Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) (33 page)

“What about you?” Arianne asked, pushing the coin around in her mouth so she could speak clearly.

Balthazar shrugged. “Don’t need one.”

Chapter 36

AOAS

T
HE
E
ERIE
R
ED
W
ATER
rocked the raft gently. Charlion didn’t say a word when Balthazar brought Arianne and Ben onboard. He’d been right, the coin disappeared the second Arianne stepped onto the rickety raft. She sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that the sodden ropes would hold the thing together until they reached Haven’s Doorstep on the opposite shore.

Balthazar had been standing with the ferryman he kept calling Charlie at the rear of the raft ever since they cast off. Charlion didn’t seem to mind the nickname…at least he didn’t say anything about it. According to what Arianne knew, the ferryman didn’t speak at all.

Arianne gave the pair—one in black, the other in white—another quick glance over her shoulder from her spot at the front of the raft. She hugged her folded legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. A chill she’d begun to feel since she opened her eyes at the beach wrapped around her tighter now. No matter how small a ball she made of her body, she couldn’t seem to shake the cold. She turned her head until her cheek replaced her chin on her knees and watched the ring pulse. After the light went out, she counted.

Ten seconds.

It took ten scary seconds for the light to come back on. They were cutting it close. Death must be so weak by now, and maybe in so much pain. The knife on her thigh warmed as if in response to the cold she felt. Weird that she took comfort from a piece of metal used to kill things. She shrugged, returning her chin back to her knees.

“Cold?” Ben settled beside her and imitated her pose, pulling his knees to his chest. “I’d give you a jacket if I had one. Balthazar should lend you his.”

Arianne reached out and squeezed Ben’s arm. “He’s not the lend-a-girl-a-jacket type.”

“Yeah, he seems to keep everything in there. Did you see him pull out that sword? Where the hell did that thing come from?”

At the mention of the auction, Arianne shivered again. Ben misunderstood her reaction and slung his arm over her shoulders. Sadly, her best friend felt even colder, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him. She prayed they’d make it to Haven before he became a Wraith. Balthazar had warned her against staying too close to Ben when they walked from the beach to the raft. He’d pulled her aside, letting Ben walk ahead of them, and quickly whispered the words into her ear. Forget the hot blush his breath tickling her earlobe caused, she didn’t believe Balthazar. Ben wouldn’t hurt her, Wraith or not. Even now, she felt Balthazar’s eyes boring a hole at the center of her back. Something in his mind went beyond normal protective instincts. Arianne wanted to dissect Balthazar’s thoughts more, but Ben didn’t give her enough time.

“You gave me a heart attack back there.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. The icky blood-smelling breeze ruffled his sandy hair, paler now in his spirit form. She reached up to her own hair. Because of the burn caused by the lightning bolt, Balthazar had needed to cut off her braid. Now chin-length, her hair stuck out in wild wisps. Balthazar assured her it would grow back after the rest of her body finished healing.

She itched in weird places because of the healing he’d told her about. The skin on her hands didn’t look so bad anymore. As for her clothes, Balthazar’s magic coat provided the shirt, jeans, and jacket she now wore. Since she’d worn less during her stint as Balthazar’s slave at the mansion, she didn’t freak out when she realized most of her clothing burned away. He’d let her change before they boarded Charlion’s raft. The leather pants, shirts, and cool jacket Tomas had provided, including her pack, were all gone.

“Was it that bad?” she asked after she finished mourning the loss of the jacket. Maybe she’d find one when she got back to her body. She made a mental note of it.

“Seeing you almost die again?” Ben shook his head. Then he puffed out a breath. “Not cool, Ari. When that lightning bolt came down and hit your head, I thought my heart stopped. Well, technically I don’t have a heart to beat anymore.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “Not funny.”

“Yeah? Try watching your best friend be swallowed by burning white light. See if that’s funny.”

“I promise not to stand under any lightning bolts ever again.” She crossed her heart. “I don’t even remember it happening. Everything went black as soon as I felt the bolt hit. It was like I blew a fuse or something.”

“And then when Balthazar stuck his tongue down your throat…” Ben continued as if he wasn’t listening to her. He exaggerated a shudder.

Arianne hid her blush by tucking her face between her knees. God, it sucked that she blushed every time Balthazar kissing her came up. At the mansion, he’d begged her to ask him to kiss her again. She hated that the rumble in his voice alone tempted her to say the words. She’d thought she had herself under control when she managed to deny him. And now she’d woken up from a dream of her perfect life to find out Balthazar had kissed her to save her. How was she supposed to feel about that? Niko had begged her to stay. A part of her had wanted to. If she’d stayed, she’d be living the perfect life right now. Her sister would be healthy. Her family would be whole. She’d have the best boyfriend in the world. And her best friend would play basketball.

“What’s with the smile?”

Ben’s voice brought her back to the gently rocking raft. Blush finally subsiding, Arianne returned to her original position—chin on knees.

She sighed and said, “You know when I was—”

“Unconscious,” Ben finished for her.

“I had this dream where you played basketball instead of baseball.”

“Basketball?” Ben scrunched up his face like he’d sucked on a particularly sour lemon.

Arianne laughed. “Yeah. That’s how I knew I was really dreaming.”

Ben sobered. “Balthazar said you wouldn’t wake up if you decided to stay in the dream.”

“I wanted to. It was the perfect dream.”

“How can you say that when I’m playing basketball in it?”

Her heart twisted at the memory. “Carrie was healthy. Like really healthy. Pink cheeks and shiny hair healthy.”

Ben whistled then paused a second before he said, “You’re right. That is the perfect dream.”

Arianne smiled a tight smile. She remembered catching Ben with Carrie. They’d kept their relationship under wraps for a whole year. They didn’t even tell Arianne about it until she’d caught them kissing in Carrie’s hospital room. She’d been so pissed at them for not telling her. But Arianne couldn’t stay mad at Carrie. Deep down she understood why her sister wanted to keep her relationship with Ben a secret. She’d wanted something for herself since everyone else saw the rest of her. Being sick did that.

The look of longing on Ben’s face as he stared out at the seemingly endless stretch of red water hurt Arianne’s heart. She reached out and took his cold hand in hers. She inched closer until she sat shoulder to shoulder with him.

“I miss her too,” she whispered, staring at the sea with him.

Ben nodded before he buried his face in his knees.

“I miss you too,” Arianne added. She squeezed his hand harder.

Balthazar had told them they couldn’t touch the water or it would suck their souls dry. Despite sitting close to the edge, Arianne’s and Ben’s spot was still safely out of the water’s reach. She sighed and steeled herself. Never really a good time to talk about what she wanted to talk about. Since they had no escape from the raft, might as well.

Seeing no better way, Arianne just went with her gut. “Why did you volunteer when Death asked for a soul to replace mine?”

Without facing her, his voice muffled by his legs and chest, Ben said, “I had nothing else to live for. You still did.”

Somehow she had known this would be the answer, but it didn’t mean she was any more prepared for it than if she hadn’t known. Her stomach fell at Ben’s confession. She willed herself not to breakdown. Tears wouldn’t help. They might even cause Ben to feel guilty. So—like Balthazar kept telling her—she sucked it up and stared quietly out into the open waters instead.

Ben broke the silence that followed. “What happened with that anyway?”

Arianne thought back to the room Tomas had led her and Ben to. Niko had been tied to a board by his wrists and ankles. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think Death had tortured him. Arianne pushed away her rising anger and reminded herself why she had agreed to helping Death in the first place.

“After Death took you…” She paused, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. She had to make it through without crying. She had to. “I made a bargain with him to give Niko his humanity. He wanted my memories of Niko and my eyesight.”

“Oh, Ari.”

She pretended not to hear the disappointment in her best friend’s voice. “Before you judge me, let me remind you of the sacrifice you made for me.”

“Mine was different.”

“Why don’t you look me in the eye and say that?”

Ben shook his head, still hiding his face from her. His grip on her hand slackened. The sea breeze picked up, forcing Arianne to turn her head away from the sudden gust. When Ben completely let go of Arianne’s hand, she twisted around to ask why. Her heart fell. Ben’s skin had turned completely gray in a matter of seconds. His breathing was ragged, like he fought for every breath.

“Ben?” Arianne whispered his name. She got on her knees and inched closer to him. He groaned like a hurt animal—a keening painful to the ears. “Ben, can you hear me?” Despite her gut telling her to run, she reached out and placed her hand on his hunched back. Ben trembled badly. She moved her hand from his back to his nape and flinched away at the freezing feel of his skin. The groans grew gravelly.

Ben grabbed at her with a bony hand, his fingers more like claws. She pushed back before he caught her, but she had nowhere else to go. She’d reached the edge of the raft, only inches away from plunging into the water. She breathed as hard as Ben now.

Before Ben could lift his head, Balthazar was suddenly behind him. He lifted his fist and hit Ben at the back of the head, knocking him to his side. Arianne yelped then covered her mouth to keep herself from all-out screaming. She curled into the smallest ball she could become without falling into the water. Her eyes widened when she got a look at Ben’s face. Not a face she knew anymore. Sunken eye sockets, gaunt cheeks, black lips, and serrated teeth.

Balthazar didn’t look at her. She shook badly. Ben had turned into a Wraith. They were too late.

“No,” Balthazar said, still not looking at her. “He’s close, but no dice. If he’d taken your soul then the transformation would have been complete.”

“How could he take my soul if I’m still attached to my body?” she asked through her shaking hands. Wraiths couldn’t consume attached souls.

“Charlie, we need to hurry,” Balthazar said over his shoulder before he finally looked at her. The blankness of his expression scared Arianne more than if he’d had emotion there.

“Balthazar?” She swallowed, never dropping her hands from her lips. “Ben can’t eat my soul.”

He shook his head. “The lightning strike.”

Arianne’s brain suddenly refused to work. “I don’t understand?”

“You’re not attached to your body anymore.”

Chapter 37

LABATYD

T
HE
D
AMN
D
AM
B
ROKE
.

Big, fat tears leaked out of Arianne’s eyes. Snot everywhere. Balthazar cursed the vilest curse he could think of under his breath. Arianne sitting there bawling was the most unflattering look a girl could have, and yet like a hundred times before, her crying brought out a primal need in him to comfort her. He hated chicks so much—working with them especially. The waterworks. He vowed never to partner with a female again.

Balthazar ran his fingers through his hair in self-disgust. Even if he wanted to comfort her—a totally big
if
—he couldn’t move from where he stood over Ben’s body. His transition into becoming a Wraith made him doubly dangerous around Arianne. As much as possible—and Balthazar had no idea where this irrational urge came from—he didn’t want to cause her extra pain by having to kill her best friend.

Wraith-to-be or not, Ben still mattered. At the back of his mind he did all this for more selfish reasons beyond taking the Crossroads throne—maybe something connected to Arianne, helping her. But he chose to think Ben mattered because he was their ticket to see the Redeemer. Yeah, thinking that way made him more comfortable. The blubbering girl had nothing to do with anything. Just a means to an end.

He glanced down at Ben. The boy breathed evenly, still out cold. How long that would last, Balthazar had no idea. They had to get him to Haven and to the Redeemer before he followed through on Arianne as a snack option. Then he stared straight ahead. The red water remained placid. Barring a storm, which never happened when Charlion had passengers on his raft, they’d get there soon.