'Til Fear Do Us Part (A Grim Awakening Book 1)

by Michelle Gross

  How much danger were Mom and Alex in because of me? I couldn't avoid them like I did Ryan. I needed to ask Killian when I saw him again. I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to them. “Melanie, get down here! You have a visitor,” Mom yelled. I arched my brow. That was strange. If Ryan or Tess was at the door Mom would have just told them to go upstairs to get me. Which meant someone else was at the door.

  It wouldn't be some sort of demon, would it? Feeling worried, I rushed downstairs and stopped when I reached the bottom step. Killian stood next to Mom in the doorway. I gave him a confused look. He simply smiled. What was he up to? “Melanie,” he said my name with an alarming amount of charm and eagerness. He glowed with happiness. It was too unnatural. I realized he was putting on an act in front of Mom. Why was he trying so hard? I didn't want to tell him how forced his acting looked, so I walked to where they stood.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked slowly, feeling Mom's gaze burning a hole through me. She studied Killian with caution and uncertainty. I could already tell that she was disapproving everything about him.

  “You know this man?” I didn't miss the way she called him 'man', implying that she knew he wasn't my age, nor did he go to my school. He was older.

  “Yeah,” I answered trying to come up with a better answer. “He's a friend of Ryan's,” I added. I knew it was a mistake the moment the words left my mouth, but it was too late to change my answer.

  She eyed him, her piercing gaze studying him top to bottom. I wanted to hide my eyes from the way she was acting. “Ryan's friend?” She didn't sound convinced. “Then why is he here?” She crossed her arms against her chest.

  “Mom,” I hissed, not being able to handle any more embarrassment. I knew she probably thought we were in some sort of relationship. Of course, it would look like that. Still, she should know her daughter enough to know that she didn't date. Ever.

  Killian coughed, interrupting us. I looked up. “My name's Killian. It's a pleasure to meet you.” I held back the eye roll. Look at him acting like a gentleman.

  “Strange name.” Mom didn't bother to introduce herself. Her behavior was surprising; she was well on manners. She never treated anyone so coldly. Although, I figured it might have something to do with Killian's age. I didn't know how old he was either, but it was clear that he was older than me. Not that he looked very friendly either, even when he smiled.

  “So I've heard.”

  “Let's go talk outside.” I moved quickly, passing Mom and grabbing his shoulder. I jerked him backward out the door with me. I heard Mom's aggravated blow as I shut the door. I knew I would be answering questions later. I stepped off the porch knowing she was probably going to try to spy out the window. I tiptoed barefoot on the walkway until my feet hit the gravel driveway. I let go of his arm and glared. “What in the world are you doing?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and went to lean against my car. “I figured it make things easier if your mom met me.”

  I rubbed my head before saying, “Does that even make sense? You have all that power; you don't have to ever worry about her seeing you. And besides, look at you.” I pointed at him. “You look about ten years older than me. How old are you anyway, twenty-eight? Twenty-seven?” I was actually curious and wanted to know more about him.

  “That depends.” He crossed his arms and placed his muscular arm across his chest. “Are we talking human years or demon?”

  I squinted my eyes. “Does it matter?”

  “Yes. Time moves a lot slower where you live. So, if you meant human years, then about three hundred.” My mouth dropped. “But if we go by my actual age then three thousand.” He said it so casually as if it weren't a big deal.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Does it look like I'm joking?” he replied then a huge grin spread across his face.

  I shook my head. “You're ancient.”

  “I'm still young,” he disagreed.

  “If you say so,” I muttered. I leaned against the car beside him.

  “What are you doing today?” he asked.

  I sighed. “Well, I'll probably be interrogated once I go back inside. She will be wondering how I know someone who's much older than me. A lot older,” I added. “I've never seen her act that way toward anyone before.”

  He looked over, scrunching his eyebrows at me. “You're just used to her fawning over Ryan.”

  “She does not.”

  He went on, “She does. She adores him.” The way he was looking at me… I had to turn away. “She wants the two of you together,” he stated.

  “Yeah, most likely,” I admitted. He looked up at the sky.

  “You want to be with him also.” He knew my feelings for Ryan. Although I wasn't sure of the confusion I felt lately. Toward Ryan—Toward him.

  “But it's pointless. I can't ever be with him. My life is so screwed up.” I shrugged while kicking the gravel.

  “He doesn't care about that.”

  “It doesn't matter. I will not allow him to get hurt or worse, killed because of me,” I added grouchily and it made him smile. “What about my mom and Alex? Are they in danger because of me?”

  He moved away from the car. “Yeah.” I felt my heart sink. I knew the answer already, but I had also been hoping for a miracle. I felt the tightening of my throat. “He is growing impatient. He hasn't even tried going after you full force. Your family and friends are all tools he can use against you.”

  “I can't let that happen, Killian.” I shook my head.

  “Yeah, I thought so.” He nodded. “Meet me at that tiny diner in town...what's it called?” He looked to me for the answer.

  “Deb's?”

  “Be there in an hour,” he said before walking off.

  “Wait,” I tried to call after him, but his habit of disappearing in thin air left me alone. I looked to the house and hoped Mom wasn't peeking out the window when he vanished. She was waiting for me in the kitchen when I went inside. I tried to make a run for my room, but she stopped me.

  “Not so fast, Melanie.” I sighed, turning around to go in to the kitchen.

  “He's not my boyfriend,” I said as soon as I entered the room.

  She frowned and crossed her arms. She was sitting on one of the bar stools. “Then what was he doing here?”

  “He's a friend of Ryan's. Can't I be friends with him?” I moved my hands in the air and asked.

  She sighed. “He looks older. How much older is he?” Her nose scrunched up every time she was irritated or annoyed. Like right now.

  “I'm not sure.” I looked away. My lies were piling up.

  “Melanie,” her voice held warning.

  “What?” I frowned.

  “He looks dangerous; I don't want him around.”

  “Mom, you don't even know him!” I grumbled. Although he was Grim Reaper. I had seen just how dangerous he could be.

  “I don't want to know him and neither will you!”

  “I'm eighteen now, remember?”

  “You live under my roof.”

  The phone rang and I moved to get it off the bar before she could. It was Ryan's house. Whether it was him or Tess, I didn't know.

  “It's Tess or Ryan,” I told her before she decided to take the phone from my hand. I walked upstairs with the phone. I pressed the end button pretending that I was answering the phone. “Hello?” I paused a moment before speaking again as I climbed the stairs. “Hey, Ryan.” I kept the pretend conversation going until I was in my room and sure she couldn't hear me anymore. I tossed the phone down on the bed with a sigh. It was probably Ryan who called and I just wasn't ready to talk to him yet. I felt guilty for lying so much to Mom, but she didn't know anything.

  I changed clothes and waited around forty-five minutes before going back downstairs. I grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter. Mom found me as I was slipping on my shoes. “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “To the library. I have nothing to read.” And I told myself I would go to the lib
rary afterwards so that I wouldn't be lying.

  She nodded, deciding to believe me. “Be careful. We're supposed to get some bad storms rolling in this evening.”

  “I will.”

  Deb's Diner was always crowded on Saturday's. I walked in and found Killian right away despite the huge crowd. Deb's was a nice place. Tess and I stopped here a lot whenever I had the extra money. The walls were gray, but everything else was red or black. The booths were black with sparkly red cushions. Black stools with red seats. Deb loved her retro look, but it never took away the homey feel to the place. Everyone in town loved coming here. Family, friends, people of all ages. Deb's husband, Bob, was one of the cooks and his food was always amazing. Deb took care of the front work. They also had a few waitresses and waiters. She smiled and waved when she saw me walk in. I smiled back and walked to the booth where Killian sat.

  He chose the back booth in the corner. He leaned back against the cushion seats. His legs looked cramped underneath the table and he gave off that vibe that made people think twice before approaching him. I slid into the booth, the seat facing him. He grunted and tried to shift his legs underneath the table so that I could squeeze mine in. “It's okay. My legs are tiny compared to your long ones.” He tilted his head and studied me. “What?” I frowned.

  “Your lips are red.” I looked away and grabbed one of the menus next to the salt and pepper. I used the menu to cover my face. I felt the flame in my cheeks rising and didn't want him to see. Why did I wear lipstick? I never wore makeup. I was an idiot.

  “It's lipstick,” I said still hiding my face behind the menu.

  He snorted. “I know what lipstick is.”

  “Melanie. It's good to see you.” Deb stood next to our table. I smiled as I dropped my menu down. She kept her hair dyed black and wore her makeup just as dark despite her age. She enjoyed looking nice, I supposed.

  “Hi Deb.”

  “I haven't seen you around lately. How's my favorite twins? Where are they hiding themselves?” she asked.

  “Ryan stays busy with football and Tess has a boyfriend.”

  “That girl, another one?” She grinned.

  I laughed. “I think she really likes this one.”

  “Oh?” Deb sounded surprised and Killian cleared his throat. Deb turned to look at him. He propped his elbow on the table, looking at me. “And who is this?” Deb arched her eyebrow. “Don't believe I've seen you before and I think I'd remember if I have.”

  “Killian.” He nodded his head slightly. “I'm a friend of Melanie's.”

  Deb had a gleam in her eye as she looked back to me. “Is that so?” she said curiously. “Just friends.”

  “Yeah,” I added quickly and stuck my nose back into the menu.

  “I'd reckon Ryan would be quite heartbroken if you were to find a man.” This woman, I closed my eyes and took a silent but deep breath. She never held her tongue. I peeked over the menu and saw that Killian had gone still. His hands rested together in front of his face. His knuckles looked white he was gripping them so hard. Deb must have sensed his mood. “What can I get you two to drink?”

  “Coke.”

  “Same.”

  “Do you y'all know what you want?” She looked back and forth between us.

  “I'll take the usual. Cheeseburger and fries.” She nodded.

  “The same,” he said again. He never once opened his menu. When she walked away, I frowned at him.

  “Don't you eat?”

  “Yes.” He moved his elbows off the table. He scanned the diner. “I'm not a vampire.” His mood was strange ever since Deb brought up Ryan.

  “Okay,” I replied sharply. “You didn't even look at the menu.”

  “I don't mind what I eat. I'm not as picky as—”

  “Humans,” I used his monotone and stuck at my tongue. He finally smiled and I felt the tension ease. “Got it.” I placed the menu down. “Why did you ask to meet here? It's not exactly a place to have the sort of conversation I thought we were going to have.” Deb came back with our drinks. She placed them on the table.

  “Your food will be out in a minute.”

  “Okay.” I smiled as she sped away to another table.

  “I thought you'd be hungry.” It sounded like he was avoiding the question.

  “I am, but that's not what I'm asking.”

  “You seem close with the woman.” He nodded his head toward Deb.

  “Yeah, I've been coming to this diner all my life.”

  Deb brought our food. Killian ate food quicker than anyone I had seen. He scarfed it down. I still had half my food left as he crammed the last bite of his burger in his mouth. “Are you sure you're not the one who's hungry?” He tossed the straw from his cup and downed his Coke. He smiled and sat the empty cup down.

  “When I use power, Melanie, I must replenish. Like humans need food and sleep to survive, so do I and most demons. Just our needs could be entirely different or the same. I could go without sleep or food a lot longer than you, but it will eventually take its toll on me. Especially when I use any sort of power or become Grim. It's draining.”

  “Really? Hmm, with all that power I figured you—” I let the words die out when I saw the look on his face.

  “Will you question everything?” he muttered.

  “Probably,” I admitted.

  I finished my food and leaned back patting my stomach. “I'm so full.”

  He tossed money on the table and I blinked several times at the outrageous tip. “Is there any where you'd like to go?” he asked standing up. Why was he acting so strange? I could only stare as he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the booth. He never let go as he led us outside. I let him lead, not understanding him or even myself. I remembered the first time he grabbed my hand. It had been in the parking lot at Ryan's football game. Now I felt the same thing again. I studied our hands. It felt like I was missing a puzzle piece in my head. I tilted my head, just what was this?

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Do you trust me?” What kind of question was that? I finally looked away from our fingers entwined and searched his face. I couldn't handle his intense gaze more than a couple of seconds and had to look back to our hands. Even his hands were much longer than mine. Before I started rationalizing everything, I nodded and looked back up. He smiled. He led us around the corner of Deb's until we were in the back—away from watchful eyes. There was a dumpster beside the back door. A small cliff was the only thing back here.

  “Why did you bring us back here?” I looked to him confused.

  “I want to show you what I am.”

  “But I've already seen who you are,” I told him already getting nervous.

  “You've seen me, but you don't know what I do.” He added, “Let me show you.” He gripped my hand, but my smile dropped. The thought of seeing him as Grim scared me. He saw my fear and let go. The moment he did I wanted to reach out and make that connection between us again.

  “I would never hurt you,” he said softly. I believed him.

  “You just seemed like a different person that night.”

  “It's not that I'm different, Melanie, it's just I'm most powerful in that form. It doesn't change who I am. I'm me but different. I'm Grim.” That made no sense to me, but I knew nothing about his world. “Aren't you curious? I'm offering to show you.” He offered his hand out. It reached between us. I stared at his palm. Why did taking his hand suddenly seem like so much more? I looked up already knowing my choice. I stepped closer and placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around my hand. A grin spread across his face. “No going back now.” I lost my breath at that smile. I didn't care what happened next.

  Everything went dark around us. Dark then light as I realized a little too late that he was using his power to take us somewhere. When the light finally faded, I was falling from the sky. I screamed. Grass and trees rapidly drew closer below me. My stomach was in my throat as I continued screaming. I could see my death getting closer and clo
ser with every breath I took. I closed my eyes and waited for the moment my body would hit the large tree branches. Something grabbed my ankle and I stopped falling. The blood rushed to my head and a laugh erupted above me. Grim floated above me with a tight grip on my ankle.

  “OMIGOD!” I screamed. “What are you doing?” He shook his head and laughed even more. The laugh caused a shiver to run up my spine. It was Killian's voice, only thundering of power and mischief. He flung me up in the air above him and caught me in his arms. I would have pushed the lunatic away if we hadn't been dangling in the sky.

  “Hold tight,” his voice danced in my ear. I wrapped my arms around his waist. His waist was a lot smaller as Grim. There was no bulk of muscles, only the cool touch of bones through his shirt. I screamed my heart out as he dropped us down from the sky, through the trees. The moment we were on land, I pushed myself out of his arms. I didn't have enough balance, though and it caused me to fall on my butt. I stood and dusted myself off. I glared at him.

  “Are you crazy?” I asked him. Then my frown faded as I took in our surroundings. The trees were monstrous. Well, just not what I was used to seeing. It was dark, but this place was beautiful. Everything was so green, wet, and dewy. Vines wrapped around the trees. Moss covered the ground and a tiny river flowed between my feet. It looked like a tropical forest. “Where in the world did you take me?” I asked Grim.

  He looked around, scratching his chin before shrugging his shoulders. He didn't even know? I tossed my hands in the air. “Are you serious? Get us out of here,” I yelled. Then I heard a noise. I could hear some sort of bug chirping, but it went quiet. I couldn't make out any of the sounds, my imagination was beginning to run wild. It sounded somewhere between a monkey and a laugh. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my jeans. “What was that?” I whispered.

  Instead of answering, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward. He took me through a path. We walked over several huge tree roots and followed along the tiny river until a lake came into view. I continued walking forward after he released my arm. It was beautiful. Clear and blue. The moonlight bounced off the water and lit up the trees around the lake. I bent down and scooped the water in my palms. It was warm.