Braden sputtered out a choked chuckle, clearly amused. “Oh, that was so much better than I thought. You make me laugh.” He kissed me before I realized he was swooping in. “Have I mentioned how much I love having you here with me?”
He had mentioned it. More than once. And while I understood that he wasn’t keen to leave his father’s house, it did remind me that it would ultimately become necessary if we expected to move forward with our lives. Now clearly wasn’t the time to bring that up, though. It was too early in the relationship to start fiddling with living arrangements.
“I like being with you, too.” I rested my head against his chest, taking a moment to enjoy the morning. Then reality crashed into our fairytale. “I need to get back to the gate early this morning. I want to make sure it doesn’t malfunction again.”
Braden’s expression darkened. “No offense, but I would prefer if you weren’t around the gate when it’s acting up. Why can’t you leave Oliver to handle it?”
“Because he’s not the boss.”
“He’s been there long enough to be the boss. Have you ever asked yourself why he didn’t take the position himself?”
“Actually, I did.” That was one of the first things I’d asked myself, in fact. “He says he’s fine being a worker and not a leader.”
“Do you believe that?”
It was a fair question. “I believe that his needs are different. To him, the entirety of a human life is the blink of an eye. He might want to be boss, but he’s not at the point that it’s important to him.”
“Fair enough. Are you going to ruthlessly question him about what happened at the gate sixty years ago?”
“I already have. I don’t think he has any answers.”
“Why didn’t he tell you about the disappearances?”
“He assumed they were dead. He thought he was spared some mass catastrophe because he’s a vampire, and the reaper council lied about what happened. He was as surprised as anyone to see them appear on the other side of the gate.”
“Huh. You know, that makes sense in a weird way.”
“I thought so, too.”
We lapsed into silence for a few moments.
“You could still call in sick,” he said finally. “No one would blame you after what happened yesterday.”
“I would blame me.”
“Yes, but you’re a taskmaster. Nobody normal would blame you.”
“I have to go to work.” I was firm. “This is Paris Princeton’s first day. After what happened yesterday, I have to be there. She’ll run if something goes wrong two days in a row.”
“I don’t know. She seemed pretty calm and collected despite the circumstances. I think she might make a good fit.”
I was thinking the same thing. “That’s why I have to be there for her first day. I want to see if she found anything during her research.”
“You know odds are against that, right?”
“That doesn’t mean she didn’t stumble across a miracle.”
“I think we’ve witnessed our allotment of miracles for the week ... well, unless you want a personal miracle to start your day.”
I cocked an eyebrow. He wasn’t exactly subtle. “You have a dirty mind. Do you want your father to ban us from the omelet bar?”
“What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”
“He’s smarter than you give him credit for.”
“And often willfully blind.”
That was true. I’d witnessed Cormack’s selective blindness a time or two. “Okay, but don’t come crying to me if he takes your mushrooms and tomatoes away.”
Braden’s lips slid into a sly grin. “I wouldn’t dare. Besides, there are better things than mushrooms and tomatoes.”
“I think you’d better show me what those are.”
“You read my mind.”
THE FAMILY WAS GATHERED AROUND the dining room table. Aisling and Griffin sat side by side, their plates heaped with food, and cast each other the occasional flirty glance. They’d obviously ignored the complaints of the male Grimlocks and enjoyed their time together, which explained what they were doing at the manor two mornings in a row. They had their own townhouse in Royal Oak and only spent the night at the family manor once or twice a week now for a break from the baby’s incessant screaming. Two nights in a row was luxury that Cormack obviously indulged to keep his daughter happy.
“Stop looking at each other that way,” Cormack ordered, Lily’s head resting against his shoulder as he lightly patted her back. “I know what you were doing all night ... while I was taking care of your baby.”
“I should certainly hope so,” Aisling said blandly. “We weren’t exactly quiet about our intentions.”
“Definitely not.” Griffin kissed the corner of her mouth before saluting his father-in-law. “You’ll never know how thankful I am for your sacrifice.”
Cormack scowled, although I didn’t miss the momentary twinkle that invaded his eyes. He enjoyed the game as much as his children, which was telling. Even though Aisling was his only daughter, he would deny her nothing. Plus, truth be told, he enjoyed sitting up with the baby. That would probably change when the rest of his offspring started procreating and he was inundated with grandchildren. For now, though, spoiling one wasn’t that much work.
“We need to talk about serious things now,” Cormack countered, changing the subject. He shot Redmond an evil glare when his oldest son tried to take Lily from him. “Get your own baby. This one is mine right now.”
I smiled at the curmudgeonly response. Life with the Grimlocks was never going to be quiet. It would, however, always be entertaining.
“You’re such a grump.” Redmond flicked his father’s ear, shot Lily a winning smile, and then headed toward the omelet bar. “What dire thing do we need to talk about today?”
“The fact that five men returned from the dead,” Cormack replied without hesitation. “Word is going to eventually spread that men thought missing for sixty years are back. I’m not saying that it will hit the mainstream media, but rumors are bound to spread throughout the reaper world.”
“I’ve been wondering about that myself,” Griffin said. He was a Detroit police detective and he looked genuinely concerned. “These men are going to have living relatives they’ll want to contact at some point. The council will be able to keep them locked down for a bit, but eventually someone on the outside will find out and then everyone will hear rumors … including random humans on the street.”
“I’ve thought about that, too,” Cormack conceded. “I don’t know what we can do about it. These men have been separated from their families for years. As long as they’re not a threat, they’re going to be reuniting with loved ones. When that happens ... .”
“Things are going to get ugly,” Braden surmised. “Is there anything we can do about it?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Cormac shrugged as he shifted Lily to his other shoulder. “All we can do is take it one day at a time. Izzy, I’m assuming you’re going back to the gate today. I expect you to watch it closely. If it starts acting up again, I want you out of that room. Do you understand?”
I was expecting the warning. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not an idiot.”
“You’re dating Braden,” Aisling argued. “I mean ... I like you and everything, but that kind of indicates to me that you’re an idiot.”
“Don’t make me thump you,” Braden warned with a clutched fist. “Your doctor just gave you a clean bill of health. That means things are back to normal and we don’t have to worry about breaking you. You’re no longer getting special treatment in sock hockey and shark attack. You’ve been warned.”
Aisling rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I could take you with one ovary tied behind my back. I wasn’t the one who demanded the special treatment. That was Dad.”
“And the special treatment continues,” Cormack boomed. “She can’t afford to be hurt.”
“How long is that going to be the rule?”
Braden whined.
“Until I say otherwise.” Cormack was firm. “We all have jobs to do. Cillian will be hitting the research because we need information. The rest of you — including you, Aisling — will gather souls as if nothing has changed. Don’t bother arguing.”
Slowly, Cormack’s eyes tracked to me. “I want you to be careful. You’ll be trapped in that room for hours on end. I know it’s apparently rare for the gate to malfunction, but it’s happened twice that we know of. We don’t want anything happening to you.”
“Definitely not,” Braden agreed, squeezing my knee under the table. “In fact, maybe I should hang around the gate room today instead of collecting souls.”
“No.” Cormack made a face. “Your idea of hanging around the gate room is begging Izzy for kisses all day. That’s not work.”
Braden scowled. “I don’t beg.”
Aisling’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, you’re such a beggar. It’s pathetic.”
“Knock that off,” Cormack warned. “Everyone is sticking to their assigned tasks today. Is everyone clear?”
Griffin raised his hand. “Does that include me? I mean ... I might want to spend some quality time with my wife. Are you saying that’s not allowed?”
Cormack’s expression was so dark I felt as if I was trapped in a horror movie. “How far are you going to push me?”
Griffin smirked. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know when I know.”
“That would be greatly appreciated. Until then, everyone needs to go about their day as if nothing has happened. We’re only tangentially involved in this. I don’t foresee that changing.”
He was right, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to dig as hard as I could. Tangentially or not, I was shown the vision for a reason. I wouldn’t stop until I figured out why.
BRADEN PLAYED “KISS ME” GAMES in the driveway for a full ten minutes before he allowed Redmond to drag him away. As I was preparing to leave, I caught sight of Aisling and Griffin playing the same game.
As far as I knew, this was the first time Aisling was returning to work since giving birth. I’d heard her talking about it with her father the previous week. He thought she should take a few more weeks off. She was tired of being stuck at home. They compromised and agreed to two shifts a week. Apparently she was starting today.
Was it difficult to leave the baby? I couldn’t help but wonder. Aisling clearly loved her daughter, but she was also fine taking a break. That was probably necessary. Lily was the tiniest tyrant in the land. She was prepared to run the entire family ragged … and they were willing to let her. Of course, Aisling was leaving the baby with her father. She would be comfortable, safe and completely spoiled.
Oliver was already at his desk when I entered. His eyes were glued to the computer screen and I knew he was running data before I even glanced over his shoulder. The technology we had now was a hundred times better than what they would’ve been dealing with back then. We might not be able to figure out exactly what happened, but we were better prepared to extrapolate information.
“Anything?” I asked, shrugging out of my jacket.
Oliver slid me a sidelong look. “Not so far. How was your evening?”
“Well, I watched the Grimlocks melt down because Aisling got a clean bill of health and can resume sexual relations with her husband. There was grilled steak, garlic mashed potatoes and an ice cream bar for dinner. Oh, and they’re having a competition to see who the baby smiles at first.”
Oliver enjoyed stories about the Grimlocks. He said they were a bit much for him, but it was fine listening from afar. Today, though, he didn’t as much as crack a smile. “That’s nice.”
I frowned. “I know that I usually tell stories with a little more gusto – my grandfather says I come by the drama naturally – but I thought that at least deserved a little chuckle.”
“I’m sorry. I’m trying to figure out what happened.”
“I figured.” I slid into the chair from my desk and rolled closer to him. “What have you been able to ascertain?”
“Not much. There was a huge spike of energy right before it happened. It coincided with the noise. Before that, there was a slow build, but it was minuscule. We have nothing in place to alert on something that small.”
“What happened back then?”
“They didn’t have computer equipment like this. The souls were transported directly to the gate in those days. There was a receptacle on the right side. The scepters were plugged in, the souls sucked out, and then the scepters were returned to the reapers for another day of soul hunting.”
“That doesn’t sound like the most efficient system.”
“It wasn’t. A lot of souls escaped in those days for a variety of reasons. That’s why you hear about old ghosts but newer ones are rare.”
“Good to know.” I studied the spiking line on the screen. “How long did the noise continue after I passed out?”
“Not long. It was different this time. I mean … it was the same, but different. The buildup was shorter. The noise not as loud. I think you got a full dose because you were closer to the gate. No one else passed out.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. “Basically you’re saying that I was weak compared to everyone else.”
“On the contrary. I think it’s because you’re strong that you were affected. You saw into the past. I don’t think anyone has ever been able to say the same … especially when it comes to bearing witness to things that happened on the other side of the gate.”
“So … what do you think that means?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I owe those men that.”
“You don’t owe them anything. It’s not as if you caused this.”
“No,” he agreed. “I didn’t cause it. I didn’t look for them either. I don’t know that I could’ve found them, but I didn’t even try.”
Something occurred to me. “Did you stay here because of what happened? I mean … was there part of you that always wondered if they would come back? I’ve been trying to figure it out. I don’t understand why you stayed here all these years, never trying for advancement or anything. You didn’t have to stay.”
“I told you I assumed they were dead. What else was I to think?”
“Just because your head told you they were dead doesn’t mean your heart agreed.”
“Don’t you know? The undead don’t have hearts.”
I didn’t believe that. “You love as much as the next person. I’ve seen you with Brett. It’s clear you guys are in love. Don’t run that on me.”
He sighed, clearly exasperated. “You have more faith in me than I probably deserve.”
“I don’t believe that either. That’s why it just occurred to me. Part of you believed they would be back and you wanted to be here if it happened.”
“Fine. Part of me – a very small part – believed they would be back. It made no sense, but I couldn’t shake the idea. Does that make you happy?”
“Not really. It’s just confirmation of what I already knew. You have a big heart.”
“It goes well with your big mouth.”
Six
Paris was on time and all smiles. For some reason, I found that disconcerting. Not the being on time thing. I admire someone who believes other peoples’ time is worth as much as their own. There’s nothing worse than someone who is perpetually late. It’s as if he or she is saying, “I don’t think you’re worth making the effort to be on time.”
The smiling made me nervous.
“I think we should start with a tour of the island,” I offered, sliding a quick look to Oliver. He was still focused on the computer screen, compiling his data. It was Paris’s first day, so I didn’t want to overwhelm her with creepy hunches and suppositions. That couldn’t possibly end well. “Have you ever been here?”
“I visited the island when I was a kid,” Paris replied. “It’s been a long time, though, and I obviously didn’t see all the ‘secret’ stuff
you guys have going on here back then.”
“Well, it’s not all that big, but there’s a lot to see.” I started moving toward the door, stopping long enough to give Oliver a look over my shoulder. “We’ll be gone a few hours. You okay with that?”
Oliver offered a haphazard wave. “I’m fine with it,” he confirmed. “Take your time.”
I stared at him for a beat longer and then flashed a smile for Paris’s benefit. “The island is bigger than it seems. We’ll take my golf cart.”
Paris brightened considerably. “You have a golf cart?”
“Yup. It’s one of my favorite parts about this gig.”
“I would’ve thought that was the guy I saw you with yesterday.”
I was taken aback by the statement, and when I looked to her I found she seemed fixated on the eclectic cart rather than me as we ascended the stairs. I couldn’t ascertain if the comment was a dig or innocent.
“Are you married?” I asked finally, changing the subject. It was time I learned more about her.
“I am,” she bobbed her head. “His name is Heath. He just started a new business in Royal Oak, but we’re still dealing with a few things on the west side of the state we have to sew up.”
“Oh, yeah? I know a guy who owns a business in Royal Oak. What does your husband do?”
“He’s working as an architect these days.”
The way she phrased it made me believe her husband was the sort who jumped from career to career. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but she didn’t seem all that bothered by it.
“Well ... if you’re ever downtown together and want a good cupcake, there’s a bakery on Main Street called Get Baked. It’s owned by a friend of mine.”
“Who doesn’t love cupcakes? My son is almost two now and he absolutely adores sugar. I have to watch my husband to make sure he doesn’t load him up on sugar before bed.”
I smiled. Now she sounded like a normal mother talking about her child. “Do you have just the one kid?”
“Yeah. Alvis. He’s the light of my life.”
Alvis? I ran the name through my head. “Like ... Alvis has left the building?”
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