Reaper of Flames (The Artifact Reaper Saga Book 3)

by Jen L. Grey

  Crap, am I going to lose it? What happens if I do? I never even considered the possibility of losing my magic before. My body freezes and my heart races. I can’t … I don’t want to. My power flairs just enough to burst the bubble around it and when it does, some of the coldness leaves me.

  So … it’s there. Even if it’s faint, but god that was scary. I lay my head on the wall for a second while I steady my breathing. It takes a few a minute, but I push away and head back to Dax. I’m already running short on time.

  I come to the door and open it. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t him sitting up and reading a book. I take a step in and smile. “Hey, you. You seem to be doing a lot better.”

  He looks up and smiles, then shuts the book. “Thanks to you. May I say, your fighting skills are very impressive.”

  “Oh, you mean the part where I got scratched?” I snort. I’m sure he’s being polite.

  “No, really. You’re an incredible fighter.” His eyes scan me over from head to toe.

  Yeah, I’m not sure what to do with that. An awkward silence descends around us. I can't take this much longer. "Well, Luke is taking me somewhere, so I better get going. Get better. We have to head back down there soon.” I turn and open the door, stepping out.

  “Hey, Christina.”

  I pause. What does he want? This turned weird and I’m not sure how or why. “Yeah.” I don’t turn around.

  “Thanks for checking on me.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I shrug and continue through the door. “See you soon.”

  Using the wall as support, I walk down the hallway heading back to the front door. My hand rubs along the cool, smooth slab while I lean in. I sure hope Luke is telling the truth and whatever is off with me can be fixed and soon.

  When I reach the front door, Luke is standing there tapping his foot. He opens the door and motions for me. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  If I weren’t feeling so bad, I’d laugh. Heaven forbid if one of the elders have to wait. I take a deep breath and let go of the wall and head outside. I take each step slow and one at a time. My energy is depleting even more, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stand.

  “We don’t have much farther to go.” He takes my arm and helps me to the car.

  As soon as we’re settled, the car takes off and I close my eyes.

  I turn my head and the smell of new car and leather hits me all at one time. This is probably the softest leather I’ve ever touched, and I doze off.

  “Hey, Christina. Wake up.” An arm gently shakes me. “We’re here. You’re just going to get worse.”

  My eyes don’t want to open, but I force them. I sit up, rub them, then look around. We’re in the middle of nowhere. I close my eyes trying to get a sense of where we are, but I come up blank. What the hell? That’s not normal.

  “Let’s get going. You should feel better within the hour.” He gets out of the car and waves the driver off. “I’ll take it from here.” He opens my door and waits.

  A wind blows along with the smell of sun and grass. I put my feet on the ground to stand, but sway. I grab the door with one hand the car with the other and try again. I’m able to get on both feet, but it’s as if I’m on boat floating on rocky water. “I’m off balance.”

  “You’re fine. I promise.” He holds out his arm and grabs my hand, looping it through. “I know you’re not a touchy-feely person, but let’s make an exception for a minute.”

  I want to argue with him, but if he releases me, I’ll fall flat on my face. I tighten my hold on his arm and walk with him toward an empty field. Each step I take, the dizzier I become. "I ... I don't feel so well."

  "It's normal." He clasps his other hand on mine and continues to walk at a slow steady pace to the middle of the open field. "It's because you're so close to the time stone." I pause for a second and he drops my hand and takes one step further and disappears.

  What just happened? He didn't transport, he just freaking vanished. That's not possible. I take a shaky step forward and a buzzing glosses my skin and the open field suddenly has a huge five story brick building right before my eyes. It's so out of place out here, but what bothers me the most is that I didn't see it. "What the..."

  Luke watches my reaction and looks up at the building. "It's magnificent isn't it?"

  Yeah, I'm not sure if I would use those words. He's appears to be proud of it while I find it modern and obtrusive. "It's something all right." The ground still seems to be shaky under my feet, but I'm trying my best to stand on my own.

  His eyes narrow and he grabs my arm. "Come on. Let's get you taken care of."

  We walk down to the front of the building, and there is a keypad. He punches in various numbers and soon the door opens. "Come on, we have a few more security measures to go through."

  Why in the world are we going through all this rigamaroo? This seems counterintuitive. "Why don't you just transport us to the ... time stone?" I think that's what he called it.

  "Well, for one, we have preventative measures so people can't transport in here." He wraps his arm around my waist and helps me inside. "Secondly, one reason you feel so awful right now isn't because of your powers, but this place. We have to strengthen your powers up so you're stronger for when you come here."

  Great, so now I'm weak again. Granted, I think it's more that I don’t know how to use my power in the right way. My parents had me hide it most of my life instead of harnessing it.

  We walk up to another set of doors. This one is all silver and there is a camera hanging out by the door. Luke walks up to it and opens his eyes wide. The computer activates and scans his iris. Soon the next door opens and we're in.

  Of course, they would have retinal scans to get in here. Holy crap. What's in here? "Should I be worried?"

  He laughs and helps me walk in. "No, and once you're an official member of the council, you'll have access, too."

  My stomach is now revolting from all the dizziness and emotional turmoil, but I'm hoping some of this will be resolved soon. "But what's with all the security."

  "We have a lot of things here we don't want others to get their hands on." We walk down a long, beige hallway that smells of bleach. "This place was created by one of the council members years ago. The past few decades we've been adding extra security measures to it."

  That's interesting. I've never even heard rumors of this place. "But I didn't see the building when we pulled up."

  "Yes, that's how we keep this place a secret overall. It was the first security measure we put in place." We stop at a door that is white and he looks down at me. "It's a veiling we had spelled. You were allowed to see it, because I touched you and gave you permission." He opens the door and we step inside.

  The room isn't huge, there is a small table and two chairs in the corner and a large metal container with a lock on it in the middle. Whatever is in the container, this is what we're here for. There can't be any other reason he brought me here. I'm just glad my body won't fit in there; otherwise, I'd be a little more nervous right now. "So, what is this?"

  "Well, in order to answer your question with due justice, I have to tell our history." He takes me over and helps me into the seat. "One of the very first ancestors with our unique reaper gifts found a stone he called the time stone. The name is deceiving, because it really doesn't have anything to do with time itself. It's a very large ruby that works as an energy stone for people with our abilities."

  So, he's expecting me to use this stone. I hate to do something that might make me owe them later, but if this could help me right now....

  He heads over to the container and runs his hand over it. "There are certain places in the world and in other dimensions that wreak havoc on our abilities. And when that happens, we begin feeling the way that you do." He spins the combination on the lock and opens the case.

  The brightest ruby I've ever seen shines at me. Something pulses in the room and tugs at my core.

  "And this is whe
re I leave you to get better." He stands and walks out of the room. The door shuts and then locks.

  What the hell? Why is he locking me in here? However, I'm not able to focus on that thought for long. The stone is calling to me. For the first time in the past few hours, I stand with sturdy feet and walk toward it. When I get close to it, my hands reach out and clasp it.

  The pulsing has now turned into energy shooting from the stone down my arms throughout my body and into my core. My power responds and churns. It's as if my power is flashing back through time and returning to its former glory. I feel the restoration happening inside me. It builds and builds inside of me until I'm whole.

  Once I feel normal, my hands don't want to let go of the stone. It's as if I want to stay glued to it forever. I try to let go, but I stay. A white, all-encompassing euphoric feeling overwhelms and then everything goes black.

  18

  My eyes open and I turn over reaching my arm out seeking out a warm body. When all I find is cold sheets, my eyes open and I glance around. Where the hell is Charlie?

  Wait... Is this a dream? The last thing I remember is being with the ruby and Luke. I sit up and pinch my arm hard. Ouch. Shit. That hurt. Okay, not a dream.

  Did I go back in time? Luke said that it didn't take you back in time. It was more around what the stone did with your energy, but when I passed out, I was not here in my apartment. I glance on the end table and my cell phone is there like it normally is. That's freaking strange. I grab it and look at the date. Okay, I slept a day away, so I did not go back in time at all. I don't know whether I should be relieved or concerned about that.

  But one thing I know for sure is that I need to pee. I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom. Once I'm done using the toilet and washing my hands, I walk out and into the kitchen.

  Well, at least I feel normal again. My power is alive and thrumming inside me once again and I don't feel like I'm about to pass out. At least there are some small wins here.

  Since I don't have a lot of breakfast options here, I grab a bowl of outdated cereal and eat quickly.

  I throw my dishes in the sink and head back over to the bed. What happened to Charlie last night? I figured he would have come over here. He should have been here this morning. I grab the phone and call him. It rings and rings until it turns over to voicemail.

  I glance at the time and it’s nine in the morning. Maybe he’s at work already and can’t answer. I hope he’s not mad at me, there is no telling how I got here or at what time. A cold chill runs through me at that thought. I open my text messages and there isn’t anything there. I’m not sure what that means.

  Not knowing how I got here is driving me crazy. I tap on his name and type out my message.

  Hey, I passed out yesterday. I wasn’t feeling well. I just woke up and wanted to let you know I missed you. Have a good day. Love you.

  This will at least let him know he’s on my mind. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, enjoying the power running through me. There is a first time for everything.

  The phone buzzes in my hands, breaking me out of trance. I glance down and there’s a text from Charlie flashing on the screen.

  You were out! I stopped by and saw how out of it you were. I didn’t want to wake you. Hope you’re feeling better. Try to be awake tonight. I need cuddles. Love you.

  How did I ever feel any sort of contempt towards this man? He's freaking amazing. I'm so lucky to have him. I wish we hadn't wasted all those years being at odds with one another. Of course, it didn't help how my parents acted.

  Speaking of which, I should check in on them. It's been a little bit and the last time I saw them it didn't end that well. It worries me, though, that they would jump back at the chance of returning to their old lifestyle if given the opportunity. I'm not sure if they would, but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised. Some things are so ingrained in us, but what if I'm wrong. We've come so far in the past month alone.

  Not wanting to overthink it, I pick up the phone and dial their number. I don't want to end things on a bad note. The phone rings twice and then someone picks up.

  "Hello?" My mom answers the phone.

  "Hey." I'm not sure what to say. She could still be mad at me over the other day. There is no telling what kind of reaction I'm going to receive.

  "Chris, is that you?" There is loud noise in the background, and it sounds as if something is covering the phone. "Frank, turn that down."

  Who does she think it is? I want to laugh, but I bit my lip. "Yeah, it's me. I was just calling to check on you guys."

  The line becomes clear again and the background noise has reduced a little. "Oh, we're good. I've been feeling bad about how things were left the other day. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

  Oh, this was not what I was expecting. "It's no big deal. I wanted you both to know where I stand."

  "I don't blame you after how we acted." Her tone saddens and for a moment there is awkward silence. "So, how are you doing?"

  That is a good question. I'm not even sure how to answer this to myself. "I'm okay. Just trying to figure everything out."

  "Yeah, anything I can help you with?" There is a door shutting and the tv noise disappears.

  "No, just trying to figure out what to do with these artifacts. It's just a little daunting with two swirling inside me and the council always wanting me for something." Sometimes I wish I were still invisible. It sure would make things a lot easier.

  "Just remember that you are a Malone, and no one can take that away from you." She huffs and her tone gets a little raspy. "We always figure things out and never fail. I have faith in you."

  Oh, wow. This conversation seems a little too familiar.

  A loud yelp comes from the other line. Mom huffs. "Now, Peony, behave."

  What the... "Is that a dog?"

  "Yeah." She sounds happy. "We got her a few days ago. We were out at the store and they had these cute Pomskies for sale. I couldn't say no."

  They wouldn't let me get a pet at the old house. "I thought you were against owning animals."

  "Oh, honey, it's because we were so busy when we were working so close with the council, but now we have a lot more free time." There is some shuffling on the other side. "I just didn't feel right having an animal and never being home to take care of it." Her tone turns sugary sweet. "Isn't that right girl?" The dog barks and something makes a thud.

  What is happening here? I don't understand. "So, you got one now?" What if she can redeem herself?

  "Well, we don't have a lot going on now, and when I saw this precious girl, I had to get her." She giggles and lets out a sigh. "But I didn't realize how much work she'd be. She's peed in your dad's recliner twice now."

  "In his recliner?" She must have been mistaken. It had to be underneath it.

  "Yes." She cracks up laughing and it takes a minute for her to be able to speak. "He made her get down from his lap. So, when he got up, she jumped back up there and marked her territory. I think he's learned it's really her seat. He doesn't make her get down anymore."

  Is this dog her twin incarnate? "It sounds like she was made for you."

  "Yes, she fits like a glove." She clears her throat and sighs. "So, how are you really?"

  Are we going there again? I'd hope I sidestepped that conversation when it shifted to the dog. "I'm fine. Just trying to figure it all out like I said."

  "Now listen here." Her voice gets stern. "I may not be in the loop like I use to be, but I know that you’re not telling me everything. Is the council still giving you a hard time?"

  This sounds more like the caring mother I've seen here of late, but I'm still not ready to open all the way out to them yet. Hell, for almost twenty years they've been harsh and critical of me. I wasn't a priority for them, and they never listened. I can't just wash away all that time in the matter of a month. It's crazy to think in a month, I'll be twenty. The time is flying by. "It's nothing I can't handle. And honestly, they are teaching me several thi
ngs about my powers."

  It's silent for a moment. The only sound is her breathing. "I'm so sorry about that, honey. We really let you down."

  Yeah, I'm not ready for this again and even though I'm feeling better, I still need rest. Emotional fatigue is not on the plate for the day. "We've been through this. Let's just focus on today and tomorrow. We can't change the past."

  "I know...."

  I can't do this right now. "Hey, mom. I hate to do this, but I've got to go. There is something I need to do, but I'll either call you or come by soon. Okay?"

  "Of course. Just be careful, okay?" It sounds as if she wants to say more but she doesn't.

  "Yeah, I always do. Tell Dad hi for me, please? Talk soon." I press the red hang up button before she can say anymore. I hate to be a jerk, but I can worry about that later.

  The bed is calling my name, so I head back over and lay down. It's the first time I've gotten to replay the entire events of Hell in my mind without interruption. We're going to have to get back down there and be able to fight our way through, and, on top of that, I'm going to need to be able to locate the flame. How are we going to make sure we can manage both of those things?

  It's so flustering, because I never seem to have any answers. And I'm not sure where to find them, or even who to talk to. My powers are getting wonky, and it doesn't seem like there is anyone who can give me guidance on that. I don't know where to even start.

  My power thrums inside of me, and my eyes begin to get heavy. Maybe I need a true day off just to recharge in all ways. I grab the remote off the end table and turn on the tv. Hell, I can't even remember the last time I watched anything.

  A movie sounds nice and just the thing I need. I hit Netflix and the app begins downloading.

  As I wait, there is a loud knock on the door. Who the hell can it be? First off Charlie is at work and my parents are at their house, so I have no clue. It must be one of the neighbors needing me or someone at the wrong apartment.