by K. D. Worth
“I guess I loved the idea of her,” Dan admitted as he sat, obviously wanting to talk about Meegan despite his words. “It’s lonely, being a reaper.”
I nodded. I was not lonely these days, but I had been depressingly alone before Kody.
“I might have annoyed her in the end, but we always understood each other. Sometimes I feel—” He chuckled. “—so old.”
“Tell me about it.” I laughed but then realized Dan was quite somber.
Was he getting ready to pass over to heaven?
“Meegan and I….” Dan blushed. “Well, I don’t know how much she told you.”
I saw no sense in pretending, especially when I really wanted to hear what Dan had to say about my best friend. “Not much,” I told him honestly, sitting in the chair across from him. “Just that when she got here, everyone was so much older. Then you came and you were both lonely. So you guys hooked up, but it was….” I hesitated to use Meegan’s word “circumstantial” for fear it might offend Dan.
“Convenient?” he offered.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Dan kicked back in the chair, jutting his deck shoes out and staring off into space. I casually glanced where he was looking and noticed cobwebs in the corner. I’d never seen a spider, but Slade went to elaborate lengths to make our living areas as human as possible.
“She was right. We were bored and lonely. And when she ended it, I was still lonely. I think we’re all a little lonely. That’s how we end up here doing this gig.” Then he glanced at me with a knowing look, wisdom in a face that I’d honestly never paid attention to though I’d known him for years. “I don’t suppose you’re lonely, though. Not with Kody.”
I thought about it for a moment. “No, but he’s not like the rest of us,” I said, unsure why I trusted this information to someone I’d barely spoken to.
“I know,” Dan said. “Slade told me about the prophecy. But doesn’t that tie you guys together?”
“I hope so. The one thing I do know is that I love him and he’ll always be a part of me in here.” I patted my heart with a gentle fist.
“Just like Meegan,” Dan said softly. “She’s not gone. She’ll always be with you.”
I didn’t want to confess my fears that the culmination of Kody’s journey was approaching and I might not be a part of the next leg of his travels, so I changed the subject. “Are you leaving us soon?”
He shrugged. “Maybe eventually. Don’t we all have to move on at some point?”
It was my turn to shrug and give a wavering gesture. “I don’t know, do we? Maybe this is right where I’m supposed to be. I don’t have any plans to move on.”
“What if Kody did?”
“Wow, shit just got heavy,” I said with a laugh, trying to be funny because A) I did not want to answer his question, and B) I did not want to think about it.
“You should think about it,” Dan said.
I jumped because his casual comment seemed to be a reply to my thoughts. Maybe it was just experience and wisdom that made him know what I was thinking. Although, Kody could read the feelings of his charges, so perhaps Dan knew something I didn’t.
“So what’s the deal with these wraiths?” Dan wanted to know.
“I don’t know how much Slade told you.”
“Not a whole helluva lot, but I’m sure you guessed that. Just that bomb you dropped when Kody joined the team. That there are lost souls wandering around because wraiths killed people not slated to die in order to possess their bodies. I do believe you wanted a crossbow.”
I let out a bitter sniff. “Looks like you guys all got the cool weaponry.”
“Maybe.” Dan shrugged. “Slade told us we all need to be ready to protect you two and our charges. And Heather told everybody what happened the night Meegan left.”
I raised my brows. “Oh, she did?” And here I thought she could keep her piehole shut. “What exactly did she tell you happened?”
“That Kody’s human sister Britany overdosed and you guys were gonna call 911. Then Heather came to reap Britany’s friend, but a bunch of shades showed up, making Kody scream. And then a big black creepy wraith came and possessed the dead kid’s body.”
“That’s it?” Did Dan not know how Meegan saved Britany?
“Yeah, it was a little short on details for my taste,” Dan said. “Like why Meegan left.”
So Kody never confided in Heather? Or maybe Heather hadn’t broken Kody’s confidence. Either way, I felt like Dan deserved to know the truth. “After Heather left, the wraith that possessed Zack’s body killed Britany. Slade came and ended the whole thing, but Britany was already dead, so Meegan volunteered to take her to heaven, but….” My voice choked, and I wiped hastily at my tears, sniffing them back and trying to keep it together. “Meegan stayed behind and sent Britany back with this.”
Looking down, I fingered Meegan’s cold opal ring, snug on my little finger.
Dan was quiet for a long time, and when he finally spoke, I could hear the affection in his voice. “Sounds like Meegan. Always helping others when they need it.”
I nodded, throat too tight to speak.
“That’s the whole story?” Dan gave me such a gentle expression that I almost told him about Slade’s wings, the wraith-turned-woman, Kody being drained, and my protective bubble, but all of that might be too soon. Didn’t want to freak out the team if I didn’t have to.
Was this how Slade always felt? Picking and choosing what he should and couldn’t tell people?
It was not a very comfortable feeling.
“In a nutshell that’s about it,” I finally said.
“Why did Kody scream?” Dan asked bluntly.
His bold question sounded like something I would’ve asked Slade.
Should I tell him?
Though reticent about the details at first, hadn’t Slade told us we needed to work together, no longer alone?
“Because the shades talk to him. Well, more like they scream at him,” I said after some mental deliberation. “They want his help, but he didn’t know what they were saying at the time. Now he does.”
His brows shot up. “You mean to tell me Kody can communicate with souls lost in purgatory?”
I nodded. “Slade said he’s the one who can get them to heaven.”
“And we can’t?” There was no contempt in his tone, just curiosity.
“Nope, just him.”
The words struck me like a blow.
My poor Kody, having all of this on his shoulders! And here, once again, I’d been thinking only of myself and my wants, worrying about losing him when he had a monumental task ahead of him.
Dan nodded, then looked at me, his expression stern and serious. “Then I guess we better keep him safe.”
As if an elephant sitting on my chest finally decided to leave, I took the first easy breath since I saw my true love standing on the bridge in Ohio on that cold October night.
I didn’t have to do this alone.
“I guess we better,” I said, throat tight again.
“Thanks, man,” Dan said, reaching out and patting my arm. “Thanks for asking how I was doing. And telling me about Meegan.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner,” I told him, feeling like a real jerk.
Damn, I really was self-centered at times.
“It’s cool,” he assured me. “I knew her a long time, but you knew her best. I’m not upset you didn’t come to me sooner. Everything happens the way it’s supposed to. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“You sound like Slade.”
“The guy’s an angel, he knows what he’s talking about,” Dan said with a grin. “Come on, let’s go eat some of those apple things your boyfriend’s making. I’m feeling a little hungry.”
As we strolled back to the common room, I gave Dan’s words some thought.
Everything happens the way it’s supposed to.
God, I whispered in my mind. It’s me again. Max. Though you
already knew that. Please help me have faith to trust Your plan and that it’s all going to work out. And help me to be kinder, more empathetic like Kody. Oh, and one more thing… can you let me love Kody just a little bit longer? Thanks.
Amen
I felt a little selfish about that last part, but I didn’t regret it.
Never hurts to ask.
I fell in step behind Dan, surreptitiously wiping the moisture from my eyes.
We walked down the longest aisle in the library, where the books with the life stories of every person Slade’s team had helped cross over were stored. The shelves were incredibly dusty, though some of the books looked new. The dust was heaviest on the older ones, as if none of us reapers had ever scrolled through them. A few closest to us were bound in a shiny plastic material, like they came from an online photo delivery site.
Right before our eyes several books magically appeared on the shelf, and I realized it must be the cases Tristen was working.
As we arrived at the door, I spied Jake off in a corner with his nose in a book. His sandy brown hair was straight and shielding his eyes.
I thought about inviting him to join us, but Dan caught the direction of my gaze and shook his head. “He’s fine. He prefers to be in here, reading and studying.” Dan closed the door behind us, leaving Jake to his studies. “Sometimes I come in and sit with him. Have a coffee. We read too, or just talk. Maybe suck each other off.”
“What did you just say?” I stopped in my tracks, gaping in shock.
Dan gave me a coy smile. “Don’t play dumb. You heard me.”
“Oh my God! Are you gay?”
“No, I’m just Dan. And he’s just Jake.” He shoved his hands in his pockets again and shrugged, looking off to nowhere in particular. “And sometimes the loneliness just gets to be too much.”
I had no idea what to say to that. Had they been doing that while we were in there fooling around too? Slade had made a joke about people sucking each other off in the library, and I thought he’d just been teasing us. Did he know Dan and Jake were in here giving each other bro jobs?
Who was I kidding?
Of course Slade knew.
Oh man, I couldn’t wait to tell Kody about this!
Dan patted me on the back gently and laughed. “I just blew your mind, didn’t I?”
Eyes still wide, I let out a breathless laugh. “Yeah, totally blown. Did Meegan know?”
“No way,” Dan said, shaking his head. “You know reapers aren’t known for sharing secrets.”
“No, I don’t suppose we are.”
“And Meegan liked being my one who got away.”
“Yeah, I think she did,” I said with a chuckle. “Nice ego boost.”
“Yeah.”
“So is it serious between you guys?” I had to know. “Or is it just physical?”
“It is what it is,” Dan said.
“No way. You can’t just tell me there are two other guys here fooling around together, then play Slade Jr. by not answering my questions.”
“We’re not in love, if that’s what you’re asking. But we are really, really good friends.”
“Really, really good friends, huh?” Dammit, he wasn’t gonna give me any more details. “Is anyone else banging that I don’t know about?”
“Probably. Sarah isn’t exactly a virgin.”
I grabbed his arm, only a little guilty for being a gossip. “Who?”
“You’d have to ask her.”
I fell in step with Dan, shaking my head like a dog that just ran into a screen door. “Jeez, I thought Slade had a ‘bedroom doors open at all times’ policy.”
Dan grinned. “No doors inside the library.”
I gave a sniff. “And here Kody and I thought we were being sneaky and clever.”
“Nope. When I first got here, I was shocked that everybody was having sex. I mean there were kids from the forties and fifties fooling around in here.” Dan gave me an incredulous look. “Like my grandparents’ age!”
“Eww.” I laughed, wishing I had known Dan was so easy to talk to long ago. “Did any of them know Ed Carter?”
“Who’s that?”
“A reaper. I found his journal. He was a reaper during World War I. He saw a lot of spirits become shades on the battlefields in Europe.”
“Sounds like a good read,” he said. “But no, no one ever mentioned an Ed Carter, sorry.”
“It was a really cool read for me,” I admitted. “Ed was gay too. But his journal was pretty dark actually.”
Dan smiled wanly. “Yes, being a reaper can be dark.”
“Yeah, that it can.”
And I couldn’t help but wonder how much darker it might get.
MAX—Chapter 10
“WHERE ARE we?” I looked around at the place Slade had chosen for our “final lesson.” He called it a café, but it was more like a run-down carryout sitting on the corner of two streets, with a couple mismatched tables on the sidewalk in a not-so-nice neighborhood, the air sticky and hot.
“We’ve been here before,” Kody said, blue eyes bright in the sunlight.
“Yup.” Slade smiled. “We’re back in New Orleans, Kods.”
Not liking the reminder of all their private chats over coffee, and feeling more than sour at their familiarity with the place and each other, I made a face. “Why are we here?”
“Because this place has great espresso and milkshakes.”
Kody took my hand. “They really are good milkshakes.”
Before I could do anything but frown, Slade pointed across the street to a cemetery. “And we’re here for a funeral.”
“Dude, why do we want to go to a funeral?” I asked, feeling less cranky with Kody’s hand in mine. “We do death every day.”
“Why not?” Slade countered with a smile. “You haven’t been to a funeral since Kody’s.”
Kody shot me a stunned look. “You went to my funeral?”
I squirmed and glared at Slade before offering Kody a smile. I glanced away, awkward. “Of course I did. I wasn’t in human form, that’s all.”
Kody shook my arm until I looked at him. He smiled at me, and I tried not to return it. “Don’t smile or your face will crack,” he teased.
That managed to worm a small smile out of me, though I was well aware of Slade watching our interactions. We fell in step behind him as he led the way to an enclosed patio outside the ramshackle building.
“You guys came back.” An older man, glistening with sweat in the sultry heat, smiled at Slade from the doorway of the carryout.
“Yes, Rico, we’re back,” Slade agreed.
I wondered how many times Kody and Slade had come here for Rico to remember them… but then again, Slade wasn’t likely to be forgotten.
Rico gestured to the busy patio of diners. “Find a seat anywhere.” He had a thick southern accent and a pleasant face.
We found a table, and as I sat in the rickety chair, I recalled the first and last time the three of us had sat down for coffee. It had been in Paris, the air ripe with the scent of croissants and wafting music. Not a run-down street with trash in the gutter and the faint hint of sewage lingering.
“Seriously, why are you bringing us to a funeral? Here?” I couldn’t keep the disdain from that last word.
“Such a snob,” Slade chided. “Do you know what a jazz funeral is?”
“No,” we said.
“Good.” Slade raised his arm to get the attention of Rico. The café was full, people laughing and seeming to really enjoy their food and coffee. “After the funeral the three of us are going to take care of some souls.”
“We are?”
Rico returned and took our orders, two chocolate milkshakes and one espresso—no surprise who ordered the latter.
When our drinks came, mournful music sounded off in the distance. The café patrons whispered in sudden hushed tones, and I noticed some people had gathered on the sidewalks on both sides of the street. I turned in my seat to see what they were al
l looking at.
A group of mourners carried a casket down the center of the street toward the gated entrance of the cemetery. They were followed by musicians playing sad, dark music. It was a funeral processional but on foot, no hearse or cars following with little purple flags saying “funeral.”
Beside me Kody shivered and reached for my hand. He was more affected by death than me.
The processional entered the gates, and even as it faded from view, the singing still haunted the air.
We returned to our drinks, but Slade was still watching the cemetery entrance. I had seen him as a big black creature slaying wraiths, but when he was in this form, he wasn’t nearly as scary. Even with all the crazy tattoos and the new gold hoop in his ear and the ironic Megadeath T-shirt with torn-off sleeves, Slade’s presence had the power to soothe.
Slade picked up his espresso and took a sip as if he had no cares in the world. “Oh, that’s delicious,” he said with a sigh, long fingers gently wrapped around the tiny cup.
And I had to admit the milkshake was extra yummy.
I supposed I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
“First things first,” Slade said, setting his coffee down. He pointed across the other street and between two ramshackle buildings to a trash-filled alleyway. There was a pile of rags inside a box, but then it moved and I saw what Slade meant.
A man was sleeping in a box.
Real nice neighborhood.
“Be kind, Max,” Slade scolded, and I tried not to frown—too much. Then he looked at Kody. “You’re going to help that homeless man cross over. He’s a war veteran who’s been suffering from cancer for a long time, though he doesn’t know it.”
“How can he not know?” Kody asked, eyes wide with concern and the straw of his milkshake halfway to his mouth.
He smiled sadly. “Some people can’t or won’t go to a doctor. Others just don’t care. It’s many different reasons and the same. But you’re going to help him. No more of this refusing to deliver the Touch.”
I bristled when Kody turned paler under Slade’s scolding tone. Kody’s eyes locked on the man in the box. He swallowed once and set his shake down. “Um, yeah, okay.”