Hijinks & Misdemeanors (The Reaper Chronicles Book 2)

by Apryl Baker

  “Come on, Cec, you can dig out something to sleep in while we both check on Ella.”

  Cecily shrugs and follows me upstairs, but as soon as we get to Ella’s room, her frown appears. “What’s going on, Eli, and what really happened to Ella?”

  “There was a demon in your house today.” No point in hiding the truth from her.

  “A what?” Her eyes widen.

  “A demon. The thing touched Ella, and it put her body in shock. We think it was sent to your home to scare you guys into leaving.”

  She sinks down on the bed next to Ella, and for the first time in weeks, I can see her concern for someone other than herself.

  “Did this have anything to do with her reaping?”

  “Not that we can tell. Demons don’t work like ghosts. They have ulterior motives, or at least the people who control them do. It honestly could be any number of reasons, but we think your dad’s job is the likeliest possibility.”

  “This isn’t fair to Ella. She never asked to be thrust into any of this, and she seems to be the only one who keeps getting hurt.” Cecily reaches out and strokes her sister’s cheek, the same one the demon touched. “She’s always taken care of me even though she looks like she should be the baby sister. I don’t know how to help her.”

  “That’s what big sisters do. They look out for everyone else.”

  “Wait…” Her eyes blink like an owl’s. “You said someone sent it there to scare us? Someone actually sent a demon to our house?”

  I nod. “Demons, especially lower-level demons, don’t do anything on their own. They’re usually summoned by someone or something else and given orders.”

  “And it was in our house.”

  “Yeah.”

  Her hand curls around Ella’s. “Is that why you guys wanted me to stay here tonight?”

  “Gramps thought it would be best, at least until we can discover how compromised your house is.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I tell her our theory on the Army suspecting something with Ella and that their house is bugged. “So, until we know for sure, while you’re there, don’t talk about anything having to do with Ella.”

  She snorts. “Not like that’s a problem. Mom and Dad ignore it. We hardly ever mention anything, and when Ella or I do, it gets shut down. It’s like they want to pretend nothing’s different.”

  And here I thought Cecily was just an airhead concerned only with herself. She sees a lot more than I gave her credit for.

  “Everything’s different, though,” she continues. “I wish it weren’t, and honestly, I’ve been a bad sister, doing my best to ignore it, too. I don’t want to admit Ella’s not the same person she was, that she’s different.”

  “But she is the same person she was, Cecily.” No wonder Ella’s gotten quieter. How do people not understand their actions have consequences? Especially when it comes to anxiety and stress. “She still has that same dry sense of humor, the need to protect every single animal, including mosquitos. She still loves banana and blueberry waffles, and her favorite thing in the world is to sit down and watch Pride and Prejudice with you, though I still think the zombie version is better.”

  “Wow, you really know my sister.”

  A soft smile tilts my lips. “She’s an easy person to get to know and want to protect. Take this from someone who’s lost a sister. Don’t take your time with her for granted, Cecily. Protect her as fiercely as she protects you.”

  “You lost a sister?” Cecily’s face softens. “I didn’t know that.”

  Ava might not be dead, but for all intents and purposes, that’s how I have to start thinking about her and the rest of my family. If I don’t, I’m never going to be able to move forward, and I find myself wanting to move forward. To find a career I love and surround myself with people who matter to me. I can’t stay in the past if I want to do that.

  “Just remember to cherish the one you have for as long as you have her, that’s all I’m saying.” I nod toward the suitcase I brought in earlier. “Go ahead and get what you need. I’m going to make sure she’s good and sound asleep before I go to bed.”

  Cecily doesn’t say anything else, just gets what she needs and leaves.

  I glance at the sleeping girl and sigh. She matters to me, and I don’t plan on letting anything hurt her if I can help it, and that includes her family.

  Sighing, I lie down next to Ella and let my thoughts zone out. It’s been a long day, and I need to rest too if I want to figure this out.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ella

  My growling stomach is what finally wakes me up. I’m not sure I want to get up, though, not even with the hunger pains currently making themselves known. I’m too comfy. I’m warm, and for the first time in a very long time, I don’t feel like it’s dangerous to open my eyes. I feel safe.

  The snore that rips out of my pillow does startle me, though. I force one eye open, and I realize I’m curled up on someone’s chest. I look up to see Eli with his mouth hanging open and drool leaking out of one side. He’s never going to believe that he was drooling. As hard as it is to suppress the giggles that want to break free, I just manage it.

  He looks so different when he’s asleep, less like a devil waiting to create mischief wherever he goes and more like the Angel I always think of him as. He has a strong jaw, but even that is softened in sleep. Mocha lashes rest against his cheeks. Cecily is jealous of how long they are. She’s sat and gone on and on for hours about how unfair it is.

  He’s still the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. I’ll admit to myself that I have an epic crush on my best friend, but he doesn’t look at me like that. I’m okay with it. He needs a friend more than he needs another girl crushing on him.

  Slipping out from under him, I do my best not to wake him. He doesn’t get enough sleep as it is with football practice and his workout schedule. He hasn’t said anything to me, but you don’t work this hard at something without some major plans for it. I’ve seen footage of Eli play. He’s good. Not just good, good, but he’s college recruitment good, and maybe even NFL good. He loves the sport, so if one of his dreams is to eventually play pro ball, I wouldn’t be the least surprised.

  And Gramps and I will be right there cheering him on every step of the way.

  Fighting a yawn, I leave what I’m starting to think of as my room and head to the hallway bathroom and spot my sister sound asleep across the hall. Why is Cecily here?

  But then, why was Eli asleep in my room?

  Sure, Eli’s fallen asleep on my bed at home before, but that’s usually when we’re watching movies and Mom decides not to wake him up. I think he’s the only boy she and Dad would trust to sleep in my room. Oddly, I don’t know why. I mean, sure, he’s my Guardian Angel, but he’s still a boy. I wouldn’t trust a guy to sleep in my kid’s room unless they’ve been sharing the same bed since before kindergarten, and even then the door would be open. Adults make no sense most days.

  Am I going to fall down the black hole of adulthood when I turn eighteen in December? I sure hope not.

  But back to my original thought. Why is Cecily here? Not wanting to disturb her, I go to the bathroom and pee. It feels like I went to sleep after drinking a gallon of water, and my bladder appreciates me putting it before my questions.

  Gramps is downstairs when I wander down. He looks up, startled. “Ella Grace, you should be sleeping. It’s barely six in the morning.”

  “You’re not asleep,” I point out and make a beeline for the coffee pot. Gramps makes a mean cup of coffee. Unlike most of the girls I know, I like just a hint of cream in my coffee and nothing else. If I could consume sugar, maybe I’d be all about the caramels and other flavorings, but I do the best I can with what I have.

  “Why aren’t you limping?” Gramps sets his coffee down and walks over to me, bending down to inspect my leg.

  “What?”

  “You ran to the java, Ella, without a sign your leg was bothering you.”

>   “I…uh…” Truthfully, my leg isn’t hurting, not even a little bit. Usually, it takes several minutes to get my leg to work properly, but not this morning.

  “Let me call the doc to look at it and confirm my suspicions.”

  “Suspicions? What’s going on, Gramps? Why’s Cecily here, and why was Eli asleep in my bed this morning?”

  He looks up, startled. “You don’t remember what happened yesterday?”

  “We went to my house to pick up some clothes, and I wanted a shower because Eli told me I was stinky, and then…” Then nothing. It’s a big blank. “Why can’t I remember anything after I went to take a shower yesterday?”

  Gramps takes my arm and leads me over to the breakfast nook. “Calm yourself down, girl. Everything’s fine.”

  We both hear the thump and then Eli’s feet as he flies down the stairs. “What’s wrong?” he all but shouts, blessed blade in hand.

  “Calm your shorts, boy.” Gramps thrusts a cup of coffee into Eli’s hand. “She’s fine. Girl’s just waking up, that’s all.”

  Eli’s whole demeanor relaxes when he’s scanned the room and seen for himself there’s no threat. “You okay, Shortcake?”

  “No,” I whisper, my hands starting to shake. I’ve never not been able to remember something before.

  “I know seeing a demon is scary…”

  “Seeing a demon?” Even I don’t recognize the high pitch of my own voice.

  Eli’s worried gaze shoots to Gramps.

  “She don’t remember any of that.”

  His mouth falls open. “You don’t remember the demon?”

  I shake my head.

  “There’s more,” Gramps warns. “She’s not limping.”

  Eli immediately drops to his knees and gently takes my leg in his big hands and straightens my knee. “There’s no tightening.”

  It wasn’t just the bone that was broken. My knee and the ligaments in and around it were also messed up. Bending my knee is as painful, if not more so, than walking on a healing femur.

  “I don’t understand.” I look up to Gramps. “What happened yesterday?”

  “Do you remember when I told you, Eli, that you had more Angelic ability than most Nephilim?”

  He shrugs, and I get the distinct impression talking about this makes him uncomfortable.

  “The original Guardian Angels were actual Angels. Their blood was pure. Your family was tasked not only with seeking out evil and destroying it, but actually protecting living reapers. The blood your family drank from was from an actual Archangel, not just the regular run-of-the-mill brand. As the ages passed and fewer and fewer living reapers were brought into existence, the genes you needed to keep them safe ran dormant. Then the Crane girl’s ability woke up, and it activated your own latent abilities. Now with Ella awake, it strengthened those abilities.”

  “What are you saying, old man?” he asks sharply.

  “When you fed her your energy yesterday, you were so angry at feeling unable to help her, it woke up a still-sleeping energy—the power to heal.”

  “Shut up!” Cecily says from the bottom of the stairs.

  We all stare at her blankly.

  “Sorry. When Eli went running, it woke me up, and after yesterday, I wasn’t staying by myself. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “No one needs to be by themselves today,” Gramps says. “I told your mother to hightail it over here as soon as the major goes to work. I don’t want her in the house.”

  “Let’s back up.” I look for my coffee, and Eli hands me his instead. I take several drinks. He drinks his completely black, and it’s not my favorite, but I need the caffeine. “Tell me about this demon.”

  Eli explains to me about the demon in the shower and my resulting shock from a soul wound it inflicted. Not gonna lie, I’m sorta glad I can’t remember it. He wouldn’t sugarcoat things. Just from his description, I know that thing would haunt my nightmares as much the car accident and all the ghosts I’ve seen since then. I don’t need another bad thing in my head.

  “I have Dr. Adams coming over to check your leg. If it’s healed, that’s one more thing to worry about.” Gramps rubs his head.

  “I thought he stayed over last night?” Eli frowns.

  “He was going to, but he was needed at the hospital for an emergency.”

  “Slow down,” I interrupt them. “What do you mean, my leg being healed being one more thing to worry about?”

  “If the Army is suspicious of you, sis, then your leg going from healing to healed in a day is going to blow your cover.”

  Well, that’s not good, not at all.

  “You’re just going to have to pretend, and the clinic can doctor your medical records and scans if necessary.” Gramps nods like it’s a done deal.

  I’m not so sure. What if I can’t remember to limp all the time? Then there’s the matter of physical therapy…

  “Hey, slow down.” Eli motions for me to scoot over and sits down beside me. “Your physical therapist is a Fae. She’ll protect you. Doc’s a shifter. He’ll protect you. You’re among people who are like you now, Ella. Even the ones who don’t go out of their way to be friendly would protect you against a common enemy. That’s what Supernaturals do, so slow down all those what-ifs you’ve got going on in that noggin of yours and calm down. This is going to be fine.”

  “He’s right.” Cecily takes a seat in the chair across from the bench seat we’re sitting on. “It’s going to be fine, Ella. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah. No one messes with my sister. I’ll stomp them in a pair of my high heels. You know I can run better than a track star in my heels. Imagine what I can do if they’re deadly weapons.”

  I laugh despite the worry and dread pooling in my gut. “Love you, Cec.”

  “Love you too.” She blows me a kiss. “How about I make pancakes? Gramps, you keep the whole grain flour, right?”

  “I do, and enough goodness to make it taste edible.”

  The two of them go over to the cabinets to bicker about seasoning, and I take the opportunity to study Eli. There’s a tightness to his features that wasn’t there while he was asleep, and a haunted, dark look in his eyes that speaks of deep pain.

  And it hits me.

  He healed me, but his entire family died in a car accident.

  Guilt has to be eating him up inside.

  “Hey.” I bump his shoulder with mine. “You okay?”

  “Me?” One eyebrow arches. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

  “Yes, you.” I lean my head on his shoulder, not wanting to look into his eyes for fear of him shutting me out. He hates talking about what happened to his family. “You just learned that you were able to heal me.”

  “Yeah?” He makes it sound like a question.

  “Your family, Eli.”

  His entire body stiffens, but I slip my small hand into his. The size difference still boggles my mind.

  “I’m just saying that you have to be thinking about them, and I know if it were me, I’d be feeling guilty right about now about that ability not waking up in time to save them.”

  “They died on impact, and I wasn’t in the car. I wasn’t even there. I was out with my friends.”

  The words sound stiff and foreign, like he’s reading a script. I guess it still hurts too much to talk about that day. I hope one day he’ll be able to talk about it, whether it’s with me or Gramps or someone else.

  “All the same, if you are feeling guilty, I’ll listen. Or Gramps will listen, or Jordan will listen. You have people who love you, Eli. That’s all I’m saying.”

  He lays his head against mine. “I know, Shortcake.”

  “You hungry?” I ask softly.

  “Not for those nasty whole grain things you call pancakes.” Clear distaste coats his words.

  “They’re not that bad.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve never had the joy of pancakes with sweet, syrupy sugar before, so don
’t start.”

  “True, but Cec can make them taste better than I can.”

  “She can?”

  “I don’t know how, and she won’t tell me.”

  “Huh. Maybe I’ll go spy and find out the secret. You good here for a few minutes?”

  “Yeah.” I sit and watch him walk away to dive into the bickering of the other two.

  He did it so he wouldn’t have to talk about his family, and he didn’t want to tell me it was none of my business. I get it.

  He takes care of me, and I’ll take care of him despite his attempts to thwart me.

  Sighing, I absently rub at my knee out of habit, not because it hurts, and I’m still amazed at all the things I don’t remember from yesterday.

  At least it’s one less fear to carry around with me.

  And that’s always a plus.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ella

  It took three days before the house was cleared. There were both hidden cameras and listening devices in our home. They were not removed, but each location was noted. Mom seemed the most upset out of all of us, but I wasn’t surprised. Given what we’ve discovered about Dad’s job, I wouldn’t put anything past the people he works for.

  The salt line has been reestablished. But it had to be relocated in the basement via the “exterminator” Mom called in to deal with the spiders in the drains. The salt line was cemented in concrete so it will not be easily gotten rid of this time. The basement and the bathrooms were the only places in the house that were free of spy equipment.

  I do understand the basement. It’s not a finished basement, and it’s dark and dank. No one would go down there willingly. Not even the switch box is down there.

  During all this, no one forgot about the missing person who still has not been found. Elaina Montrose is twenty-six and a teacher. The police are being stonewalled at every attempt to speak to the Army officially.

  And Gramps hasn’t found a single instance of how to kill a dragon. Granted, Elaina is part human, so it might be easier to take her down, but it would still be next to impossible.