter said. “Whatever locked you in there is gone now.”

“Oh, thank God,” Naomi whispered.

Gone?

“But those walls.” Hunter shook his head. “Did you see all that writing?”

“It was the Wiccan clan. And my mom, I think.”

Chase ran a hand through his hair. “Well, we’ve got the proof we were looking for. Now all we have to do is figure out how to take the Reaper down.”

A high, lofty voice traveled up the stairs. “Excuse me!”

“We better get out of here,” Mara said.

Doing all I could to compose myself, I walked calmly down the stairs. I even mustered up a smile for Candice, who was waiting at the bottom. The group of us made our way past her suspicious eyes, acting casual.

“Quite a storm,” Hunter said to her.

Candice placed her hands on her tiny hips. “I thought you said your dad was coming to look at the house.”

“He just texted.” Naomi continued to walk toward the front door. “He can’t make it. ’Kay, bye!”

We left Candice with her mouth hanging open, double-timing it to Gavin’s car through the storm. Hunter mounted his motorcycle, not even reacting to the rainwater. The rest of us clambered into the car.

Hunter shoved on his helmet and raced away on his motorcycle, spraying water everywhere.

“He’ll meet us at Lilura’s,” Chase said.

I pushed my hair to the sides of my face, dripping water all over the passenger seat. Someone suddenly banged on my window, and my hand flew to my chest. He was soaked, despite his rain hat, but I finally made out who it was. The old man who yelled at me from his truck—Rudy, I remembered from the windmill in his yard—scowled at me through the car window. No way would I lower it for him. His gray hair stuck to his face, and his jaw jutted out, exposing his bottom row of teeth.

“What business do you have here?” he yelled loud enough for me to hear.

I shook my head.

“Just drive away,” Naomi said.

Instead, Gavin lowered the window an inch. “We were just looking at the house.”

“Liar!” Glaring at me, Rudy continued. “I know you. The trespasser! You look like that woman who was part of that cult. The redheaded one who pranced around town as if she was some kind of queen. And those strange women, always up to no good. You’re probably the same. No good, uppity, devil-worshipping hooligan!”

I ground my teeth. My bones buzzed. A wind picked up, blowing Rudy’s hat away. A
crack
resounded. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a branch from a nearby tree break free. Rudy looked up and ducked just in time. The branch swung down and blew into Rudy’s yard. It crashed into his windmill, sending splintered wood flying.