Styx & Stoned (The Grim Reality Series Book 2) (20 page)

Okay, I could play this one of two
ways. Either freak out and refuse to do it, or do this right. “Sounds good.” I
nodded, smiling at Charon. “But I have a few demands first.”

“Such as?” Tabris stepped forward
and Nyx slowly turned to face me. “You’ve already been vetted and have received
pay.”

“Lisa.” Nate stepped toward me, his
gaze questioning. “What are you doing?”

“Nobody else can ferry, right? Are
there any other relatives from Hal’s line who are qualified?”

Tabris’s gaze darted to the board
of directors and then back to me. “No. There are a few but they are not—” He
hesitated. “—qualified either due to age or physical condition.”

“Wow, I’m it then.” I held out my
arms and performed a slow spin, letting my gaze fall on every board member.
“Lucky you.”

“This is ridiculous,” Charon said,
stamping his walking stick on the floor. “She can’t handle the rigors of the
job.”

“What rigors are those?” I folded
my arms over my chest. “Demons? Did that. Lost souls? Check. And Franklin and I
are really good friends now. Oh, by the way, I gave him a raise,” I lied. “So,
I think I got this under control.”

“Maybe I could pop in and keep you
company sometimes,” Mara said. “I mean, now that I’m vetted, too.”

“Great idea.” I gave Tabris my
widest smile. “So, here’s what I would like. A written contract, to include
full health benefits, a generous retirement package, and two months of paid
vacation, which will be broken up into two-week increments,” I cringed. “We
wouldn’t want another mess like this.”

“Anything else?” Tabris asked.

“Yes. Two option clauses. The first
one is the option to retire from the ferry when I turn sixty-five. Then I can
spend my final years enjoying my money. And the second is the option to be
rehired after I die.” I held up my hand. “And I want it all spelled out in a
binding contract.”

The entire room was silent, all
eyes resting on me. I waited for their reaction—any reaction, but still the
silence stretched.

Charon was the first to break.
“That only gives you thirty years before she’d retire.”

“That’s just the option to retire,”
I corrected. “I might stay on longer.”

He turned to the board. “I’ll sign
a five-hundred year contract, no health benefits, and only my usual vacation
time of three weeks every hundred years.” He waved his hand absently in the
air. “To be broken up however I want but not to exceed that time limit.”

“No way.” I jabbed my finger at
him. “This is my gig. Besides, you’ll just end up throwing a hissy and screw
things up again.”

“You can put that in my contract.”
His finger waved wildly at Tabris, as if the guy was holding an actual
contract. “No strikes or boycotts. Five hundred years. You can’t beat that.” 

Nyx eyed me, a hint of a smile tugging
at her lips. “It seems we have a decision to make.” She spun toward Charon.
“Lisa presents an enticing offer. It might only be for thirty years but she’s
already proven herself to be a valuable leader.” She cocked a black brow. “You,
on the other hand, are a pain in the ass.”

“I won’t be anymore.” He folded his
hands together. “I promise, Mother.”

She turned to the bronze angel.
“What do you think Tabris?”

“I think we should let Lisa
decide.”

Relief washed through me. It had
been a long shot but it had worked. High-five for reverse psychology. “I’ll
step aside on two conditions. First…” I looked at Charon. “Every hundred years
you throw a party to honor Charon and everything he does. I know he’s a jackass
sometimes, but the job isn’t as easy as it seems. He deserves a little
recognition.”

“That’s all I want, a few
atta-boys.” Charon said. “And she is right. The job isn’t easy.”

“I think that can be arranged.”
Tabris gave me a patient smile. “And second?”

My grin stretched as wide as it
could go. “I get to keep the money.”

Charon’s nod switched directions,
turning into a violent shake. “No way, that’s my gold.”

“You may keep it,” Nyx said,
cutting off his tirade.

Though he puckered his lips and
glared at me, he didn’t argue further. A thrill raced through me. “Okay then,
we got ourselves a deal.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw
Hal step back into the elevator and disappear. Who could blame him? Whether I
was or wasn’t the new ferryman didn’t matter to him. He’d just found out he’d
had a child he’d never known and my heart broke for him.

The board of directors joined the
group, everybody congratulating each other on the satisfactory outcome.

Nate grabbed a handful of my shirt
and tugged me away from the crowd to where Cam and Mara were standing. “Why
didn’t you two tell me you were ferrying?” Nate asked.

“Tabris told us not to, and then
Nyx showed up with her vapor dress and scare tactics.” I dragged my eyes to his
face. “I mean, come on, they’re supernatural beings and I’m a mere mortal. We
were trying not to get smited.”

“That’s not a thing,” Nate said.

“Yes it is.” I look to Mara for
help. “Right, smited?”

“How about struck down, burned to
cinders?” she asked.

“What she said. And…” I pointed to
Mara again. “We didn’t want anything to happen to her new GRS status.” I
reached over and punched her in the shoulder. “She’s worked hard to get where
she is.”

“So have you.” Nate half-groaned
and half-sighed. “You weren’t serious about wanting to be the ferryman, were
you?”

“I actually considered it at first.
I mean, the pay is great, and time stops so I’d still have my whole day free on
the physical plane. It seemed like the perfect option.”

“But?” Nate asked.

“But, then there was the demon
attack and the abyss of the lost souls.” I cringed. “Plus, I think that place
literally sucks the life out of you.”

“You, too?” Mara asked. “I didn’t
want to say anything but man Styx is depressing.”

“It was not your imagination.” I
lowered my voice. “I don’t think Tabris and Nyx had any intention of letting me
be the ferryman. They just wanted to get Charon over the barrel and into a
binding contract so he’d stop his shenanigans.”

“Well, it worked, thanks to you,”
Nate said. He patted me on the shoulder. “Nicely done.”

“Thanks.”

Charon’s voice rose above the
muddle. “Write up the contract and I’ll sign it right now.”

“Man, that guy is an asshat,” Nate
said.

I laughed. “I am so glad he isn’t
my grandfather a kagillion times removed.”

The crowd dispersed and each board
member stopped to thank the four of us for helping solve the problem. Charon
gave me a solid glare before stomping out of the room and I dearly hoped I
wouldn’t be running into him ever again.

Nyx glided to us. “Lisa, may I have
a word with you?”

“Of course.” I stepped around Nate
and followed her. She led me away from the group. “Thank you for giving Charon
his job back.”

“Yes, you played that well.” I
shrugged. “Despite all his faults, he is the perfect man for the job.”

Stopping behind one of the giant
pillars, she turned to me. “You look a lot like Katrina. I knew you were from
her line the second I saw you.”

“Really?” Knowing I resembled one
of my ancestors gave me a sense of connection to my line. “I’ve never taken the
time to research my family, but I will when I get home.”

“I think you’ll find some
extraordinary people in your ancestral history. Some reapers and some not.” She
hesitated and I could see there was something she wanted to say. “I know
Thanatos is angry with me, but I want you to know I didn’t keep the child from
him out of spite.”

“Why did you keep her from him?”

“When Katrina died he was
devastated. I reaped her because he asked me to—because he couldn’t. When I
realized she was pregnant, I took care of her until the child was born. But
there was no hope for Katrina. She’d spent too much time with the dead.” She
folded her hands in front of her. “It was the second hardest thing I’d ever
done. Keeping the child from my son the first.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell him about
his daughter? Surely, at some point he was well enough to know.”

“Time moves differently for us.
Many think I punished Thanatos for keeping Katrina with him, but that’s not the
case. We kept him in Purgatory for centuries, making sure he was ready to join
the living again without fear of hurting anybody. By the time he had healed, she’d
already passed.”

“That’s so sad.”

“That is life and Thanatos is
death. With a single touch, he can take a life, even today. Nyx nodded.
“Luckily, he has more common sense and respect for life than all of my other
children combined. That’s why he couldn’t reap Katrina.”

“It’s ironic that death respects
life,” I said.

“That’s how it should be. In order
to wield so much power, you must first understand and respect it.” She placed
her hand on mine. “You have some of that power too. Where Charon has little regard
for where he spreads his seed, Thanatos’s line is pure, a single branch in our
family tree.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.” I smiled at
her. “Can I call you Grandma?”

Her hand slipped from mine, and a
single black eyebrow arched. “You can try.”

I cringed. “I’ll take that as a
no.”

“Wise.” Her eyes searched my face
for a second and then she said, “When you see Thanatos, can you try to explain
to him what I’ve told you?” She licked her lips and then slowly swallowed. “And
tell him I’m sorry—for everything.”

“Yes, I can do that.” I wanted to
hug her, but even though she was kin, the fact that she was a powerful deity
kept my feet riveted. “It might take some time, but I will put in a good word
whenever I can.”

She sighed and gave me a genuine
smile. “Thank you.” Turning, she started to walk away but stopped. “Maybe I’ll
come and visit you some time.”

“Oh, great.” Again my head bobbed
up and down as if I had no control. “That would be wonderful.”

With that she pivoted and
evaporated in a cloud of smoke and ash. I stared at the spot for a few seconds.
Seriously, my great-whatever grandmother may or may not pop in—to my house—the
same house my kids lived in.

I could see it now. “Oh, hey, this
is your great grandmother, thirty-six-thousand times removed, who also happens
to be the primordial deity of darkness, and oh by the way, did I mention I’m a
grim reaper? Mac and cheese, anyone?”

I shuffled back to Nate, Mara, and
Cam, honestly the only three I considered normal at this point.

“Everything okay?” Mara asked.

“Couldn’t be better.” Glancing
around, I noticed most everybody but Tabris had gone. “What now?”

“Before you make plans,” he said,
walking toward us, “I want to let you know that your next three days are on
GRS. Food, shows, the spa, whatever you like.”

“That’s very generous,” Mara said.

“It’s the least we can do to show
our appreciation.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “And to apologize for
everything.”

I held up my hand. “I’m just glad
it all worked out for the best.”

“Well then,” Cam said, “It seems
dinner and drinks are on GRS tonight. Lobster anyone?”

“Would you like to join us?” Nate
asked Tabris.

“I’d love to, but as you can
imagine, I’ve got a lot of follow-up work to do and a contract to write up.” He
sighed. “But thanks.”

We said our goodbyes and headed for
dinner.

“The first thing I plan on having
is the biggest gin and tonic they make.” I locked arms with Mara. “And another
with my meal, and probably another for dessert.”

“Me, too. If we drink at that rate
we’ll be Jimmied by six o’clock,” she said.

“Well,” Nate interrupted. “Before
you get too…jimmied, I want to hear about your adventure ferrying.”

“Yeah,” Cam added. “You know, the
demon attack. The water zombies. What else?”

“Sea monsters,” Nate said. “All of
it. We want to know everything.”

“Okay, but it’s pretty horrifying
stuff.” I shook my head. “I hope you can handle it.”

“I had a demon inside me this
morning.” Nate shuddered. “I can handle anything.”

The three days I’d spent in Vegas
after the big throw-down with Charon were heaven. I’d taken full advantage of
the spa, pool, and money I’d earned as a ferryman. Even after transferring
Mara’s share, the amount left over would give us a real boost. I even
contemplated buying a new washer and dryer.

Sitting on top of my suitcase, I
zipped the sides and pulled it upright onto its wheels. I had to buy more
luggage at one of the souvenir shops in order to pack all the gifts I’d bought
everybody, but the extra baggage fee would be worth seeing the kids’
expressions.

“Well, that’s it.” I turned to
Tandy and smiled. “All ready to go.”

“When does your flight leave?” She
looked like a teenager, hovering a couple of inches off the bed, knees bent,
and ankles locked.

I glanced at the clock. “Three
hours, but I like to get there early. You never know how long it takes to get
to the airport or how long the security line will be.”

A pout curled her lips. “I’m going
to miss you.” She floated to a stand. “It’s going to be lonely here now that
everybody is gone.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” I held out
my arms. “I am a grim reaper. You could pass on to the next big party.”

“Cross over?” She grimaced. “That’s
a little scary.”

“The unknown always is.” I smiled.
“You’ll get to ride with Hal.”

Instantly she perked up. “Really?”

“Yep. And I’m certain he knows
where the best parties are.”
If he answers me.
I hadn’t seen him since
he’d ducked out of the powwow in Tabris’s office—since he’d found out he’d had
a daughter.

She chewed on her bottom lip and
then smiled. “Okay, I’ll go.” Clapping her hands, she did her signature perky
bounce. “This is so exciting.”

“I know, right?” As I dragged my
suitcase toward the door I called, “Hal.”

From the way he’d blown out of
Tabris’s office I wasn’t sure he’d show up. This would be my first attempt.
Before I’d made it to the door, Hal appeared, surprising me.

“Hello, Lisa.” He tipped his head
toward Tandy. “Pretty lady.”

She tittered and stepped toward
him. “So, Lisa said you know where the best parties are.”

“Indeed, I do.” His white smile
glinted at her and I had to admit, he seemed in good spirits. Stepping aside,
he ushered her in. “After you.”

Once Tandy was inside the elevator,
she faced me. “Will I ever see you again?”

“I hope not for a very long time.”
I wiggled my fingers in a wave. “Have a good time.”

She clapped and bounced again. No
doubt, wherever she was going she’d be an endless supply of fun and energy.

“Don’t leave yet,” Hal said.

His statement caught me by
surprise. “I’ve got to catch my plane.”

“You have plenty of time.” He
backed into the elevator. “I’ll be right back. I have a gift for you.”

“Okay, but hurry.” When the
elevator started to close I remembered Estelle. She was probably still waiting
in the bathroom. “Hey, can you swing by the fifth floor bathroom and pick up
Estelle and the girls? They love a good party.”

He gave me a wave of acknowledgment
and disappeared.

A second later, someone knocked on
my door. When I opened it, I found Mara leaning against my doorframe. “I
thought you’d left.”

“Well, I actually live in Las Vegas
so leaving is sort of a relative term.”

“You live in Vegas?” I shook my
head. “Why didn’t I know that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because we
were busy fighting demons and shuttling dead people?”

“True.” I nodded. “Come in.”

“I can’t.” She rolled her eyes.
“Cam already has us on another case and I need to meet him in a little bit.”
Lifting her hand, she held up a business card. “My private number.”

I squinted at her. “But I already
have your phone number.”

“This is my private-private phone
number.” She shoved the card in my hand. “Cam doesn’t even know it. The number
is for my close friends.” She shrugged. “People I want to keep in touch with.”

“Wow, I’m honored.” The white
rectangle of paper had a ten-digit phone number and nothing else. “Thank you. I
will definitely call.”

“You’d better, and I have your
number too, so it goes both ways.” She exhaled. “Okay, one more hug and then I
have to go.”

I stepped into her outstretched
arms and wrapped mine around her. We stood like that for several seconds—longer
than a simple good-bye, but short enough that it didn’t get weird.

When she released me, she stepped
back. “Have a great trip home.”

“I will.” I almost said “you too”
but lucky her, she was already home. Instead I said, “Drive safely,” not even
knowing if she drove.

The urge to watch her walk away
pushed at me, but again, that would probably be weird, so I stepped into the
room and shut the door.

“Lisa.”

I started and pivoted to see that
Hal was back already. “That was fast.”

“I’m good at my job. The ladies
invited me to meet them later.” He cocked an eyebrow at me, looking a lot like
his mother, but I didn’t tell him that. “I trust you won’t be reaping anybody
between here and Alaska?”

“I have no plans to, so go have a
good time.” I gave him a knowing smile. “And, even though you don’t want or
need it, I give you and Tandy my blessing.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “You
are correct. I don’t need it. Tandy is beautiful and fun, but the girl has too
much energy for me. I might be a supernatural being but even I have my
limitations.”

“You could show her around at
least. Let down your hair for a while.”

“Thank you, but I don’t need my
granddaughter giving me advice on how to pick up women.” He cleared his throat
and I think it was the first time I’d seem him look uncomfortable. I wasn’t
sure if it was from the topic of conversation, or because he’d called me his
granddaughter. I didn’t ask, not wanting to spoil the moment.

“All right then, if you don’t want
my pearls of wisdom on dating, what did you want?”

“To give you this.” He unhooked a
slender cylinder from his belt and held it out for me to see.

It was black and had an intricate
silver pattern embossed on it. I’d noticed it before and had seen him fiddle
with it when he was irritated. “What is it?”

“Something you deserve to have.” He
wrapped his hand around the cylinder and whispered his name, “Thanatos.”

At the same time, the ends extended
and I instantly knew what it was. “A scythe?”

Unlike the expanding scythe the
vendor was selling, this one slid silently from its confines to form a long
black handle. What looked like a cloud of gray vapor clung to the top and then
formed into a gleaming blade. Power hummed from it, the smallest movement
making the air vibrate.

My hand shook when I extended my
arm to take it from him. “It’s beautiful.” The weapon purred against my skin.
“But this is yours. I can’t take it.”

“
Was
mine,” he corrected.
“Now it’s yours.”

Words escaped me. This gift was
beyond anything I could have wished for or imagined. “Hal, I don’t know what to
say.”

“When you want to use it you say
Thanatos. It means death.” He took it from me again, held the scythe upright,
and tapped the end on the ground twice. The ends compressed, the blade fading
to vapor, disappearing into the cylinder again. “Then it is ready for next time.”

“When would I use this?” I took the
cylinder from him. “Usually I can grab onto the souls and they stick.”

He nodded. “The scythe is used in
dangerous situations or with paranormal beings you reap. It erases the need for
gold or a porter. One swipe and they are instantly sent to their destination.”

“I sure could have used it this
week.” I envisioned myself hacking my way down the riverbank, sending souls on
without having to ferry them.

“Nyx forbad me to give it to you.”
He pursed his lips. “Said she needed you to ferry until the last possible
moment so Charon would come crawling back for his job.”

“So you knew?” I pursed my lips. “I
don’t know if I should be pissed that Nyx totally manipulated me or touched
that you asked your mom if you could give me your scythe.”

He leveled his yellow stare at me
and growled, holding out his hand. “Maybe I made a mistake.”

“No you didn’t.” I clutched the
cylinder to my chest. “I’ll keep my pie hole shut and not tease you.” Grinning,
I chanced another peek. “This is so cool. Thank you.” I looked at him. “Hey,
can I call you Grandpa?”

“Not if you want me to transport
you home.”

My brow pinched together. “What do
you mean?”

“You’d be home in a few minutes.”
He indicated the elevator. “Unless you have an unhealthy preference for crowded
airports, tiny packets of food, and uncomfortable seats.”

“No.” I shook my head vigorously.
“I don’t. Oh my God, that would be so amazing.” I grabbed the closest suitcase
and shoved it at him. “Here, I’ve got one more, just a second.” Getting home to
see my family was better than all the massages and facials I’d gotten in the
last three days, plus the pasta dinner and wine I’d had last night. But not the
scythe. I’d suffer through a twenty-four-hour layover to keep that scythe. I
wrestled my ancient suitcase into the elevator, gave one last look around, and
got in. “Ready, Freddy.”

He looked at the ceiling and took a
long-suffering breath, which was so like me, and then closed the doors.

This had been a hell of a week.
Even after three days of resting I was still soul weary. But now that the
events were over and the crisis passed, I was glad I’d gone through most of it.
So much had happened. Not only had I discovered who Hal was and why he was my
porter, I’d met Mara. She’d turned out to be a good friend and somebody I’d
keep in my life. Nate, well, that was still a mystery to unravel. For now I’d
be happy with him being a supportive partner and team player. Secretly, I hoped
there was another kiss in our future. One that had nothing to do with demon
possession.

The verdict was still out on
whether ferrying had been worth it. Yes, we’d delivered a lot of souls and made
a fair amount of money in the process. We’d stopped the shit from hitting the
ethereal fan, blah, blah, blah, but I’d also seen a lot of things that I
wouldn’t be able to unsee—ever. Stuff nightmares were made of.

When the elevator opened onto my
empty, semi-clean living room, a wave of happiness washed through me. “That was
so much better than taking a plane.” I pushed the suitcases out of the elevator
and turned back to Hal. “Thanks for the ride. I’d invite you in but you and the
whole grim reaper thing would be a little tough to explain to my kids.”

Hal smirked. “Not as difficult as
you might think.” He touched his fingers to his forehead. “No matter, I have
somewhere else to be.”

“Say hi to Tandy for me.”

Though he didn’t reply, he did nod.
Then the elevator compressed and winked out of sight. Silence filled the room.
I closed my eyes, drinking it in.

Boy, it was so good to be home.