Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1) (13 page)

Hannah shook her head. “You either agree that someone will stay here with you, or we are going to have to send you somewhere where the Reapers can’t find you.”

What the fuck
! “You would send me away? You can’t do that!” Dang, could she sound any more childish than that, all she needed to do now was stomp her foot.

Hannah’s dark brown eyes didn’t show even one ounce of humor. “We can
, and we will if you don’t agree to this. This is for your safety, and since you are apparently the Chosen One for that crazy ass prophecy, then they won’t stop with one failed attack, Lucy.”

“You can’t send me away. How the fuck would you do that? I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions.”

James sat in the arm chair opposite of the couch with his feet on the coffee table. She couldn’t help but think that if her dad were in the room that he would never attempt putting his nasty shoes up on their ancient coffee table. “You have to make a decision Luce, we won’t let them get to you.”

“You can’t go patrolling anymore either
,” Steph added.

Lucy did stomp her foot this time. “You all are batshit crazy. I’m a Keeper! This is my graveyard. Mine! I will not abandon it because one Reaper tried to kill me.”

“There were two, Lucy.”

She swung her head around and gave Ethan the most furious glare that she could muster. “Shut up, Ethan.”

“Wait, what?” Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Why would you tell us there was only one Reaper if there are two running around town trying to get to you?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She knew that the last thing she should care about was outing a Reaper to her siblings. But, for some reason she felt the need to protect this one. He had saved her from having her throat slit open like an Easter ham. She kind of owed him.

But … he was a Reaper, she didn’t owe him anything. Not really.

“I … he … one of the Reapers had me on the ground with the knife at my throat when the other came out of nowhere and grabbed him off of me and gave me enough time to run. If he hadn’t done that, I would be dead right now.”

She said the last part with remorse, that fucking feeling of failure taking every opportunity to rear its ugly head.

“He
saved
you?” Daniel repeated incredulously.

Lucy nodded. Knowing how crazy it sounded.

Liv caught Lucy’s eye. “Which one was the one we kicked out of the shop?”

“The one who helped me.”

Liv nodded, giving Lucy a knowing look. “He didn’t seem lethal when we saw him down at the shop today.”

“Whoa, wait a minute
,” Steph finally spoke up. “You mean to tell us that you ran into one of those fucktards in your shop and didn’t think it was something you should tell us?”

Liv shrugged. “It didn’t seem important. We ran him off, they usually don’t come back after they have a run in with any Keepers.”

Lucy looked over at her brother and saw that James was fuming. “All right. There is no fucking way that we are going to let you stay here alone while there are two Reapers running around.” He threw Steph one of their twin looks that clearly said ‘agree with me now.’ And, of course, she did.

“Yeah, Luce, I agree. We can’t risk another attack like that.”

Lucy sighed. “You guys. I am a Keeper … not to mention the Chosen One, I can’t just run off and hide. I have to do my job.”

“Bullshit
,” Daniel grunted.

She turned to him. “Excuse me.”

He pulled his flask out of the pocket of his coat and uncapped it. “I don’t give a flying fuck about this Chosen One shit. What I
do
care about, is my sister and the fact that she has a cut on her neck caused by the knife of a Reaper.”

“Dan…” Hannah tried to calm him down.

“No, fuck that. I am going to make sure that mother fucker doesn’t ever have the chance to hurt any of my family again.”

Hannah’s eyes turned as cold as the warm brown
color would allow. “We do this as a family, you hear me?”

Daniel took a long swig off his flask. “You don’t get to make the decisions. Dad’s not here anymore, but no one put you in charge of making the family decisions.”

“Dan, you’re hardly capable of making
any
decisions because you’re always drunk off your ass.”

“Leave him alone
,” Liv shot at Hannah. “We are all upset about this.”

“Stay out of it, Liv!”

Lucy watched the conflict escalate, swinging her head back and forth between her brothers and sisters, and then finally turned around and headed toward the door. “I’m going to see Dad. He can make the final decisions just like he always did.”

Dan tucked his flask back into his pocket. “Sounds like a grand plan. You know he’s going to agree with us about you not being alone.”

And she did know that, because it was one of the last things he said to her before the Reapers attacked her. But, at least if Dad laid down the law they wouldn’t have to worry about all the fighting. They may be a crazy stubborn bunch of kids, but when their dad told them what to do, they sure as hell did it.

“Fine!”
She flung the door open and stomped out onto the porch. Ethan was right beside her in an instant, his large silver knife at his side. The rest of the Estmonds followed close behind them, each prepared for conflict if the situation arose.

What’s it gonna take for a girl to get some sleep. Lucy thought. She was covered in dirt and blood and just wanted to go to bed. The last thing she wanted to do was to be trekking across the cemetery to find their ghost dad to settle an argument between her siblings.

Once they had cleared the lawn and the fence they took to the trails. “Dad,” she called out. “Dad, we’re all here and we need you.”

It took about five minutes before Gregory Sr. appeared.

“Lucy Mae, thank goodness you’re all right." Their father’s voice came out of the darkness and the shimmering blue mist of his soul solidified into his human form before their eyes. “I didn’t know what happened to you after you ran off.”

“You shouldn’t have seen that, Dad. I told you to hide.”

“I wouldn’t have left you there alone and you know it.” He narrowed his eyes and set his ghostly lips in a firm line.

“I don’t care, you shouldn’t have given them the chance to get to you.”

“They weren’t after me, Lucy Mae, they were here for you this time.”

Lucy was preparing a witty
, Lucy style retort, when Liv stepped forward. The argument of what to do about the Reapers and Lucy appeared to be pushed to the back burner for now, because her eyes were glistening with tears. “Dad …” She choked back a sob. “Daddy, I miss you so much.”

Their father’s face softened once again. “Oh, honey, you shouldn’t worry so much.”

“And you shouldn’t be here at all.” The words came out hoarse and soft. Lucy knew she was trying hard not to break down.

“I have made my decisions about the fate of my own soul. That is a choice only I get to make. As much as I love you all, you don’t get to choose for me.”

“But Dad…”

He moved his gaze from Liv to the rest of his adult children. Setting his eyes on them one by one. “I have never wished so
much that a ghost could make contact with humans before. I want to hug you all so badly right now.”

There was a chorus of ‘me too
’s,’ mingled with a few choked up ‘yeah’s,’ and of course, the tears that almost every one of them had brimming in the corners of their eyes.

“Now,” he clasped his shimmering hands together
, “I know for a fact if you are all out here right now, there is some family dispute that you need me to settle. So, what is it?”

Oh, he knew his children so well. How is it possible that a bastard illness like cancer could take their father from them? He just seemed like the kind of man that would kick cancer’s ass and come back stronger than ever.

But, that was not the case. Now, here he was, another soul in the graveyard that they had to protect from the Reapers.

This argument seems so petty compared to losing him. Lucy thought as Dan moved to the front of the pack. “Dad. Lucy doesn’t want anyone to stay with her. She is insisting she can do this on her own.”

Her father’s eyes darted toward her. “Lucy. We talked about this. No more patrol on your own.”

Frustrated, she threw her hands in the air. “Dad, they aren’t just talking about patrol. They want someone to come and stay with me twenty
-four seven. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“It’s for your safety, Lucy! Why do you have to be so stubborn?” James shot back at her. “It’s not about making you look incompetent or whatever you think it’s about. We just don’t want you dead!”

“Ugh!” Lucy kicked at the gravel on the pathway.

“Real mature, Luce.” Steph crossed her arms, officially on the side of those who would lock her away if they could.

Their father held up his semitransparent hand for silence and waited until they had all calmed down enough that he could get a few words in. “Look, Lucy Mae, I agree that you shouldn’t be alone. They are going to come back for you.”

“I’ll stay with her
,” Ethan volunteered before Lucy could get another defiant word in. None of her brothers or sisters appeared very surprised that Ethan was the first to volunteer.

“I will too
,” James offered.

Daniel spread his hands. “I should be the one to stay with her, Greg’s not around
so that makes me the oldest. Plus, I have a fucking score to settle.”

Hannah set her hands on her hips. “You’re also a
Goddamn drunk. We can’t trust you to take care of her.”

Mother of
God. This was getting worse and worse.

“For the last time, I don’t need anyone to take care of me!”

“Enough,” their father ordered. “James and Ethan will stay with you, and you won’t go anywhere without at least one other Keeper. Understood?” It was the tone that told her there would be no more argument about it.

“Fine.”

“And about this other Reaper, the one who allowed you to run off. Remember, he is still a Reaper and he was obviously with the one who held the knife to your neck. One valiant move from him does not make him any less dangerous.”

“Yes
Dad.”

“Got it?”

“I got it!” she cried out in exasperation. “Can I go shower and get cleaned up now?”

“Go,” he told her and she turned to leave him with the rest of her siblings. “But, Lucy, remember that I love you honey. We just want you to be safe.”

“I know.” She offered him a smile and then blew him a kiss. “I’ll deal with it.” With that, she left him with the family so that they could talk about all the things they wanted to say to him. Well, all except James and Ethan who hurried to flank her as she made her way back to the house.

Once she made it to the front porch she turned to get a glimpse of the sunrise. James and Ethan went inside, but she knew they were hovering by the window, watching her. The glowing ball of fire had already risen into the sky. The few clouds around the small mountain ranges were various shades of pink and orange.

So pretty
, she thought as she stared out at the perfection of nature. But then, something else caught her eye. On the street, beyond the cemetery, a black truck was pulled off to the side of the road. May have been her eyes playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn she saw a tiny bit of red flash inside of the cab.

“Dam
mit.” She turned to go in so that she could let James and Ethan know, but as soon as her fingers touched the door knob, she heard the truck start up and pull out into the road. She watched closely as he drove by and saw that it was the dark haired one from the bakery, the one who saved her.

She couldn’t help but notice that he was looking directly at her as he drove by. Their eyes met and he gave her a slight nod.

God he was sexy.

Then, he hit the gas and sped off. She watched until the truck was completely out of sight and then went inside with even more to contemplate than she had before.

Aiden leaned back in the steaming hot bath water of the jetted tub. He’d left Jack in his driveway and headed back toward Santa Rosa where he could get a better hotel room and keep a lower profile at the same time.

Fucking Jack. He’d known that his friend wouldn’t have been able to do the deed but he never once thought that he was going to interfere and stop him from killing that young Keeper.

Now he was going to have to report to the Empress about why the job wasn’t finished already.

Dam
mit. This had been his chance to move up in the rankings of the Reaper army and prove himself to Jack’s mom. He knew that Jack had a softer heart than most, covering it up with his slutty asshole ways, but Jack’s allegiance to him had never wavered.

“Son of a bitch
,” he muttered to himself, then submerged his wounded leg into the scalding water. He hissed in pain as the water seeped into the hole where the silver arrow had been. That fucking Keeper had surprised him with that little stunt.

Because of the s
ilver, it was going to take him at least overnight to get his strength back. Any time silver went into the body of a Reaper it slowed everything down. It wasn’t just a leg injury, it affected his whole body, like getting high on downers. His system was compromised, making his reactions slow and his thinking might get fucked up. There was no way he could fight right now.

Having a weakness was a total bitch. It was common knowledge among the Keepers that silver was what you used on the Reapers, so he was constantly getting cut or stabbed, it was annoying as shit. The worst part about it was the headache, yup, going along with the whole getting high metaphor meant you get the hangover too.

He lay there until the water grew cold and his skin looked like prunes, thinking about what the hell to do about Jack. Seems Jack had already made his decision though, he wanted out of the life of a Reaper, away from the critical eye of his mother.

Aiden couldn’t help but feel betrayed. Even though Jack wanted out and could just up and leave, it wasn’t that easy for him. All he knew was the life he was already living. Not to mention that if Aiden went off the radar it would be would be far worse than if Jack did. Camille Walker would have no problem punishing him, whereas Jack was her son and would probably just get bitched at for an hour and put on house arrest.

He wanted to be there for his friend, but his friend needed to be there for him. The door swings both ways mother fucker.

After the water was so cold he couldn’t tolerate it anymore
, he carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped himself in one of the fluffy white hotel towels.

God
he needed a drink. Without putting on any clothes he made his way into the sitting room of his suite and headed for the little bar in the corner. He found a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a short glass. Yeah, that should help him sleep off that fucking silver in his system.

He needed some time to get right in the head before he spoke with the
Empress. This was one fucked up situation. One Keeper. Dammit Jack, one fucking Keeper and they would have been home free.

He groaned and took a swig of his bourbon and sat down on the sofa. Just as he was searching for the remote control, his cell phone chirped. He glanced over at the bedside table where he’d left the damn thing earlier. That was the ringtone that he had set specifically for the
Empress.

He sure as hell didn’t want to talk to her right now, but if he didn’t he knew that she would just keep calling until he answered. At this point he didn’t think the situation was going to get any better so he may as well answer the call.

“Your Highness,” he turned on his voice of servitude.

“Aiden,” the
Empress’s voice clipped through the receiver. “How goes your assignment?”

“Not well, I admit.”

“What do you mean, not well? I would have thought that with your record you would have had this mission done and been on your way home by now.”

“Under normal circumstances that would be the case. However, I’ve run into a snag.”

To out Jack or to help Jack. What to do, what to do.

There was a silence that was obviously meant to intimidate him and then she spoke. “Explain.”

“I had the Keeper, but someone intervened and she got away.” The words were like acid rolling off his tongue.

“Intervened?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Again, there was another thick silence. “What aren’t you telling me, Aiden?”

Seriously.

“I have told you everything.”

“Who saved the girl?”

“It was another Keeper, they grabbed me from behind. This place is crawling with Keepers. There are eight of them that I know of.”

“Hmmm.”

Aw fuck, she knew he was lying. “I’m sorry
Empress, I am going to need a bit more time to proceed. Hopefully give them enough time to think I’m not coming back. Right now they are probably on full alert.”

“What about my son. Where is he?”

“He is in the shower at the moment.”

Lies, lies, and more fucking lies.

“All right, Aiden. I understand the need for more time. I will stop harassing you. However, I admit, I am actually pleased that you were not able to accomplish the task. I have changed my mind about killing the girl. I want you to get her and hold her.”

What the fuck?

“With all due respect, highness, why do we want to abduct her?”

“
Do not question my reason. Bring her to the Napa estate and I will meet you there. I am preparing for the trip as we speak.”

“If we kidnap her, the entire family is going to come after us.”

She sighed. “Are you questioning my orders?”

Aiden kept silent.

“I didn’t think so. Now, I will give you more time, but get the girl and don’t screw it up this time.”

I didn’t screw it up, it was your son, dammit.

“Yes
Empress.”

“Good. Call me when you have her.” With that, she hung up on him.

He rolled his eyes and clicked off his phone. “Yes Empress. Goodbye Empress. Fuck off Empress.”

He lifted his glass to take a sip of his bourbon and discovered that the glass was empty. So, he made a beeline for the bar and refilled the glass. Only this time he filled it up to the top.

Dammit, this job was getting shittier and shittier. The last thing he wanted to do was hang out with a Keeper. In fact, he’d almost rather kill her than have to abduct her and keep her around until he could deliver her to the Empress.

He lay back down on the bed and looked at his phone. Normally, he’d be calling Jack and telling him what was going on. Damn him.

Oh well, time to get his strength back so that he could do this job and get the fuck home.