Deadly Kisses (9 page)

The drummer made a soft rhythm and stopped. The other three members of the band put their hands over their hearts. The lead singer stroked his guitar with gentle caresses, and the crowd remained silent.

I froze with the familiar tune. My heart beat heavy and my dead blood pooled down through my body to my feet.

“Did you hear me?” Reina whined, pulling up my hood trying to see my expression.

“Why can she see your face but not me?” Bee complained.

Bee’s words never reached my brain. All I heard was the soft strum of the guitar. I saw the look on the players’ faces. There was a swirl of movement around me. I stood in place, shock overtaking me.

Bee felt my soul before I could block her out. She looked at me, then the band. “Do you know this song?”

Of course I knew the song I wrote. My body hummed with energy. Mine, but also hers. She responded to the song as strongly as I did. I was too emotional to block her out completely.

“Talk to me.” Her eyes pooled with worry.

“He’s just in a state of panic. Because of you he will be forced to ascend,” Reina complained.

“What do you mean ascend?” Bee asked.

“You know, go to Heaven or Hell.” Reina turned to me. “Haven’t you told her anything? Sheesh.”

I closed my eyes.

Bee pushed me back into the wall.

And then she pulled the hood off my head.

“Why did you become a Grim Reaper? You were a good person and should be in Heaven.” Bee flung her hand out to my scythe before picking up the rim of my cloak with her fingers.

“It’s not your problem. Just be glad you get me as your Grim Reaper. Abraham Lincoln reaped me and now he’s my boss.”

“Well, if that isn’t the craziest joke in the history of crazy.”

Laughter rolled through her and my soul heated up and danced with hers. “Tell me about it. He’s determined for me to know every detail of dead presidents down to where they were born.”

“Huh, Aiden Grant the history buff and, apparently, actor.”

“So you’re not freaked out that your cousin’s best friend is dead, but not exactly stuck in the grave dead?” I wanted to pick up her hand, but I balled my hand into fist and thrust it inside my cloak. I could see her disappointment that I didn’t touch her. I still had to keep this impersonal.

“You really want the truth?”

“Just like in my song that Mad Dogs just played, ‘The Truth Will Set You Free.’”

“That was Sabrina’s favorite song.” Bee frowned.

“I know, I wrote it for her because she kept a secret from me. I guess if Sabrina told me you could see Grim Reapers, I would’ve called her a freak.”

“I’m sure glad it’s you I’ve been pressuring to kiss and not some stranger. I thought you made me want you with some kind of super power.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you. Like I said, impersonal,” I mumbled and felt guilty.

“Forget about it. I’m just . . .well, I thought . . . I would never see you again.” Bee avoided my eyes. “I can’t believe Sabrina didn’t tell you that I could see Death. I thought for sure she let it leak out years ago.”

“Not exactly, but sometimes Sabrina said stuff that creeped me out. That, and she said I was a dead anti-social butterfly that would wilt at the parties you guys went to.” I watched Bee for an indication that she was freaked out.

The click clack of heels stopped our conversation as Reina stopped next to me with her hand on her hip. “Umm, I hate to break up your little high school reunion, but we have a problem . . . a very, very ancient problem. Why didn’t you read the manual?”

The fear in Reina’s voice made my nerves jitter.

Three tall, cloaked figures walked through the crowd unnoticed. Their shoulders were broad and pulled back. The one in front held a silver dagger tucked to his side.

“Crash course, Reina!” I demanded.

She pulled up her sleeves and my stomach went foul. Above her hand with the new skin were mangled bones. The radius bone twisted around the ulna like a Twizzler.

Bee looked away.

“I’m partially bound to the shorter Norse, Leif. He did this when he sacrificed me at their All Hallows Eve Ball. The door opens between our worlds for an hour. Within that time they are free to steal three souls to be minions for the Dark Lord.”

“You’re not working for them?” It scared me how much Reina knew about this subject, but the minute the words flew out of my mouth I regretted asking her. She had been through the Ancient’s game and I felt bad for her.

Bee looked around and protection swirled in her, and then into me. She didn’t trust Reina.

“Ask how it really is, Ad! Abe saved me and the two others, who ascended. I didn’t die because it was my time and ordered. I died a pawn in their game! They are drawn to life and if they find this livewire here, forget it! She’s yours now, but they can overrule you with a flick of their scythe. They find your weakness and use it against you. You don’t want to mess with powerful Ancient Grim Reapers.”

“Sorry, Reina. It must have been a horrible experience.”

“What if they get my brother? Aiden, I need to go warn Jaleb.” Bee was frantic. She pulled at me, but I didn’t move.

“I’ll find him for her. Just get her out of here. The Ancients feed off peoples auras. The brighter the aura, the longer they can use that energy to keep their skin. It’s what draws them to mark certain people over others. Bee is a river of energy. Now I’m no genius and reading auras is not my thing, but my guess is hers shines like a damn lighthouse beacon to them. Get her out of here.” Reina said, pointing toward the exit.

“Don’t touch my brother. I don’t trust you all the way down to your cheap red boots!” Bee ran forward before I could grab her, disappearing into the crowd.

She was screaming for Jaleb. Her panic set her aura to a bright metallic gold. Bee was a damn bonfire. The Ancients all looked at the same time and began walking toward her.

I ran, using my scythe to cut a clear path. Bee had found Jaleb in the pool room at the far end of the club. I got there just as she started to scream at him.

“Run!”

“There you are. I waited for you at the end of the bar, but then I saw you dancing with that guy. Didn’t want to interrupt. Nice job living it up.” Jaleb was about to sink the eight ball in the corner pocket.

“Jaleb, run! Now!”

The brown-haired girl playing pool with Jaleb was annoyed. “Sweetie, why don’t you go play with boys your own age?”

The Ancients were coming from the other door. I needed to get Bee out of here.

“He’s my brother, and I heard him say he has jock rash,” Bee said.

The brown-haired girl half gagged and gave Bee a dirty look before she stormed off. The poolroom was now empty of spectators.

“What was that for? I liked that girl.” Jaleb scowled.

“We need to get out of here!” Bee ran toward him. “Hurry! There are Grim Reapers after us!”

The Ancients turned to Bee and she froze. I bounced into her back and wrapped my arms around her waist. They were controlling her movements. Her body pulled toward them. I held tight.

The Ancients took off their hoods, and she screamed. They were skulls with red eyes. Skin pulled and then retracted over their jaws as they sucked up Bee’s energy. The cold took me over as they drained the vitality that she had been infusing into me.

“Young Reaperling, do give us your charge.” The Ancients came forward. Rotted flesh saturated the air.

“She could feed us for eternity,” The Reaper with strands of black matted hair on his skull said to the other.

“Help me, Aiden,” I hardly heard her whisper.

“Leave her alone!” My muscles bulged trying to hold Bee.

“Young Reaper, you don’t want to be on our bad side. One like her doesn’t come along often, maybe once in a millennium. If you play nice, maybe we’ll share. She can’t escape us because she was ours long before she was yours. It’s time she faces her destiny.”

Time seemed to freeze in place. “No!” I screamed.

They held up their scythes to me and her heart squeezed as if it were mine, life blood draining out. I pumped what little energy I could to her through our souls. She saw death. She wasn’t scared of death, but I didn’t want her to die at their hands.

My eyes closed and the music stopped, the world stopped, I had stopped.

A thin layer of skin covered his skull, but he was still a sack of bones. Fire swirled in my eyes. I picked up my scythe and walked forward, my intent to blow him across the world. My scythe warmed as I raised its power and I surged my energy forward.

He didn’t move as the lights swayed over the pool tables. Two light bulbs popped sending glass into the air.

Darkness coursed through my mind weaving into my soul. It came up from inside me. No longer feeling the need to suppress it, I let it overtake my emotions. I wanted to do harm, I wanted to kill.

I sent the negative energy at all three Ancients. They were lifted onto their feet and slammed back into the wall, making the pool sticks in the rack shake.

With Jaleb and Bee under the table, I was free to do as much damage as possible. The dark continued to course through my body, a wave of negative energy laced with fear and adrenaline. I wouldn’t lose Bee a second time, especially not to skin peeled and crusty Ancient Grim Reapers.

“Do what you want with me, but don’t mess with my assignments . . . ever.” I blasted them again. They only stood there and chuckled to themselves. They pushed back my energy as if it were dust. I stumbled back.

“The girl is already ours, but if you let her go willingly and come work for us, we can give you anything your heart desires from the mortal world. You will live the life of luxury, so let’s talk terms.”

“No way! I don’t make deals, especially over mortals.” I forced energy back at them. They didn’t move.

The oldest Ancient turned to the one with the orange beard, whispering, before turning back to me. His red disjointed eyes rolled in his sockets. “I’ve had enough of your girl punches. Haven’t you, Erik?”

Erik, the red-bearded reaper nodded.

“I can hurt you and make you do unmentionable things. Looks like the deal is off, comply or I’ll force you to comply.” Yellow corn teeth peered through the yellow-boned jaw of the oldest Reaper.

“You can’t have her!” I screamed.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t have said that to him. You do know that he is Ivar the Boneless.” Erik took a step back.

I knew I would feel his wrath, but I didn’t care. Ivar raised his scythe and a dark stream of light captured me in the chest, lifting me inches from the ground.

My head thrust back with piercing pain. Already decaying organs smelled of burnt steak, but I didn’t give in. When I thought my torture would never end, a bellowing voice from behind me echoed throughout the room.

“Enough!” Abe’s hand clasped my shoulders and the pain ended. I fell to the floor and Abe stood in front of me. Reina had materialized, standing silent near Abe.

“Need I remind you, Ivar, that stealing assignments is highly illegal according to the Grim Reaper code of ethics? The girl is the test that will make him stay a Grim Reaper, or make him ascend. You took an oath not to interfere with tests.”

My legs shook. I grasped my scythe for support.

“Abraham, when will you learn that I will never abide by the rules? Fine, I’ll leave the girl alone, but there’s no rule saying anything about not being able to mark her brother. You know there’s always a loophole I can slide into,” Ivar sneered.

“That’s what snakes do; they slither and slide spreading their venom,” I said, standing next to Abe.

Reina cowered behind him.

The Ancients walked past us in a triangle formation with Ivar in the lead. I saw the look on Ivar’s face when he glared directly at Reina. I felt her fear.

Ivar turned to me and his power seared into me again, pushing me forward. He was guiding me toward Bee and Jaleb. I slid on the floor to them so no harm would come to her. Before I could get to her, my hand grabbed hold of Jaleb’s wrist. Searing heat licked at my hand at the contact. Ivar disappeared, his low laugh echoing through the room.

I let go of Jaleb. A black burnt X remained where my hand had touched his wrist. What the hell had Ivar made me do?

Jaleb looked at his wrist, his brows scrunched together. Tousled black hair fell into his face. He put his finger in his mouth to wet it and rubbed at the black mark. It was engraved into his skin.

Bee was still slumped over on his shoulder. Sparks of life began to stir, and her fingertips emitted a low pale light. I sensed how she was doing the healing thing, drawing her energy from the ground.

“Abe, what did he make me do?” I asked, staring at the X.

“I figured he would do that, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. That is Ivar’s loophole. It is how he marks souls for his All Hallows Eve sacrifice.” Abe looked defeated; he always had a solution but not this time. “He takes the assignment’s family members, leaving them unbalanced.” Abe rubbed at his temples. His hollow brown eyes were sunken in more than they were yesterday.